Who Built The First Pyramid?
By sujaysen
@sujaysen (594)
India
June 4, 2009 12:35am CST
The first pyramid was the work of a versatile man, Imhotep. He was a priest, astronomer, writer, physician and chief minister to Pharaoh Djoser (Zober) of Egypt, who reigned about 2,600 BC. Like all the later pyramids, the first pyramid was designed to crown a tomb, in this case Djoser's own.
Before that time Egyptian royal tombs were buit as Mastabas. Which are flat, rectangular slab-like constructions. They contained burial-chamber and a group of rooms to hold treasures that were buried with the king. These treasures were to accompany the dead man into the afterlife, in which Egyptians had a firm belief.
Imhotep built a tomb that consisted of a series of six mastabas of decreasing size, one on the top of the other. This tomb, known as the Step Pyramid, survives to this day at Saqqarah, in Egypt.
1 response
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
4 Jun 09
Oh yes, I have read about the step pyramid in the history books but I did not know that these were a precursor to the later day pyramids. Whatever you say, the pyramids are a truly architectural marvel. Every time I read about them or see them, I am always amazed as to how such huge slabs of stone could be carried so high up. Either people in those ancient ancient times were much larger in build than us today, or they had something else (a crane type) of which we do not know yet! In any case, their knowledge of architecture was really tremendous.
