The Life and Immortality of Netjerykhet Djoser
Around 2680 BCE, King Netjerykhet Djoser came to the throne, and Egypt would change forever. Over the next thirty years, an enormous monument would rise near the capital city. Six layers, thousands of tons of stone, and a vast mortuary complex make the Step Pyramid the oldest pyramid in the world. It is a magnificent space…
- Time Period: circa 2700 – 2650 BCE
- Kings: Netjerykhet (Djoser)
- Notable sites: Saqqara, Iunu (Heliopolis)
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Bibliography
- Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: the One and the Many, 1996 (Amazon).
- Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008 (Amazon).
- John Romer, A History of Egypt: from the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, 2013 (Amazon).
- Toby Wilkinson, Early Dynastic Egypt, 2001 (Amazon).
- David Wengrow, The Archaeology of Early Egypt, 2006 (Amazon).
- Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State, 2009 (Amazon).
I’m sorry to put you on the spot here, or to seem like a naysayer who is out to undermine your claims (trust me, I have learned so much from these podcasts, I have 0 doubt about not only your abilities as a historian of Ancient Egypt, but your ability to (perhaps more importantly) connect dots in a rational & sound way w/the archeological info that’s been discovered), but do we have any evidence of the minor step pyramids belonging to Huni? I dunno, but it seems like every time an unexplained stone pyramid shows up, we’re quick to immediately attribute it to Huni for no other reason than simply “well he MUST’VE built SOMETHING, right!?”, only to later find out that it was entirely somebody else’s project (Meidum much?). Maybe he enjoyed just sitting around & twiddling his thumbs all day, who knows? Do we have anything that hints to these little step pyramids as being his? Again, quite sorry for asking, it’s just that I’m a curious creature who doesn’t know much, but does enjoy learning new things.
Hi Derek,
You are absolutely correct. The association with Huni is a hypothesis that, until further evidence proves us wrong, is tentatively accepted. Due to time constraints, I actually cut out a whole discussion of that issue, as I thought no one would notice 😉 You are correct, though; and I think when I revisit this episode I will restore that discussion for more detail. Thank you for noticing, and taking the time to comment! It helps me know where my listeners are with the material.
Dominic,
Just seeking a clarification and explanation for a comment of yours regarding the location of Memphis … a comment that puzzled and surprised me …
In Episode 4 you say that Memphis is located on the banks of the Nile at a place connecting the southern and northern parts of the country together…
But … ? … Memphis is located close the the Nile delta … well within Lower Egypt …
Can you comment …
Peter
NOTE: The podcast is quite wonderful… interesting, indeed intriguing and highly informative … further it seems to be meticulously researched … just wonderful!
Hi Peter,
Thank you for your question. This is a funny case. Many maps will mistakenly divide Egypt in half and call the top part “Lower.” But in administrative term, Lower Egypt begins at Memphis. The city is located in the “1st nome (division) of Lower Egypt.” https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/geo/nomel1.html So, while Memphis is located in the northern *half* of the country, the formal division of Upper and Lower is slightly different. Hope this helps, Dominic
Thanks for that, Dominic… you’re certainly correct when you indicate that many maps do NOT show Lower Egypt beginning at Memphis …
Peter
Hi Dominic,
thank you for your great podcast! I recently watched a documentary about the ziggurats of Mesopotamia. They look very similar to this step pyramid. Do you know if there is any relation between them or is the similarity just a coincidence?
Thank you very much, Julius
Thanks so much for your work here – as a ‘late bloomer’ so far as my interest in Egypt goes, I greatly appreciate your approach/style here, it is by no means dumbed down – yet still quite accessible to non egyptologists and very interesting, even fun.
Cheers
P.S.
I spent a few weeks on the south island, end of the 90’s, how I managed to get on that plane back to the States is still a mystery to me – you sir live in the most beautiful place on earth, anyone who says different has never been there. And don’t even get me started on how cool every Kiwi I met was…
Cheers
Scott
Thanks for listening 😊 I’m so glad you enjoyed NZ!