Ancient Egyptians - Djoser
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Profile of Pharaoh Djoser
The following profile provides a fast overview of Djoser who was famous for Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

Profile of Djoser

History Time Period: Old Kingdom

Predecessor: Nebka (Sanakhte)

Dates of his Reign: 2668BC - 2649 BC

Successor: Sekhemkhet aka Djoserty

King Djoser
Interesting facts, biography & information about the life of Pharaoh Djoser, the ancient Egyptian King. The Pharaoh Djoser fact sheet provides details of the major events and accomplishments in his life, his consort and his family. Information about the dynasty and period in ancient Egyptian history in which King Djoser lived. Refer to Pharaohs for additional interesting facts and information.

Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

Fact 1 on Djoser: The 2nd dynasty of Kings during the Early Dynastic Period had been marred by political strife and rebellions in the northern lands of Lower Egypt and the country had been embroiled in Civil War.

Fact 2 on Djoser: King Khasekhemwy, the last king or the 2nd dynasty, had eventually defeated the rebels and married Nimaethap, a Northern princess, that consolidated the rule in both regions.

Fact 3 on Djoser: King Queen Nimaethap is credited as the ancestor of the 3rd Dynasty and believed to be the mother of Sanakhte (Nebka) and his younger brother Djoser. Her title was "Mother of the King of the Two Lands".

Fact 4 on Djoser: The reign of King Khasekhemwy ended the period in history called Early Dynastic Period and ancient Egyptian history moved on to the era known as the Old Kingdom- the Age of the Pyramids.

Fact 5 on Djoser: History: Djoser ruled as the king of Egypt during the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the Old Kingdom and was a pharaoh of the 3rd dynasty of kings by right of inheritance. He succeeded Pharaoh Nebka (Sanakhte), his brother, to the throne of Egypt. He made Memphis the capital of Egypt, the position it held throughout the time period of the Old Kingdom.

Fact 6 on Djoser: Name: This pharaoh of ancient Egypt was also known as Zoser and Netjerikhet which meant "body of the gods". Djoser used the throne name of Netjerikhet on all documents and monuments, including his famous Step Pyramid at Saqqara.

Fact 7 on Djoser: The name Djoser first appeared many hundreds of years after his death, in a New Kingdom stone stele on the island of Elephantine at Aswan.

Fact 8 on Djoser: Family: He married Hetephernebti, whose status was chief wife and title was the "Great one of the hetes-sceptre". Another title of Queen Hetephernebti was "King’s Daughter" indicating that she was a daughter of King Khasekhemwy and therefore the sister or or half-sister of her husband Djoser. It was acceptable for the pharaoh to practise incest in order to retain the sacred and divine bloodline.

Fact 9 on Djoser: Family: Queen Hetephernebti was the only known wife of Pharaoh Djoser and there are no references to lesser wives or concubines.

Fact 10 on Djoser: The king was known to have a daughter called Princess Intkaes and it is possible that there was another daughter called Hetephernebty, although this is not confirmed. There are no records of a son and his relationship to his eventual successor, Sekhemkhet aka Djoserty, is unknown. It is likely that Sekhemkhet was a close family member.

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Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

Djoser Step Pyramid at Saqqara

Pharaoh Djoser
Discover fast, interesting fun facts about Pharaoh Djoser for kids with some amazing, cool and quick information about ancient Egypt and Egyptians. Ideal for children, homework, schools, teachers and kids of all ages! Find fascinating fun facts about Djoser for kids and the history, culture and civilisation of the ancient Egyptians and ancient Egypt. Interesting, fun facts about this king of Egypt for research, schools, students and kids of all ages.

King Djoser
Learn about this ancient Egyptian pharaoh the fast and easy way via the Djoser Fact sheet.

Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

Fact 11 on Djoser: In ancient Egypt the highest-ranking government official was the High Chancellor, now called the Vizier. The king made an excellent choice for this role in a man named Imhotep. He also appointed a governor of the south, called Medir.

Fact 12 on Djoser: Imhotep was a genius. His titles, including "Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt; First after the King of Upper Egypt; Administrator of the Great Palace; High Priest of Heliopolis; Builder; Chief Carpenter; Chief Sculptor".

