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Mastaba |
Mastaba (māsīte-be), in EGYPTIAN ARCHITECTURE, a sepulchral
structure built above ground. Mastabas of the early dynastic
period (3200-2680 B.C.), evidently modeled on contemporary
houses, were elaborate and had many compartments. Better known
are those of the Old Kingdom (2680-2181 B.C.), which elaborated
on the predynastic burial-pit and mound form. The typical mastaba
was rectangular and flat-roofed, with inward sloping walls. The
superstructure was solid except for the offering chamber-a
decorated chapel-and the serdab-a smaller chamber containing a
portrait statue of the deceased.