Imhotep
| Imhotep in hieroglyphics | ||||||
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Imhotep (Ii em hotep) Jj m ḥtp Who comes in peace |
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Jj m ḥtp |
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Jj m ḥtp |
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Greek : ( Manetho variants) |
Africanus : Imuthes Eusebius : missing Eusebius, AV : missing |
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Imhotep ( ancient Egyptian for "who comes in peace", Greek-Latin Imuthes ) was around 2700 BC. A high dignitary under King Djoser ( 3rd dynasty ). He is considered to be the first great builder of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and, as the chief builder and reading priest of Djosers, was probably responsible for the construction of the Djoser pyramid and the Sechemchet pyramid in Saqqara . Since only rank and pension titles have been handed down from him, his exact activity is unknown.
In the New Kingdom he was worshiped as one of the few non-rulers as a healing god. Due to the extensive formation of legends, Imhotep was now also regarded as the inventor of Egyptian writing and the founder of Egyptian medicine .
Contemporary evidence
The multitude of legends, which mostly developed many centuries after Imhotep's death, make it difficult to distinguish the actual information about the historical person from the legendary figure.
For a long time Imhotep was considered a purely mythological figure until the real existence could be proven in 1920 by the discovery of a statue plinth by Cecil M. Firth . Biographical details are not known, but the titles mentioned offer indications that he could possibly have been Djoser's brother. Contemporary pictorial representations are also not known.
Imhotep is only documented by two inscriptions at the time. On the one hand there is an inscription in the base area of a Djoser statue from the pyramid complex of the Djoser pyramid in Saqqara (Cairo JE 49889), which gives his name and his title and thus proves him as a historical person and contemporary of Djoser. It is the only known case to date in which the name and title of a non-royal person was written on the plinth of a statue of a king. The discovery of this inscription confirms the statement that Imhotep was the builder of this pyramid complex.
On the other hand, it is mentioned graffito on a wall of the surrounding wall of the unfinished Sechemchet pyramid . The latter inscription suggests that he had survived Djoser and also had the building responsibility under his successor Sechemchet (Djosierteri).
Title and functions
There is little known contemporary evidence of the titles and functions that Imhotep held. These are explained below:
Title on the statue base JE 49889
The statue base JE 49889 (now in the Imhotep Museum in Saqqara ) contains Imhotep's name as well as six legible and one largely lost title in the left area of the inscription.
Sedjauti-biti (also Chetemti-biti ; German: seal keeper of the king of Lower Egypt ) is a title that originally referred to a supply manager for the palace, but in the 3rd dynasty probably changed from a functional title to a mere rank for princes and descendants of kings. Since this title is also mentioned on the seal and the only one on the graffito of the Sechemchet pyramid, it should have been Imhotep's actual prince title. This title proves Imhotep's high parentage.
The title Cheri-tep-nesu (German: Who is under the head of the King of Upper Egypt ) is a high rank title with an unclear function. Originally it was a functional title that referred to an activity in close proximity to the king, but it was probably changed into a rank title at the beginning of the 3rd dynasty.
The title of Iri-pat (German: member of the elite ) is actually a title that, according to Wolfgang Helck, identifies the bearer as a crown prince. Erika Endesfelder , on the other hand, presented evidence that shows that the title was not a prince title. Since the title only appears here and not on the seal imprint, it is possible that Imhotep only performed it as a ceremonial role during the Sedfest , during which the statue was donated.
The title Heqa-hut-aa (German: Gutsverwalter ) denotes a pension title that guaranteed Imhotep the income from certain goods . The administrative activity was thus fictitious.
Maa-who (German: Who looks at the great ) is a title that in later times referred to a high priest of Heliopolis , but in the period of the early Old Kingdom, the use of this title by other people suggests that it is not a high priesthood, but rather an expedition and construction manager.
In the last line there are two further titles, which presumably do not refer to Imhotep, but to the sculptor who created the statue, as the hieroglyphic script does not contain a "frame" for the name by title. The first of these two titles is Medjh-qesti (German: Head of Sculptors ), the second is largely destroyed. According to a reconstruction by Batiscombe Gunn , this title could have been manufacturer of vessels , although the hieroglyphic symbols used here probably come from the Butic script.
Title on the seal impression from chamber B of the Djoser pyramid
A seal imprint from chamber B of the Djoser pyramid is also known. Although this does not name Imhotep's name, Imhotep can be clearly identified from the titles Sedjauti-biti and Cheri-tep-nesu , which correspond to those on the statue base. This enabled another title, head of the shipyard , to be opened up. An explanation of this title is known from a grave inscription of the 6th Dynasty, which supplements the function “who builds the ship of the Hathor ” . This title was probably related to his work as a site manager.
