A step pyramid or stepped pyramid is an architectural structure that uses flat platforms, or steps, receding from the ground up, to achieve a completed shape similar to a geometric pyramid. Step pyramids are structures which characterized several cultures throughout history, in several locations throughout the world. These pyramids typically are large and made of several layers of stone. The term refers to pyramids of similar design that emerged separately from one another, as there are no firmly established connections between the different civilizations that built them.

A pyramid is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular and converge to a point at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trilateral or quadrilateral