Zoser

King Zoser was the founder of the Old Kingdom that started with the 3rd dynasty, better known as the Pyramid Age. His name was mentioned on the Palermo Stone the same way as other founders of dynasties, in red ink. The number of years he actually ruled was never confirmed; some say that it was 19 years while others suggest that it was close to 29 years. He was the son of the last ruler of the 2nd dynasty, Khasekhemwy, whose identity has sparked a sort of debate among scholars due to the existence of two similar names from the same period: The first was Khasekhem (the shining power) and the other Khasekhemwy (the two shining powers). Most scholars have suggested that these were two names for the same person, but before and after the unification of Egypt. King Zoser was the hereditary heir to the throne, much influenced by the policies of his father as well as the new innovation in architecture, which was the use of stone instead of mud brick. The reign of Zoser is characterized by two major themes; the first was the famine, and the second was the construction of the first huge stone building in the history of the world around 2700 BC. During his reign, a striking famine took place in Egypt as a result of the low flow of the Nile for 7 years. The details of this critical period in the history of Egypt are recorded on a stela, known as “the famine stela” erected at Aswan during the Ptolemaic period. It narrates the story and the advice given by Zoser's wise architect and vizier, Imhotep, who suggested that the king should go to Upper Egypt, to the first cataract, the residence of the god Khnum, to pray to him and give offerings so the god would start the annual inundation. King Zoser followed the advice, and directly afterward the Nile flooded and Egypt was saved after a long period of suffering. People remained faithful and [Page 743]loyal to both Zoser and Imhotep for saving their lives and their land. The second major event of this period was the building of Zoser's funerary complex at Sakkara, designed by his architect Imhotep. The funerary complex comprises all the funerary monuments, including the tomb of the king in the form of a step pyramid, which was the first introduction to a complete pyramid; an open court; the serdab (a small closed building with a life-size statue of king Zoser seated in his throne currently exhibited in the Cairo Museum and replaced by a replica); and the house of the north and the house of the south, which acted as residences for visitors from all over Egypt coming to the capital (Memphis) during the celebration of the renewal of the king's royal power, Heb Sed, supposed to be celebrated every 39 years to ensure that the king was still capable to rule the country for another 30 years. This event was to be witnessed by delegations from all over Egypt.

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