Ancient Egyptian official and function titles
Ancient Egyptian official and function titles appear for the first time in the 1st Dynasty , shortly after the introduction of the script, and are well documented until Roman times . A very large part of the Egyptians are identified on monuments with a title, which underlines their former importance. The term officials - or official title refers to an introduced already in the administration office. A function Title contrast, defines the type of a person's activity.
list
The following list names some of the most important titles of ancient Egypt in alphabetical order . Altogether there were several thousands of them, but a large part is only used once, only a relatively small part several times. These titles are an important resource for ancient Egyptian administration and structure of society.
title | in hieroglyphics | Translations | Function / interpretation | Occupancy period | literature | ||||||||
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Adj-mer ˁḏ-mr |
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Area administrator, lit. "Canal graves" (?) | Administrator of an area or property | since the 1st dynasty | Ward, No. 637 | ||||||||
Chetemti-biti Ḫtm.tj-bjtj |
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Seal of the King | since the 1st dynasty | Ward, No. 1472 | |||||||||
Cheri-habet H̱rj-ḥ3bt |
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Reading priest | since the 1st dynasty | Ward, No. 1202 | |||||||||
Cheri-habet-heri-tep H̱rj-ḥ3bt-ḥr.j-tp |
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Supreme reading priest | |||||||||||
Cheri-tep-nesu H̱r.j-tp-nsw |
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Valet of the king ; who is under the king's head | since the early days | Jones, p. 788, No. 2874 | |||||||||
Cherep-her-ib H̱rp-hr-jb |
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Head of residence ; Residence manager | 1st - 3rd dynasty | Jones, p. 732, No. 2665 Serrano, p. 16. |
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Hatia (Hati-a) Ḥ3.tj-ˁ |
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Foremost in action, count, mayor, prince | Title, but also mayor, local prince | since the 1st dynasty | Ward, No. 864 | ||||||||
Hati-a-en-imentet-Niut Ḥ3.tj-ˁ-n-jmntt-Njwt |
|
Mayor of Westtoben | Supreme administrator of Thebes-West . | 20th dynasty | Helck: Administration. Pp. 236-237. | ||||||||
Hati-a-en-Niut Ḥ3.tj-ˁ-n-Njwt |
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Mayor of Thebes | Supreme administrator of the city of Thebes . | New Kingdom , Late Period | Helck: Administration. Pp. 236-245. | ||||||||
Hati-a-en-Kupna Ḥ3.tj-ˁ-n-Kpn |
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Mayor of Byblos | Local prince of Byblos in the Middle Kingdom | 12th and 13th dynasties | Ward, no.882 | ||||||||
Hem-bau-Nechen Ḥm-b3w-Nẖn |
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Servant of the soul (s) of Nechen , | Second highest office in the Old Kingdom , reserved for the king's son | Old empire | Ute Rummel: Panther fur, 2009 | ||||||||
Hem-netjer Ḥm-nṯr |
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Servant of God of ... / Prophet of ... |
Priestly title linked to a god or deceased king |
since the early Old Kingdom |
Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings ... , pp. 44–49 | ||||||||
Hemet-netjer (ent-Amun) Ḥm.t-nṯr ( nt-Jmn.w ) |
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Consort of Amun | Originally: main wife of the king, presumably served to secure the succession | 18th - 26th dynasty | |||||||||
Hem-netjer-tepi-en-Amun Ḥm-nṯr-tpj-n-Jmn |
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First Servant of the Deity Amun (First Priest of Amun) |
Important religious office | Since the beginning of the 18th dynasty | |||||||||
Heri-wedja Ḥrj-wḏ3 |
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Head of the magazine | Controller of royal domains and storerooms | 1st and 2nd dynasties | Engel, pp. 179-188 Kahl, p. 873 |
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Heri-chenit Ḥr.j-ẖny.t |
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Chief of the rowing team | admiral | Hannig: Concise dictionary. 2001, p. 551 | |||||||||
Idenu-em-per Jdnw-m-pr |
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Deputy of the House | Deputy High Priest | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-chetemet Jmj-r3-ḫtm.t |
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Treasurer, Chancellor, Head of the Treasury | since the end of the Old Kingdom, in the Middle and New Kingdom, a high office of state | Ward, No. 364 | |||||||||
Imi-ra-achenuti Jmj-r3-ˁẖnwtj |
