- Mastaba -

Relatively low, rectangular structure which owes its name to the modern Arab word for "bench". This structure was favoured as a funerary monument from the Early Dynastic Period on. Originally, the mastaba was built above a shaft at the bottom of which was situated a tomb. As the Egyptian craftsmanship and wealth increased, the mastabas became more elaborate, housing funerary chapels, shrines and offering tables where the cult for the deceased was held.

Unlike their royal counterparts -the pyramids, which were left undecorated- the Old Kingdom mastabas offer us a variety of texts and images, illustrating scenes from the daily life of the deceased, offering scenes and ritual hunt scenes.