Knowra Djoser Djoser Djoser was an Egyptian king of the Third Dynasty, traditionally credited with commissioning the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Egypt’s earliest large-scale stone monument.
Step Pyramid of Djoser : A six-tiered stone pyramid at Saqqara built as the funerary monument of Djoser. This monument is the enduring achievement traditionally linked to Djoser.
Mastaba : A flat-roofed, rectangular ancient Egyptian tomb with sloping sides and underground burial chambers. The Step Pyramid developed through the enlargement and stacking of mastaba-like forms.
Old Kingdom of Egypt : A period of ancient Egyptian history marked by centralized rule and pyramid-building, conventionally spanning the Third through Sixth Dynasties. Djoser’s reign falls near the beginning of the Old Kingdom.
Egyptian pyramids : Monumental ancient Egyptian structures built chiefly as royal tombs, with forms ranging from step-sided to smooth-sided pyramids. Djoser’s stepped monument stands at the beginning of the pyramid tradition.
Saqqara : An ancient Egyptian necropolis near Memphis, containing tombs and monuments spanning millennia. Djoser’s pyramid complex stands within this major burial ground.
Pyramid complex : A royal funerary ensemble centered on a pyramid and surrounded by temples, courts, walls, and subsidiary structures. Djoser’s monument was a planned landscape of ritual buildings, not just a pyramid.
Egyptian chronology : The framework historians use to order ancient Egypt’s dynasties and reigns in time. Djoser’s absolute dates remain approximate within Egypt’s early chronology.
Pyramid of Meidum : An Egyptian pyramid that began as a step pyramid and was later altered toward a smooth-sided form. Its architectural transformation illustrates the experimentation following Djoser’s project.
Imhotep : An Egyptian official, architect, and priest traditionally associated with designing Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex. Tradition names Imhotep as the architect behind Djoser’s monumental project.
Serdab : A sealed chamber in an Egyptian tomb that housed a statue of the deceased, often with small viewing apertures. Djoser’s complex included a serdab containing a statue of the king.
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