Ancient Egyptian Archaeology

The Step Pyramid of King Djoser

• The Step Pyramid is made of limestone and has statues of gods, including Ptah and King Djoser in the Osirid form.
• The eastern side of the court has 14 dummy chapels, while the western side has 13 dummy chapels, with 10 of them having curved roofs and pendent leaves columns.
• Each chapel has a recess at the bottom, possibly for a statue of the deity, and a round hole at the top for holding the emblem of the deity.
• The chapels are preceded by a small court with a small enclosure wall, and a "Screen Wall" projecting from the middle of the southern wall.

The Heb-Sed Court

• The Heb-Sed Court has three round-topped shrines on the western side.
• The chapels on the western side have a big recess cut in their facades, with a flight of steps leading to each recess.
• The first extension of the Step Pyramid added 3 meters to all sides, with a height of 24 feet.
• The second extension added 9 meters to the east side only.
• The third extension added 3 meters to all sides, and the fourth extension added to the north and west sides.
• The fifth extension completed the pyramid with six steps, and the sixth extension dressed the pyramid with fine Tura limestone.

The Substructure of the Step Pyramid

• The substructure consists of a burial shaft with a square shape, measuring 23 feet on each side.
• The shaft runs to a depth of 28 feet, with a tunnel cut at 23 feet from the mouth of the shaft, leading to an open trench.
• The floor of the burial shaft was lowered to a depth of 92 feet.
• The burial chamber was built at the bottom of the shaft.

The Mortuary Temple

• The Mortuary Temple is situated to the north of the Step Pyramid, and is a rectangular building attached to the lowest step of the pyramid.
• The entrance leads to a narrow passage with numerous turns, and then to two open courts.
• The north-east corner of each court has a room with a circular stone basin, used for purification purposes.
• The middle of the floor of the north-west court has a flight of steps leading down to the substructure of the Step Pyramid.

The Serdab and the Subsidiary Pyramid

• The Serdab is a small room or chapel, situated to the east of the Mortuary Temple and attached to the lowest step of the pyramid.
• The subsidiary pyramid is situated between the southern face of the pyramid and the enclosure wall surrounding it.

The Valley Temple

• The Valley Temple is connected to the Nile by a canal, and was used for ceremonies and as a reception area during religious festivals.
• The temple has a chamber with a low limestone altar, and two limestone stelae on either side of the altar.

The Tombs of Relatives and High Officials

• The pyramid was flanked by rows of tombs, belonging to members of the royal family, courtiers, and high officials.
• The most important tombs include the mastaba-tomb of Nefer-Maat and his wife Atet, and the mastaba of prince Rahotep and his wife Nofret.

Quiz about ancient Egyptian statues and their corresponding gods, along with the architecture of the court. Identifies statues belonging to Ptah and King Djoser.