Kemet, Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptians called their homeland Kemet, meaning “Black Land.” It refers to the dark, fertile soil left behind after flooding from the Nile River. About 2,550 B.C., King Khufu, the second pharaoh of the fourth dynasty, commissioned the building of his tomb at Giza. Some Egyptologists believe it took 10 years just to build the ramp that leads from the Nile valley floor to the pyramid, and 20 years to construct the pyramid itself. It’s the year 2490 B.C. Wooden boats cruise along the Nile River in Egypt as thousands of workers stack giant stone blocks into a pyramid. This 200-foot-tall structure honors a pharaoh named Menkaure... The ancient Egyptians sometimes called their country Kemet.