The Step Pyramid, located in Saqqara, represented a significant departure from the mastaba tombs that preceded it. His vizier, Imhotep, is credited as the architect behind the innovative design of the Step Pyramid, which is considered the first large-scale stone monument in the world. The construction of the first pyramid in Egypt is attributed to Pharaoh Djoser, who ruled during the 3rd Dynasty (circa 2667-2648 BCE). He has followed this up with The Greek Achievement (Penguin 1999), The Legacy of Ancient Egypt. He is the author of the highly acclaimed Egypt, Greece and Rome, Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean. The Step Pyramid of Djoser: A Monumental Leap Charles Freeman is a freelance academic historian with wide interests in the history of European culture and thought. Mastabas featured an underground burial chamber accessed through a vertical shaft and a chapel above ground where family members could perform rituals and leave offerings for the deceased.

The word 'mastaba' is derived from the Arabic word for 'bench,' reflecting the bench-like shape of these structures. These flat-roofed, rectangular structures were made of mud-brick and served as tombs for the elite members of society.

Before the construction of the first pyramids, the people of ancient Egypt buried their dead in structures known as mastabas.

The legacy of egypt