Egypt’s Monuments Part IV: The Pyramids Part I; The Djoser Step Pyramid

Since the last post I did on the first pyramid of Egypt I have been reading more on the King Djoser and his step pyramid. Miroslav Verner deals Djoser’s step pyramid in the fourth chapter of his book, and because I just posted on the reconstruction of the Step Pyramid I have decided to devote some time on King Djoser and his pyramid complex. I will also be dealing with the religious festivals and how they connect to Djoser’s pyramid. King Djoser started a new “fad” among Egyptian kings and all rulers after him made their tombs in a similar fashion. These were the first pyramids of Egypt and not only did the tombs evolve but the range of land surrounding the tomb, the social economy, and government administration: “Djoser’s monumental edifices testify to a powerful upswing in the Egyptian economy at the beginning of the Third Dynasty and to a rise in the productivity of agriculture, crafts, and building. At the same time, writing was developing, along with astronomy, mathematics, land measurement, and – of course – governmental administration.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids: Their Archaeology and History. New York: Grove Press, 1997, p. 106). His Step Pyramid made such an impact of Egyptian life since and the famous pyramids of Giza used Djoser’s form of architecture. “Later generations also considered this to be an important epoch in Egypt’s history.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p 106). The religious factor behind the tombs evolved as well, because of how much land surrounded the pyramid. Djoser’s pyramids had two temples around it which was each filled with priests and people to upkeep them: “The basic echelon of priests employed at the pyramid complex consisted of the ‘god’s servants’ and those who bore the ambiguous title of khentiu-she. The latter were responsible for various kinds of agricultural and technical work, the transportation of goods into the temple, and guard duty; they also took part in the ceremonies……A relatively small proportion of the temple personnel consisted of the priests who were known as ‘the pure.’ The lector priests constituted a very small and in many respects exclusive group that was not expected to perform any economic or guardian function but was responsible solely for the conduct of the ritual; they organized the ceremonies in accord with the principles of the temple cult.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 59).

In this paragraph I will present the history behind the king who established the first Pyramid in the world. The illustrious Djoser ruled in the early Third Dynasty of Egypt. It wasn’t until the Third Dynasty that Egypt started to transform and become a stable society. “The culminating phase of Egypt’s economic, political, and cultural ascent, known to modern historians as the Old Kingdom, began with the Third Dynasty.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 105). So King Djoser played an important part in the rise of Egypt, to what we think of ancient Egypt today. King Djoser is believed by some scholars to be the son of one of Egypt’s key figures of that era; Queen Nimaathap I. But it is unclear about the lineage of the first rulers of the Third Dynastic period. Although the king of the first Step Pyramid is commonly known as King Djoser his name is sometimes recorded as King Netjerikhet. It is still unclear what connection he had with Queen Nimaathap I and is debated among all scholars, but it s still thought that he was her son. “Egyptologists agree that the key figure in the murky dynastic situation of this time [Third Dynasty] was Queen Nimaathap I, but it is unclear exactly what role she played. Some scholars believe that Nimaathap was Khasekhemwy’s daughter, Sanakht’s consort, and the mother of Netjerikhet.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 105). Verner goes on to mention the impact King Djoser had on the Third Dynastic period and also how a German excavation discovered that it was King Netjerikhet (Djoser) who buried Queen Nimaathap I: “They make it clear that King Netjerikhet arranged Queen Nimaathap I’s funeral, and that he may also have been the founder of the Third Dynasty. In any case, Netjerikhet, more commonly known under his later name, Djoser, was the most impressive figure in the early years of this dynasty. Researchers have found the ruins of temples Djoser built in Heliopolis in Lower Egypt and in Gebelein in Upper Egypt. Djoser’s most significant work, however, is his tomb, the famed Step Pyramid in Saqqara, the first example of this kind of tomb and an architectural milestone.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 106). This give us some insight behind the man who built the first pyramid of Egypt.

Finally, I will cover the Egyptian festivals and how it connects with Djoser’s tomb. As I said before King Djoser’s pyramid complex did not just include his tomb, the Step Pyramid, but had acres of land around it with buildings surrounding the pyramid. The ground plan of Djoser’s complex consists of: “1. pyramid; 2. entry colonnade; 3. south tomb; 4. south courtyard; 5. ‘T’ temple; 6. Sed festival complex; 7. south pavilion; 8. north pavilion; 9. mortuary temple; 10. west mounds.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 108). You don’t have to be an architect or a topographer to know that this is a lot of land surrounding Djoser’s tomb, and that there are more than just one building sitting on that land. The ground plan of King Djoser’s complex shows us how beautiful it must have been when it was first built. It is one of the most outstanding monuments in our history: “Few monuments hold a place in human history as significant as that of the Step Pyramid in Saqqara……It can be said without exaggeration that his pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and in the whole world as well.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 108-109). Let us focus on one the many buildings with Djoser’s complex, the Sed festival complex, because this is a structure with a very unique purpose. The Sed festival complex consisted of building that were sandwiched between the “T” temple and the Step Pyramid. Its entire meaning is only symbolic. The Sed festival is a festival that the meaning behind it is still debated: “The precise meaning of the word sed is not known, and not much is known about the meaning of the festival, which is generally seen as a celebration of the king’s accession to the throne and a ceremony of renewal intended to strengthen the ruler’s power.”(Verner, p. 129). But this is only one view to why the Sed festival was held. “The whole festival may have a distant echo of a harsh prehistoric ritual in which the ruler had to prove his physical strength or be ritually killed and replaced by a younger successor.”(Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids,  p. 129-130). This festival was not the only festival that occurred throughout the year the Egyptian priests held many religious festivals during the year. Today we hold celebrations or festivals because of our religious background. As Christians we celebrate religious and non-religious festivals during the year, and sometimes we celebrate them just for remembrance of an historical event; Like Veterans Day. But we also celebrate Good Friday, Easter, and Christmas which are all religious holidays. In conclusion I am going to end with a quote from Verner about the Djoser Step Pyramid and its unique functions and structure:

“Because of its originality, the group of buildings constituting Djoser’s tomb is very difficult to interpret. It is sure to remain a subject of debate among Egyptologists for a long time and to give rise to various, often conflicting theories. In general, researchers agree that the complex manifests the consolidation of the political and economic situation in Egypt after the turbulent and often strife-ridden period of the Second Dynasty.” (Miroslav Verner, The Pyramids, p. 137).