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Diagram of King Djoser's Step Pyramid, ca. 2600 BC

Initially, Egyptian elites were buried in tombs known as mastabas. Brick buildings with a low profile, they usually contained a chapel for offerings and a small room with a statue representing the deceased. A deep shaft beneath the mastaba led to the actual burial chamber. Egyptians built mastabas in groups, forming fairly large complexes of tombs.

Shortly before 2600 BC, King Djoser (Netjerikhet) had a mastaba built. Probably seeking to erect a more spectacular memorial to himself, he used the original mastaba as a foundation for a series of "steps" to form a "step pyramid." Imhotep served as the architect for this project, constructing a large funerary complex to accompany this structure.

Shortly thereafter, Djoser's successors modified the step pyramid design to build the famous pyramids at Giza.