glossaryclose

Djoser

Djoser.gif

King of the 3rd Dynasty, called 'Netjerikhet' on his monuments; the association between this name and the name Djoser is based on graffiti from later periods. Not very much is known about the king. He is mainly famous because of his tomb, the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. This was built by Imhotep, who in later tradition was considered to be the inventor of stone architecture. Manetho attributes this role to Djoser himself, however. Representations of the king include a large statue found in the serdab of the pyramid, several reliefs found in the galleries under the pyramid, and a rock drawing in the turquoise mines of Maghara in Sinai.