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The Pyramids
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The first pyramid builder was Zoser, a king of
Dynasty III. He was also called Netjerkhet, because in addition to a birth name
kings were given a Horus or Seth - two pharaonic gods - name depending on
whether they came from the north or the south. Netjerkhet was Zoser’s Horus
name.
Standing out from the other mastaba tombs,
Zoser decided to build his tomb about a mile from the escarpment at Saqqarah.
The work was carried out by Zoser’s minister Imhotep. The step pyramid which
Imhotep designed consists of six steps rising to 62 metres with an inside maze
of shafts and tunnels
The first true pyramid was built by King
Sneferu of Dynasty IV. But the greatest pyramid was built by Sneferu’s son,
Khufu, or Cheops, which stands about 147 metres high on the Giza plateau near
Cairo. Two million separate blocks of limestone were used in the building
process, and it took 20 years of labor to complete it. It is known as the Great
Pyramid, and was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world.
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