He is usually credited with designing the step pyramid built at Saqqara for the 3rd-dynasty pharaoh Djoser (c.2686–c.2613 bc) and, through this, with pioneering the use of hewn stone in building. He was later deified; in Egypt, he was worshipped as the patron of architects, scribes, and doctors, while in Greece he was identified with the god Asclepius.