FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Mastabas
Quiz about Mastabas

Mastabas Trivia Quiz


The original House of Eternity!

A multiple-choice quiz by wdstk. Estimated time: 3 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. History Trivia
  6. »
  7. Ancient History
  8. »
  9. Ancient Egypt

Author
wdstk
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
284,655
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
822
Awards
Top 35% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. What is a mastaba? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What does the word mastaba mean in Arabic? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Who was likely to be buried in a mastaba? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Were mastabas of solid construction?


Question 5 of 10
5. What was a mastaba made of? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Where would the body be placed in a mastaba? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. What did the mastaba contain above ground? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. What was a false door in a mastaba? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Because a mastaba was used for the dead, what became necessary? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. What King expanded his mastaba into the first step pyramid? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. What is a mastaba?

Answer: tomb

They were rectangular buildings with flat tops and sloping sides. Those made of mud-brick were usually decorated with stucco.
2. What does the word mastaba mean in Arabic?

Answer: Bench

It looked like a bench that would sit outside of an average house. It is the term used by Egyptologists for these burial places.
3. Who was likely to be buried in a mastaba?

Answer: All of these

Early kings were buried in them before the switch to pyramids in the Third Dynasty.
4. Were mastabas of solid construction?

Answer: No

They contained chapels and passageways. Some with fantastic decorations. "The Geese of Medum", a beautiful, naturalistic painting of geese eating, comes from the mastaba of Atet and Neferma'at, near the pyramid of Medum.
5. What was a mastaba made of?

Answer: All of these

The more money a person had the better built and longer lasting was their 'house of eternity'. Some were built with huge finely shaped stones through and through. Others had a core that was of smaller stones or mud-brick with a nice veneer of fine stone. Others were simply mud-brick with an outer coating of stucco.
6. Where would the body be placed in a mastaba?

Answer: In a chamber deep underground

This made it harder for the grave to be robbed. Since people weren't being buried in pit-graves, where the hot sands naturally preserved the body, artificial means becomes important. Experiments with mummification started.
7. What did the mastaba contain above ground?

Answer: Chapels

Since mastabas were expensive to build they contained several burials and chapels. Many times it was a husband/wife or father/son.
8. What was a false door in a mastaba?

Answer: A place to bring food and offerings for the deceased

It was usually found in the west wall. The West was 'the land of the dead'. It's where the sun sets. The deceased, it was believed, could enter and exit from the false door and partake of the offerings that were left in front of it on the offering table.
9. Because a mastaba was used for the dead, what became necessary?

Answer: Mummification

In simple pit-burials the hot sand desiccated the body preserving it naturally. They started experimenting with ways to artificially preserving the body.
10. What King expanded his mastaba into the first step pyramid?

Answer: Zoser/Djoser

The mastaba was expanded and then had five more mastabas, each smaller in size, put on top. Imhotep was the architect and one of the few that we know from that ancient time.
Source: Author wdstk

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/28/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us