seems to read, "The Big-Heads (i. e. the chiefs) come to the tomb." The
ideograph for "tomb" seems to be a rude picture of the funerary chapel,
but from it we can derive little information as to its construction.
Towards the end of the Ist Dynasty, and during the lid, the royal tombs
became much more complicated, being surrounded with numerous chambers
for the dead slaves, etc. Khâsekhemui's tomb has thirty-three such
chambers, and there is one large chamber of stone. We know of no other
instance of the use of stone work for building at this period except in
the royal tombs. No doubt the mason's art was still so difficult that it
was reserved for royal use only.

Under the Hid Dynasty we find the last brick mastabas built for royalty,
at Bêt Khallâf, and the first pyramids, in the Memphite necropolis.
In the mastaba of Tjeser at Bêt Khallâf stone was used for the great
portcullises which were intended to bar the way to possible plunderers
through the passages of the tomb. The Step-Pyramid at Sakkâra is, so to
speak, a series of mastabas of stone, imposed one above the other; it
never had the continuous casing of stone which is the mark of a true
pyramid. The pyramid of Snefru at Mêdûm is more developed. It also
originated in a mastaba, enlarged, and with another mastaba-like
erection on the top of it; but it was given a continuous sloping casing
of fine limestone from bottom to top, and so is a true pyramid. A
discussion of recent theories as to the building of the later pyramids
of the IVth Dynasty will be found in the next chapter.

In the time of the Ist Dynasty the royal tomb was known by the name of
"Protection-around-the-Hawk, i.e. the king"(_Sa-ha-heru_); but under
the Hid and IVth Dynasties regular names, such as "the Firm," "the
Glorious," "the Appearing," etc., were given to each pyramid.