Djoser

On leaving Cairo to go up the Nile, one sees on the right in the desert behind Memphis a terraced pyramid 190 feet in height, the first large structure of stone known in history.

It is the royal tomb of Zoser, the first of a long series with which the Egyptian monarchy sought to adorn the coming bulk of death.

The design of this is attributed to Imhotep, the first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity.

In priestly wisdom, in magic, in the formulation of wise proverbs in medicine and architecture, this remarkable figure of Zoser's reign left so notable a reputation that his name was never forgotten, and 2,500 years after his death he had become a god of medicine, in whom the Greeks, who called him Imouthys, recognized their own Aesculapius.

He became a popular god, not only healing men when alive, but taking good care of them in the journeys after death.

The facts about this medicinae primus inventor, as he has been called, may be gathered from Kurt Seth's study.

I couldn't quite understand about King Dozer.

Djoser.

Djoser.

Dashing around the...

What do you call it?

He always kind of looks like that, which is kind of interesting.

um and really he is so old that mostly we just sort of have a rough sense of who he was uh apparently his name translates to the one who comes in peace and this and when i say who he was i'm talking about emotep the actual person historical figure in in history um so it's nice that his name means the one who comes in peace and he was very likely a chancellor to the king joser of old Egypt, and was also probably, probably, also the guy who designed Djoser's very, very old step pyramid.

The first pyramid ever in the ancient Egyptian zeitgeist, by the way.

Like, this guy's the first guy that made a pyramid.

Indeed.

We know most of this based on two graffiti scratchings from the time that make him a historical figure.

One which was on a statue of Djoser himself and another that was on Sekhemket's other incomplete step pyramid.

which talks about Imhotep in the context of being the guy who was working on this one and who had also worked on Jozer's one after Jozer died.

Some say vizier.

The advisor to the king, right? The super genius polymath to King Zoser.

For many of you, many of people didn't know Zo stands for Zoser.

The Pharaoh of the third dynasty, son of Khasekhemwy, his father, and Nimaatemy, his mother.

Yeah.

About an hour's drive from the Great Pyramid is Saqqara.

There lies what is believed to be the oldest pyramid in Egypt, the Pyramid of Djoser, also known as the Step Pyramid because of its design.

The so-called Step Pyramid built for Zoser at Saqqara is kind of like a missing link for archeologists.

Its importance actually can't be overstated, and that's because it's proof that the Egyptians developed the technology to build pyramids, and they did it over a period of time.

And the idea that they did not have the technology or the knowledge or the means to build pyramids is utterly absurd.

Hieroglyphs do indeed exist in pyramids, and mummies have indeed been found in pyramids, just not the most famous ones due to looting.

Merenre, Neferefre, Djedkare Isesi, Teti, Djoser, Unas, Pepi I, remains of these kings were found in pyramids.

And even if that weren't true, the very clear burial chambers with sarcophagi are evidence enough on their own.

They were tombs.