Known in his own time by his Horus name Netjerikhet, Djoser ruled from Memphis at the dawn of the Old Kingdom. His reign is remembered for one revolutionary idea: building for eternity in stone rather than mud brick.
His vizier and architect Imhotep stacked six mastaba-like platforms on top of one another at Saqqara, creating the Step Pyramid and a vast walled funerary complex around it. Later generations remembered Imhotep as a sage, and by the Late Period he was worshipped as a god of healing.
Key achievements
- Commissioned the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, the earliest large-scale cut-stone monument.
- Worked with Imhotep, later deified as a god of wisdom and medicine.
- Consolidated royal power at Memphis at the start of the Old Kingdom.