Fact 13 on Djoser: Imhotep's extensive knowledge of architecture and building led him to design the famous step pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. Such were his great skills, accomplishments and achievements that Imhoptep was deified as the god of medicine and healing after his death.

Fact 14 on Djoser: Imhotep's knowledge of healing and medicine and his reputation as a great magician was greatly appreciated by the king when Egypt was subjected to a terrible famine that lasted for a period of seven years. imhotep advised the king to make due observances to Khnum, the protector of the River Nile.

Fact 15 on Djoser: King Djoser visited Elephantine Island, the cult center of Khnum, and erected a new temple to honor the god, which brought about a miraculous end to the famine.

Fact 16 on Djoser: He was a warrior king and launched military campaigns against the foreign enemies of ancient Egypt. The traditional enemies of Egypt were collectively referred to as the 'Nine Bows' reflecting the weapons they used.

Fact 17 on Djoser: He was known to fight against the Asian inhabitants of the eastern desert borders who were nomadic tribes of Bedouins, and other campaigns across the Sinai.  (See map below)

Fact 18 on Djoser: Further campaigns were fought to the west against the Libyans in the west.

Fact 19 on Djoser: The Internal strife was a continuous issue when Egypt was evolving as a unified country and the king fought to ensure that all Egyptian territories were consolidated and that the nomes were subdued.

Fact 20 on Djoser: The Egyptians fiercely fought for their territories as they needed to keep control of the stone quarries and the copper and turquoise mines in the desert areas. The king increased the wealth of Egypt by the mining of precious gems and metals.

Fact 21 on Djoser: Stone was an important commodity to the ancient Egyptians, unlike the Mud Bricksthey used for housing, stone monuments were built to last forever and therefore suitable building materials for the temples.

Fact 22 on Djoser: Stone was then used to build great monuments to the glory of the pharaohs and a gateway to the Afterlife and the gods - the pyramids.

Fact 23 on Djoser: The purpose of the Step pyramid was to serve as a tomb for the mummified body of the king. It is believed that Pharaoh Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara began as a traditional, flat-roofed Mastaba Tomb. The Step Pyramid's burial chambers are underground, hidden in a maze of tunnels which were designed to discourage tomb robbers.

Traditional mastaba
 

Fact 24 on Djoser: Definition: A mastaba was an ancient Egyptian mud-brick tomb with a rectangular base and sloping sides with a flat roof. A mastaba consisted of an underground burial chamber with rooms above it, at ground level, in which to store offerings. The Egyptian pyramids developed from the mastaba.

Fact 25 on Djoser: The Step Pyramid: The Step Pyramid at Saqqara  was the first pyramid constructed in ancient Egypt and was the prototype of all pyramid complexes.  It is one of the most brilliant architecture wonders of the ancient world and is recognized as the first monumental stone structure.

Fact 26 on Djoser: The Step Pyramid: A building of the size of the Step Pyramid and made entirely out of stone had never before been constructed until the reign of Djoser and the designs of his brilliant architect, Imhotep.

Fact 27 on Djoser: The Step Pyramid: The Step pyramid has six tiers, it reaches a height of 60 metres and measures 173m by 107m.

Fact 28 on Djoser: The ancient Egyptians believed that as long as the pharaoh's name was remembered, the king would live on through eternity - The Step Pyramid of King Djoser has granted his wish.

Ancient Egyptian King - Djoser Fact Sheet

King Djoser and the 3rd Dynasty
The following chart provides the names of the kings and the line of succession in the 3rd Dynasty together with a map of ancient Egypt.

3rd Dynasty

Name - Dates of Reign

Nebka (Sanakhte) - 2686–2630 BC

Sekhemkhet aka Djoserty - 2611–2601 BC

King Huni - 2599–2575 BC

Step Pyramid at Saqqara

All of the Giza Pyramids

Djoser
Learning about the ancient Egyptians and King Djoser inspires everyone to visit historical sites and undertake Egypt Travel and Tours to experience the wonders of this magical land at first hand. Many people choose to experience a tour of Egypt on a Nile Cruise stopping at the famous destinations and sites of Egypt such as the Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx. The information and facts about Pharaoh Djoser will provide you with a great insight into Egypt and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians.

Djoser