Imhotep was the first great architect of the old kingdom of Egypt. Imhotep was born a commoner so his early life is largely unknown. From the look of things, he received a liberal education. Imhotep was an elite member of Egypt. He was born in Memphis, Egypt around 27th century B.C.E. Although Imhotep lived during the old kingdom, he was worshiped as a god. Imhotep is the designer of the pyramid of Djoser at Sakkara. This pyramid was considered his greatest work as an architect. Djoser is a stone pyramid and Imhotep was the first to construct a stone pyramid. Without his invention, the heritage of Egypt would have been very different. Using stone for pyramids instead of mud bricks made it possible to construct massive Pyramids. Djoser at Sakkara is a step stone pyramid, the first of its age. It is 60 meters high and has great religious significance. In Egyptian mythology, the sun god Ra had once climbed down a hill to create man. The pyramid is a symbolic representation of that hill. The slope of the pyramid points toward the sun god Ra. Inside the structure, continues the theme of Egyptian mythology. Inside is a huge stone stairway that leads to heaven. Djoser at Sakkara pyramid created a link between man and god, at least a link between the pharaoh and his father. The pyramid was designed to achieve immorality.
Thomas Jefferson was a completely different type of Architect than Imhotep. Thomas Jefferson was widely known due to his Presidential status than his