[MUSIC PLAYING]
INES TORRES: Before Djoser adopted the pyramid two model,
the kings of the first dynasty were buried in highly complex mud brick
structures, sunk in the desert and divided into several chambers.
Some of these earlier royal tombs had an extraordinary monumental character
which reveals the already complex level of the society that builds such tombs.
Djoser was not only the first king who used stone as a material
for royal tomb building, but also the first king to build a pyramid.
It is also important to stress that his pyramid represents
an unequaled innovation in monumental construction,
both in size and materials used.
Djoser's pyramid was built in stages, beginning as the square mastaba
and eventually being transformed into the final six step pyramid.
It is unclear what the process of building Djoser's pyramid
actually entailed.
But Jean-Philippe Lauer who excavated the site
believes that the pyramid was built in six different stages.
If one assumes that this is correct, then there
was a major enlargement every three years, for Djoser reigned for 19 years.
The implications of building such a complex,
which was the size of a large town, in the third millennium BCE, cannot be
emphasized enough.
Indeed, this would require tight political control
of the people and resources of Egypt at an early period.
Djoser's pyramid complex is unique in that it is oriented north-south rather
than east-west like the Giza pyramids, and possesses
a number of buildings and structures which are not seen elsewhere.
It is thought that Djoser's pyramid complex
was intended to model Egypt mainly because of its north-south division
and because of the symbolism of the buildings within this complex.
It was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, Sneferu,
who built the first true pyramid.
His reign is particularly interesting for Sneferu
built several pyramids before being able to attain the true pyramidal form.
One can see obvious continuation from several of Sneferu's pyramid complexes
to those at Giza.
Just like the step pyramid built by Djoser,
Sneferu's first attempt at a pyramid at Meidum
was built in stages, starting with a seven step pyramid.
This was afterwards enlarged to a pyramid of eight steps.
Later in his reign, Sneferu sent his workmen back to Meidum
to fill out the original step pyramid as a true pyramid.
One of the new features of the pyramid complex introduced in Meidum
was the causeway which was to become standard for such monuments.
For reasons unknown, Sneferu abandoned Meidum
and founded a new cemetery in Dashur.
There he built two other large pyramids known as the Bent and Red or North
pyramids.
The Bent pyramid started as a smaller pyramid
with a slope of about 60 degrees.
Faced with some structural problems with the foundation,
the builders of this pyramid had to adjust the slope to around 55 degrees.
Since the stress on the pyramid was too great
and the structure lacked stability, as reflected in its pronounced bend,
this monument was abandoned and a new pyramid was started in North Dashur.
Around year 30 of his reign, Sneferu started
work of the Red pyramid, which was built at a much gentler slope than the Bent
pyramid and was also made very carefully from the beginning.
This project resulted in the true pyramidal form.
The paradigm of the true pyramidal form occurs at Giza.
The pyramids here were built over the span of three generations.
Khufu was the founder of the Giza cemetery
and the builder of the first and tallest pyramid ever built in Egypt.
At Giza, the Old Kingdom pyramid complex,
namely the mortuary and valley temples, was expanded and standardized.
The period causeways were extended to nearly 1 kilometer
and reached the Nile and the Valley Temple.
Khufu's wall and causeway even defined an area of harbors, settlement,
and possibly a palace by the river.
The mastaba tombs that surrounded Khufu's pyramid also
represented a new form of necropolis arrangement,
with its orthogonal design giving the idea of an organized
city of the dead with streets and a preconceived plan.
The three different pyramid complexes at Giza
were enclosed by stone and clay walls which
are still partially preserved around the complexes of Khafre and Menkaure.
It is not clear how these three pyramids were actually built.
But it is important to notice that this was
the result of many years of experimenting and pyramid building.
Note that Khufu was Sneferu's son.
And as such, the workers and architects of the Great Pyramid
had already acquired sufficient knowledge and skills
to take this leap forward.
After Sneferu, it appears that the technique for pyramid building
was standardized.
And step pyramids were never built again in Egypt.