c. 2670–2620 BC: The reign of the pharaoh
Sneferu and his vizier
Nefermaat. Sneferu leads a campaign in
Nubia and returns with about 7,000 prisoners, who would be employed as servants in the royal estates. Sneferu then sends an expedition to
Libya which brings back 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 heads of cattle.[2] Sneferu sends 40 ships to
Byblos for the retrieval of cedar wood for the construction of ships.[10] Under Sneferu's reign and that of his son
Khufu, copper mines and turquoise quarries are developed in
Sinai. The tomb of
Hetepheres I, wife of Sneferu and mother of Khufu, demonstrates that cabinetry and jewelry are well-developed.[11] A depiction of plowing painted in the tomb of
Itet and Nefermaat in
Meidum is the earliest testament to the technique in Africa.[12]
c. 2670–2620 BC: The reign of the pharaoh
Sneferu and his vizier
Nefermaat. Sneferu leads a campaign in
Nubia and returns with about 7,000 prisoners, who would be employed as servants in the royal estates. Sneferu then sends an expedition to
Libya which brings back 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 heads of cattle.[2] Sneferu sends 40 ships to
Byblos for the retrieval of cedar wood for the construction of ships.[10] Under Sneferu's reign and that of his son
Khufu, copper mines and turquoise quarries are developed in
Sinai. The tomb of
Hetepheres I, wife of Sneferu and mother of Khufu, demonstrates that cabinetry and jewelry are well-developed.[11] A depiction of plowing painted in the tomb of
Itet and Nefermaat in
Meidum is the earliest testament to the technique in Africa.[12]