DJOSER

flourished 27th century BC also spelled Zoser, Horus name Netjerykhet second king of the 3rd dynasty (c. 2650c. 2575 BC) of Egypt, who undertook the construction of the earliest important stone building in Egypt. His reign, which probably lasted 19 years, was marked by great technological innovation. He became renowned as the king who brought Egypt to its first great cultural flowering. His minister, Imhotep, a talented architect and physician, was himself deified. Djoser succeeded his brother to the throne. Through his mother, he was related to the last ruler of the 2nd dynasty. With the help of Imhotep, the king erected a tomb at Saqqarah, outside the royal capital, Memphis (southwest of modern Cairo). Built entirely of stone, the innovative structure was a departure from the traditional use of mud bricks along with stone. The greatest advance, however, was a complete alteration of the shape of the monument from a flat-topped rectangular structure to a six-stepped pyramid. Surrounding the Step Pyramid were a large number of white limestone temples used for royal rituals. The style of architecture of these buildings reproduced in minutest detail the wood, reed, and brick forms employed in utilitarian construction in Egypt, and the buildings' forms show clearly that this was a first attempt to build so extensively in stone. The temple complex was enclosed by a wall with numerous gates, which most scholars believe reproduced the walls of Memphis. In response to the internal troubles of the 2nd dynasty, Djoser was the first king to reside exclusively at Memphis, thereby helping to make it the political and cultural centre of Old Kingdom Egypt.