04: The Step Pyramid

01/26/13 • 44 min

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"No Stairway to Heaven - denied!" As Egypt's "Third Dynasty" began, a new monument took shape. King Netjerykhet Djoser and his architect, Imhotep, created something unusual. The Step Pyramid rose on the western horizon, ushering in a new era of monument building...

Time Period: circa 2700 – 2650 BCE
Kings: Netjerykhet (Djoser)
Notable sites: Saqqara, Iunu (Heliopolis)
Episode Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com.
The History of Egypt Podcast website www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.com.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.

Select 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).

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Time Period: circa 2700 – 2650 BCE
Kings: Netjerykhet (Djoser)
Notable sites: Saqqara, Iunu (Heliopolis)
Episode Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com.
The History of Egypt Podcast website www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.com.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.

Select 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).

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Previous Episode

Interlude: Infinite Waters

Atum Creates the Universe. The stories of how ancient Egypt (and the world) came into existence are beautiful. In this episode, we explore three Creation myths: the tale of Atum and the primeval Ocean; the tale of Ptah and the divine word; and the story of the Ogdoad, the Council of Eight Gods. Each tale gives its own spin on the origins of life, the universe, and everything...

Date c.4.5 billion years ago - 10,000 BCE
Website: https://egyptianhistorypodcast.com
Support the Show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
Follow the show on social media www.facebook.com/egyptpodcast and www.twitter.com/egyptianpodcast
Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com

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Next Episode

04b: Buried Pyramids

Ambitious failures. Following the reign of Netjerykhet Djoser, the next generation would attempt to surpass his monuments. King Sekhem-khet tried, but failed, to achieve this. In this episode, we fill a lesser-known gap in the history of ancient Egypt's pyramids. At the same time, we tell the tale of a renowned archaeologist, Mohamed Zakariah Goneim, whose work and influence deserve greater recognition...

Episode details:

Episode written 2019/2020. Released to Patreon subscribers 2021. Released to public 2022.
Date: c. 2670 — 2630 BCE
Kings: Netjerykhet (Djoser); Sekhem-khet; Kha-ba.
Logo: The entrance to Sekhemkhet's pyramid at Saqqara. See more at wikimedia.
Music: Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.
Support the show via Patreon at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
References and images at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Video: See modern stoneworkers reproducing ancient vessels, at Scientists Against Myths https://youtu.be/dC3Z_DBnCp8

Select Bibliography:

Andrzej Ćwiek, “Date and Function of the So-Called Minor Step Pyramids,” Göttingen Miszellen 162 (1998): 39–52.
Raphael Giveon, "A Second Relief of Sekhemkhet in Sinai," Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 216 (1974): 17-20.
M. Zakaria Goneim, The Buried Pyramid, 1956.
M. Zakaria Goneim, Horus Sekhem-khet: The Unfinished Step Pyramid at Saqqara, 1957.
Jean-Philippe Lauer, "Le Complexe Funéraire De L'horus Sekhem-Khet Et La Seconde Pyramide A Degrés De Saqqarah," Revue Archéologique 2 (1959): 89-95.
Ronald J. Leprohon, The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary, 2013.
Stephan J. Seidlmayer, "The Relative Chronology of Dynasty 3," in E. Hornung, R. Krauss, and D. Warburton (eds), Ancient Egyptian Chronology, 2006: 116-23.