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Where is the Step Pyramid?

The functions of the Djoser Pyramid include both the present and the afterlife. The pyramids of ancient Egypt were not just tombs, they also had the purpose of successfully propelling the pharaoh to the afterlife so that he could be reborn forever. The symbolism of the Step Pyramid is still unknown, it may represent a huge crown, since seven smaller pyramids (not tombs) were built nearby. Another widely accepted theory is that the Step Pyramid promoted the ascension of the pharaoh to join the eternal North Star.

French architect Jean-Philippe Lauer was the main excavator of the Step Pyramid, reconstructing key parts of the pyramid complex. The complex building area of ​​the pyramid is 15 hectares, which is about 2.5 times that of the town of Heirakonpolis in the ancient kingdom. The Djoser Pyramid has some design differences from the subsequent Old Kingdom pyramids.

First, the pyramid temple is located on the north side of the Djoser Pyramid, while the later pyramid temple is located on the east side of the pyramid. Furthermore, Djoser’s pyramid was built on a north-south axis, while later pyramid complexes used an east-west axis. In addition, Djoser’s pyramid was protected by only one wall, while later pyramids had two walls.

Fence

Djoser’s pyramid is surrounded by a 10.5-meter-high wall made of smooth Tula limestone. Resembling a First Dynasty tomb in appearance, the enclosure has a distinctly palatial appearance. There are 14 doors on the wall, but there is only one entrance, which is located in the southeast corner. This configuration is similar to the early dynastic tombs of Abydos, with their entrances to the east. The remaining doors are called false doors and were intended for the pharaoh to use in the afterlife. They served as a kind of conduit through which pharaohs could travel between this world and the afterlife. A narrow passage connects to the covered colonnade at the southeastern end of the enclosure.

Step Pyramid

The step pyramid has six floors and is built in six steps. It may be an experimental architectural structure. The pyramid started out as just a mastaba (M1) and gradually expanded, first evenly on all four sides (M2) and then only on the east side (M3). The construction of the mastaba was divided into two phases, first completing the four-stepped building structure (P1), and then forming a six-stepped building structure (P2), with a rectangular base on the east-west axis.

In fact, the original square mastaba has led many to believe that the building was not a monument, since no mastaba is known to be square. The Step Pyramid finally reaches 62 meters high and measures 1,221 square meters. When mastabas gradually turned into pyramids of four steps, they completed a major transformation in the history of architecture. When building the mastaba, the Egyptians built horizontally, but when building the pyramids, they built the accretion layer inwards, using larger, higher quality stones.

The rocks needed to build the pyramids may have been transported from quarries via huge trenches. Historians widely agree that the Egyptians used ramps, in which heavy stones were raised, to build the pyramids, and a number of possible models have been proposed. The Egyptians placed heavy stones on logs for smooth transport to construction sites.

Internal Structure

Inside the stepped pyramid is a labyrinth of rooms and corridors with a total length of about 6 kilometers, connected to a central corridor with an area of ​​7 meters square and a depth of 28 meters. These rooms were the burial chambers of pharaohs, family members and also stored food and supplies. The entrance to the central corridor was on the north side of the pyramid, a pattern that would continue to be imitated throughout the Old Kingdom. The sides of the underground passage are covered with limestone and inlaid with blue polychrome tiles.

Historians have found more than 40,000 stone ships in storerooms, many of which predate Djoser’s time. These stone ships were placed here for the needs of Djoser’s entrails in the afterlife. To the west, south, and north of the central tomb there is a huge underground corridor.