26th century BC

The 26th century BC was a century that lasted from the year 2600 BC to 2501

BC.

Events

c. 2551–2526 BC: Reign of Khufu, second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty. The height of the Old Kingdom under the reigns of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Khufu leads an expedition in Sinai and has the Great Pyramid of Giza built. During his reign, the solar cult of Ra prevails, as evidenced by the Khufu ship. His successor, Djedefre, is the first pharaoh to refer to himself by the epithet "Son of Ra". The pharaoh's divine filiation asserts itself in the second part of the Fourth Dynasty: the royal title is definitively fixed with the appearance of a fifth royal name preceded by the title "Son of Ra".
c. 2520–2493 BC: Reign of Khafre. the Pyramid of Khafre is built, along with the Great Sphinx of Giza, a monumental sculpture of a pharaoh (either Khafre or Khufu) with a lion's body.
c. 2600 BC: Reign of Akalamdug, king of Ur.
c. 2600–2500 BC: The Instructions of Shuruppak, the earliest known literary texts, are created in Adab, Shuruppak and Abu Salabikh.
2570 BC: Reigns of Uhub, king of Kish, and of En-hegal, king of Lagash.