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Head of Cabinet | Middle realm | Ward, No. 72 | |||||||||
Imi-ra-chetemetiu Jmj-r3-ḫtm.tjw |
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Head of the Siegler | since the Middle Kingdom | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-kat-nebet-net-nesu Jmj-r3-k3t-nbt-nt-nsw |
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Head of all the king's work | especially in the Old Kingdom the title of pyramid architect | Ward, No. 401 | |||||||||
Imi-ra-mescha Jmj-r3-mšˁ |
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Chief of the Troop, General | Head of troops that could be used militarily, but also for construction missions | since the old kingdom | Ward, no.205 | ||||||||
Imi-ra-niut Jmj-r3-njwt |
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Mayor | Part of the vizier's structure, probably originally: head of the pyramid city | from 6th dynasty | Ward, No. 220 (cf. No. 221–225) | ||||||||
Imi-ra-nisutiu Jmj-r3-njswtjw |
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Head of the King's People | Old empire | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-per Jmj-r3-pr |
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House managers, asset managers, domain managers | Administrator of the house and yard of an official or of institutions | from 4th Dynasty , one of the most common titles | Ward, no.132 | ||||||||
Imi-ra-per-hedj Jmj-r3-pr-ḥḏ |
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Treasury chief | Supreme administrator of the palace treasury | since the old kingdom | Ward, no.192 | ||||||||
Imi-ra-perui-hedj Jmj-r3-prwj-ḥḏ |
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Head of the twin treasure house | Supreme administrator of the palace treasury | since the old kingdom | |||||||||
Imi-ra-per-wer Jmj-r3-pr-wr |
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Head of House, Upper Property Manager, Upper Domain Manager | Supreme administrator of the palace's treasures | from the 12th dynasty | Ward, No. 141 | ||||||||
Imi-ra-ruiit Jmj-r3-rwjjt |
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Head of the gate guard | since the old kingdom | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-sau-schemau Jmj-r3-s3w-šmˁw |
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Chief of the Phyles of Upper Egypt | since the old kingdom | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-semat-imentet Jmj-r3-sm3t-jmntt |
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Head of the Western Desert | since the old kingdom | Ingelore Hafemann: Service Commitment in Ancient Egypt , pp. 28–40. | |||||||||
Imi-ra-schhenuti Jmj-r3-šnwtj |
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Head of the double barn | since the old kingdom | Quirke: Titles and bureaux , p. 63 | |||||||||
Imi-ra-schenuti-en-Amun Jmj-r3-šnwtj-n-Jmn |
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Barn master of Amun | Supply of the Theban temples | since the 18th dynasty | Helck: Administration. P. 236. | ||||||||
Imi-ra-seschu-en-cheneret-who Jmj-r3-sšw-n-ḫnrt-wr |
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Chief of the scribe of the great framing | Late period | ||||||||||
Imi-ra-upet Jmj-r3-wp (w) t |
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Head of the orders | Particularly documented in the provincial administration in the Old Kingdom | Old empire | Jones: 88, No. 375 | ||||||||
Iripat (Iri-pat) Jrj-pˁ.t |
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Member of the elite, Count | highest ranked title | since 1st dynasty; in the New Kingdom also deputy to the Pharaoh | Ward, no.850 | ||||||||
Iti-netjer Jtj-nṯr |
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Father of God | denotes non-royal relatives of a pharaoh, also priestly title | since the end of the Old Kingdom | |||||||||
Jun-Jau Jwn-J3w |
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Pillar of the old man | designates the introductory priesthood as successor | since the old kingdom | |||||||||
Medu-jau Mdw-j3w |
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Old man's staff | designates the introductory priesthood as successor | since the old kingdom | |||||||||
Medjeh-nesu Mḏḥ-nsw |
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King's carpenter | especially in the Old Kingdom | Jones, no.1728 | |||||||||
Sa-nesut S3-nswt |
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Prince | Initially kinship title, from the 4th dynasty also honorary title | since 2nd dynasty | Ward, No. 1245 | ||||||||
Sa-nesut-en-Kusch S3-nswt-n-K3š |
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Viceroy of Kush | Administrators of the Nubian Provinces | 18th - 22nd Dynasty | |||||||||
