Who they were
Sneferu founded the 4th Dynasty and ruled c. 2613–c. 2589 BC; he was the father of Khufu. Measured by total volume, he built more pyramid than any other king.
What they did
He is associated with the pyramid at Meidum — in the mainstream view he completed it — and he built both the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid at Dahshur. The Bent Pyramid’s slope changes partway up, generally read as a mid-construction correction after structural problems; the Red Pyramid is regarded as the first successful true, smooth-sided pyramid. He also sent expeditions for turquoise to Sinai and, per the Palermo Stone annals, for cedar to Lebanon. Egypt’s records of his reign are among the earliest detailed royal annals.
Legacy
The Red Pyramid became the direct model for the Great Pyramid of Giza. Later Egyptian tradition, such as the tales of the Westcar Papyrus, remembered him as a genial, approachable king.