Wilke, Thomas: Egyptology: Djoser

Around 4,600 years ago, when Stonehenge had not yet been completed and queen Cleopatra would not reign for another 2,550 years, the Ancient Egyptian king Djoser, together with his ingenious master builder Imhotep, set out to erect the first step pyramid, one of the most impressive structures in human history. With this tomb, he established the age of the pyramids, which would shape over 1,000 years of Ancient Egyptian history. But that‘s not all: Djoser‘s pyramid complex was not only the first of its kind, but also the largest of all pyramid complexes ever built. Numerous mysteries still surround this structure: Instead of a few chambers as in later pyramids, there are six kilometers of underground galleries, a fully constructed second tomb with a sarcophagus far too small for an adult, and a huge "moat" around the complex with ten times as much stone mass volume than what was used to build Djoser‘s Step Pyramid. How was Djoser able to accomplish such an architectural feat? Is there any information about his family and his reign? Who were his predecessors? And what happened after his death? Did his successors build similar structures? This book focuses on this unique king and summarizes what is known about him and his contemporaries in Egyptological research. The book also introduces Djoser‘s pyramid complex in Sakkara in great detail, with explanations and numerous pictures, some of which offer insights into the chambers and galleries beneath the Step Pyramid that have not yet been opened to the public.