Djoser

Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on Djoser:

In ancient Egypt the highest-ranking government official was the High Chancellor, now called the Vizier. The king made an excellent choice for this role in a man named Imhotep. He also appointed a governor of the south, called Medir.
 

Fact 12 on Djoser:

Imhotep was a genius. His titles, including "Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt; First after the King of Upper Egypt; Administrator of the Great Palace; High Priest of Heliopolis; Builder; Chief Carpenter; Chief Sculptor".
 

Fact 13 on Djoser:

Imhotep's extensive knowledge of architecture and building led him to design the famous step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. Such were his great skills, accomplishments and achievements that Imhoptep was deified as the god of medicine and healing after his death.
 

Fact 14 on Djoser:

Imhotep's knowledge of healing and medicine and his reputation as a great magician was greatly appreciated by the king when Egypt was subjected to a terrible famine that lasted for a period of seven years. imhotep advised the king to make due observances to Khnum, the protector of the River Nile.
 

Fact 15 on Djoser:

King Djoser visited Elephantine Island, the cult center of Khnum, and erected a new temple to honor the god, which brought about a miraculous end to the famine.
 

Fact 16 on Djoser:

He was a warrior king and launched military campaigns against the foreign enemies of ancient Egypt. The traditional enemies of Egypt were collectively referred to as the 'Nine Bows' reflecting the weapons they used.
 

Fact 17 on Djoser:

He was known to fight against the Asian inhabitants of the eastern desert borders who were nomadic tribes of Bedouins, and other campaigns across the Sinai.  (See map below)
 

Fact 18 on Djoser:

Further campaigns were fought to the west against the Libyans in the west.
 

Fact 19 on Djoser:

The Internal strife was a continuous issue when Egypt was evolving as a unified country and the king fought to ensure that all Egyptian territories were consolidated and that the nomes were subdued.
 

Fact 20 on Djoser:

The Egyptians fiercely fought for their territories as they needed to keep control of the stone quarries and the copper and turquoise mines in the desert areas. The king increased the wealth of Egypt by the mining of precious gems and metals.
 

Fact 21 on Djoser:

Stone was an important commodity to the ancient Egyptians, unlike the Mud Bricks they used for housing, stone monuments were built to last forever and therefore suitable building materials for the temples.
 

Fact 22 on Djoser:

Stone was then used to build great monuments to the glory of the pharaohs and a gateway to the Afterlife and the gods - the pyramids.
 

Fact 23 on Djoser:

The purpose of the Step pyramid was to serve as a tomb for the mummified body of the king. It is believed that Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara began as a traditional, flat-roofed Mastaba Tomb. The Step Pyramid's burial chambers are underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels which were designed to discourage tomb robbers.

Traditional mastaba
 

Fact 24 on Djoser:

Definition: A mastaba was an ancient Egyptian mud-brick tomb with a rectangular base and sloping sides with a flat roof. A mastaba consisted of an underground burial chamber with rooms above it, at ground level, in which to store offerings. The Egyptian pyramids developed from the mastaba.
 

Fact 25 on Djoser:

The Step Pyramid: The Step Pyramid at Saqqara  was the first pyramid constructed in ancient Egypt and was the prototype of all pyramid complexes.  It is one of the most brilliant architecture wonders of the ancient world and is recognized as the first monumental stone structure.
 

Fact 26 on Djoser:

The Step Pyramid: A building of the size of the Step Pyramid and made entirely out of stone had never before been constructed until the reign of Djoser and the designs of his brilliant architect, Imhotep.
 

Fact 27 on Djoser:

The Step Pyramid: The Step pyramid has six tiers, it reaches a height of 60 metres and measures 173m by 107m.
 

Fact 28 on Djoser:

The ancient Egyptians believed that as long as the pharaoh's name was remembered, the king would live on through eternity - The Step Pyramid of King Djoser has granted his wish.