Eras of Ancient Egypt

Explanation: The most significant and iconic pyramids were built in the period we now call the Old Kingdom of Egypt.

In the New Kingdom era, Egypt blossomed into a vast and powerful empire. And, uh, also had a strange tradition of sibling incest that would last altogether far too long.

The Ptolemaic dynasty was founded by one of the Macedonian warlord Alexander the Great’s generals who survived after Alexander’s death (diadochi). They were not all that impressive, though arguably all of the Successor Kingdoms devolved into comedies of errors, and harshly oppressed the native Egyptians. They embraced the sibling incest thing though. That’s… something.