The earliest pharaohs – Narmer, Hor-Ah, Djer – were buried in what we now call mastabas. The name “mastaba” is derived from the Arabic word for “stone bench”, though the ancient Egyptians may have called it a pr-Djt, meaning “house of eternity”. Both terms refer to the structure made of either mud-brick or limestone that stood on top of a burial pit.

Mastabas began as simple mounds of sand with a stone marker, but over time, they were rectangular, one-story buildings. On both the outside and inside, the walls were colorfully painted. In earlier mastabas, or in those intended for non-royal elites, there are only two chambers intended for grave goods and a deep pit which would contain the burial chamber. For wealthy or royal Egyptians, this quickly evolved, including more and more rooms.

As well as being more elaborate, royal mastabas, like that of Narmer, are surrounded by cemeteries containing servants who could assist the pharaoh in the afterlife. In general, non-royal nobility, servants, and artisans could receive a mastaba-style burial, though these tended to be much smaller. Lower classes of Egyptians received the more traditional pit burial of previous periods, covered with a mound of sand.

Initially, royal mastaba burials took place in the cemeteries at Abydos, but by the 2nd Dynasty, they moved to Saqqara. It is there that the first pyramids were built. Mastabas were still being used by some Egyptians into the New Kingdom.