The [P 001&P058 / Step Pyramid] can be traced through several stages of construction. It was initially begun as a standard [G 017/ mastaba] similar to those built at Abydos and Saqqara by First and Second Dynasty kings. However, stone (rather than the customary mud brick) was chosen as the primary material and methods of brickwork were adopted for stone masonry on a large scale. It was decided to expand the completed tomb perhaps in the belief that the god-king joined his fellow gods after death by ascending via a stairway to the sky (the Step Pyramid looks like the hieroglyphic sign for stairs). By this time the builders were experienced enough with constructing stone walls to know that the mastaba core would be more safely contained if the walls leaned inwards. It was also recognized that the new, higher walls required support to prevent them from bursting outwards. Much larger stones were used to construct the outer [I 045 / buttress] with the unseen faces left unsquared to save time. The result was a six-tiered structure that was the first to rise above the enclosing wall of a mortuary complex.
