The Step Pyramid of Djoser

This Pyramid is basically 6 of these mastabas on top of each other, with the largest at the bottom and the smallest on top. After completion, it was 62 m tall with a base of 109 x 125 m. It was also covered in polished limestone, but that's all gone now.

This was a huge milestone in history. And it is all owed to one of history's first bona fide geniuses...

Imhotep.

Imhotep was King Djoser's vizier. He was what is now considered a Renaissance man - basically someone who is skilled and talented at a wide range of things. He was the first physician, engineer and architect!

He was also the high priest of Ra at Heliopolis, a carpenter, a sculptor, an artist and vase maker.

His influence on ancient Egypt was so great that he was eventually deified after death.

With his help, King Djoser became the first Pharaoh of many to have a pyramid as a tomb, and marks the beginning of what is called "The Age of the Pyramids."

The Step Pyramid Necropolis

The building process took 19 years (or less) and was completed by the time Kind Djoser died around 2648 BC, and actually it was not just a pyramid, it was a whole complex.

The complex contains the pyramid itself enclosed by a 10.5 m tall wall of limestone with 13 false doors (for the King's soul to pass through) and 1 real entrance (for the living). The real entrance leads to a passageway which leads to a roofed colonnade.
This roofed colonnade is basically another passageway with high pillars on each side and a roof overhead and it leads to the south court.

At the end of the south court is the south tomb, which was either made to house the king's soul or his canopic jars. Parallel to this courtyard was another called the Heb-sed court, which had chapels and was the space where the king could perform his rituals in the afterlife.

On the northern side there is a mortuary temple where rituals took place, it was also the center for his cult. Near that was a small area with the king's statue that was supposed to hold his soul during daily rituals performed for its benefit.

As we can see, the afterlife was starting to take higher and higher importance to the Pharaohs at this stage, which is why the burial rituals were becoming more elaborate. In fact, the entire necropolis was made to resemble and connect with real life.

The Step Pyramid itself had an elaborate system of tunnels and chambers, some of which held the mummies of family members as well as offerings and treasure. The central burial chamber's entrance was on the north face and it is where the king's mummy was supposed to be buried. It was robbed though and so no body was found inside.

Still, since there were so many beautiful paintings on the walls, a lot was known about not only the king himself, but also about Imhotep - which many consider to be of much greater importance to ancient Egyptian history than the Pharaoh.

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