Sab S3b |
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Sab officer | probably honorary title | since 1st dynasty | Ward, no.1236 | ||||||||
Sameref S3 mr = f |
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Loving son | A priest in the cult of the dead; mostly follower of Medu-jau | since the early dynastic period | |||||||||
Sechenu-ah Sḫnw-3ḥ |
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Providers of the royal tomb | since the early 1st dynasty | W. Helck: Investigations on the thinite age . Pp. 226 & 227 | |||||||||
Sem / Setem Sm Stm |
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Setem (Sem) priest | A priest or shaman in the royal cult; up to the Greco-Roman Time read as sm | Occupied as a functional title since the 1st dynasty. At the end of the 3rd dynasty at the earliest, introduction of the official title “Sem-Priest”. | |||||||||
Semer Smr |
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Friend or relative of the royal family | Occupied since the 1st dynasty, mostly with a functional title appendix | Hannig, p. 765 | |||||||||
Semer-per-nesu Smr-pr-nsw |
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Friend or relative of the royal family | Occupied since the 1st dynasty, mostly with a functional title appendix | ||||||||||
Semher-wati Smḥr-w ˁ.tj |
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Unique (good) friend (of the king) ; mistakenly mostly read smr-wˁ.tj | S29-U23 | Ward, No. 1299 | |||||||||
Sesch-nesu Sš-nsw |
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King's scribe | |||||||||||
Tjai-chu-her-wenemi-nesu Ṯ3.y-ḫw-ḥr-wnm.j-nsw |
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Frond bearer on the right of the king | significant honorary office | since the 18th dynasty | Helck: Administration. Pp. 281-284. | ||||||||
Tjati Ṯ3tj |
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mostly translated as a vizier . | second highest office, highest state office | since 1st dynasty | Ward, no.1590 | ||||||||
Tjet Ṯt |
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Scion , panther skin carrier | second highest office, reserved for the prince's son | at least since the 1st dynasty | |||||||||
Wer-medj-schemau Wr-mḏ-šmˁw Wer-medju-schemau Wr-mḏw-šmˁw |
|
Big of the Ten of Upper Egypt / One of the Big Ten of Upper Egypt |
Frequently used title, especially in the Middle Kingdom, unclear meaning | since the end of the Old Kingdom | Quirke: Titles and bureaux , p. 87 | ||||||||
Who-cherep-hemut Wr-ḫrp-ḥmwt |
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Greatest head of craftsmen | It is the main title of the high priest of Ptah | since the old empire | Jones, No. 1450 | ||||||||
Who-cherep-hemut-em-perui Wr-ḫrp-ḥmwt-m-prwj |
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Largest head of the craftsmen in the duplex | It is a rarely documented special form of the high priest of Ptah | since the end of the Old Kingdom | Jones, No. 1452; see article Sehetepibreanch | ||||||||
Wer-en-Miam Wr-n-Mjˁm |
|
Prince of Miam | Title of local Nubian prince | 18th dynasty |
literature
- Wolfgang Helck : To the administration of the Middle and New Reich. 1958.
- Dilwyn Jones : An index of Ancient Egyptian titles, epithets and phrases of the Old kingdom / 2 (= BAR / International series. Vol. 866). Archaeopress, Oxford UK 2000, ISBN 978-1-84171-071-6 ( Directory of Old Kingdom Titles ).
- Stephen Quirke : Titles and bureaux of Egypt 1850-1700 BC. Golden House Publications, London 2004, ISBN 0-9547218-0-2 .
- Alejandro Jiménez Serrano: Royal Festivals in the Late Predynastic Period and the First Dynasty (= British Archaeological Reports British Series. Vol. 1076). Archaeopress, Oxford UK 2002, ISBN 1-84171-455-0 .
- William A. Ward : Index of Egyptian administrative and religious titles of the Middle Kingdom: with a glossary of words and phrases used. American University of Beirut, Beirut 1982, ISBN 978-0-8156-6065-1 ( List of titles from the Middle Kingdom ).
Individual evidence
- ^ William Matthew Flinders Petrie , Francis Llewellyn Griffith : The royal tombs of the first dynasty. 1900. Part 1 (= Memoir of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Volume 18, ISSN 0307-5109 ). Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1900, digitized version , plate XXII, no.32.
- ↑ Diana Alexandra Pressl: Officials and soldiers: The administration in the 26th dynasty in Egypt (664-525 BC). Lang, Frankfurt a. M. 1998, ISBN 3-631-32586-X , pp. 45-46.
- ^ Joachim Friedrich Quack: On the sound value of Gardiner Sign List U 23. In: Lingua Aegyptia. 11, 2003, pp. 113-116.
- ↑ Old Kingdom
- ↑ from the Middle Kingdom.