Sneferu

Sneferu ruled Egypt in the 26th century BC, the first pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty and the man who turned pyramid-building from trial into method. Estimates of his reign range from 24 to 48 years, but the work is what endures: at least three pyramids survive, each a step in his evolving blueprint for monumental architecture. He introduced structural innovations that would define the Old Kingdom's ambition and make his successors' projects possible. The exact span of his rule remains debated among scholars, but the stone he left behind does not.