Title on the graffito from the unfinished Sechemchet pyramid
A graffito on stones of the unfinished Sechemchet pyramid mentions Imhotep's name and the already well-known title of Sedjauti-biti . Apparently Imhotep kept this title under Djoser's successor, for whom he built the pyramid.
More inscriptions
Vessel inscriptions from the tomb of Chasechemui as well as from the magazines of the Djoser pyramid could also be assigned to the Imhotep described here if he had also built the tomb of Chasechemui through title matches. However, this is problematic from a chronological point of view, so that another person with the same name with the same titles must be assumed here.
There is no direct evidence that Imhotep was the builder of the step pyramid of Djosers, but some of the titles suggest it. So the function of the head of the royal buildings should be included in the titles of the seal keeper and the palace administrator. In addition, in later times the builders often held the title of High Priest of the Re of Heliopolis ( Maa-wer ), although it is not certain here whether this title was already a high priest title in the 3rd dynasty.
Overview of the titles
These titles show that Imhotep was the bearer of the highest dignity, even if the function of the individual titles is not precisely clarified in all cases.
| title | in hieroglyphics | translation | function | interpretation | Occurrence | ||||
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Sedjauti-biti Sḏ3wtj.tj-bjtj |
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Keeper of the seals of the King of Lower Egypt | Chancellor of the Lower Egyptian King | possibly prince title | Statue base, seal, graffito | ||||
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Cheri-tep-nesu ẖr.j-tp-nsw |
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Who is under the head of the King of Upper Egypt | Personal valet of the King of Upper Egypt | high rank title with unclear function | Statue base, seal | ||||
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Iri-pat Jrj-pˁ.t |
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Member of the elite | highest rank, crown prince | here possibly only a ceremonial title as part of the Sedfest | Statue base | ||||
| Heqa-hut-aa Ḥq3-ḥwt-ˁ3 |
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Ruler of the great building | Estate manager | Pension title | Statue base | ||||
| Maa-wer M33-wr |
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Who looks at the great | Supreme leader of construction works and expeditions | in later times also high priest of Re of Heliopolis | Statue base | ||||
| Medjh-nechen Mḏḥ-nḫn |
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Head of the shipyard | Shipyard manager | Site manager title? | seal | ||||
| Unclear title | |||||||||
| Medjh-qesti Mḏḥ-qs.tj |
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Head of the sculptors (carvers) | ? | Functional title, probably refers to the artist who created the statue. | Statue base | ||||
| (Reading unknown) |
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Manufacturer of vessels (speculative) | ? | Functional title, probably refers to the artist who created the statue. | Statue base (speculative) | ||||
ancestry
Its exact ancestry is unknown. The inscription sn.wj bjtj ("The two brothers of the king of Lower Egypt") in the middle part of the statue base JE 49889 from Saqqara is suggested by some researchers such as B. Wolfgang Helck as an indication that he could have been a brother or son of Pharaoh Djoser ( 3rd dynasty ). However, the mythological interpretation of the brothers as the gods Horus and Seth or Thoth is more likely. The title Sedjauti-biti identifies him as a prince or at least a close relative of the king. The title Iri-pat could also identify Imhotep as the son of Djoser if he had actually used this title and not only symbolically during the cult acts of the Sedfest.
According to later tradition from the time of the Persian rule , he is the son of the architect Khanofer and Chereduanch (Chrodunanch) and husband of Ronpetnofret, but this cannot be confirmed by contemporary texts and is probably part of the legend.
Tomb
The tomb of Imhotep is mentioned several times in later texts (e.g. in the Harper's Song of Antef , 18th Dynasty ) and, along with an Imhotep sanctuary, was considered the center of the cult. It is believed to be in Saqqara near the Djoser pyramid, but has not yet been found. In the harper song of the Antef, however, it is mentioned that the grave had already been destroyed when the song was written.
Imhotep's work as an architect
The statue inscription and the wall graffito document Imhotep's work as the architect of two tombs. The Djoser pyramid in particular , as the oldest monumental building built from hewn stones, represents a milestone in the development of ancient Egyptian architecture.
The Djoser pyramid
Djoser had Imhotep built an unprecedented monumental tomb during his 19-year reign (approx. 2665–2645 BC), which heralded the progress in science and construction. It was located in the necropolis of Saqqara near the tombs of the kings of the second dynasty and the great enclosure Gisr el-Mudir , away from the mastaba graves of the first dynasty. The design as a pyramid did not arise spontaneously, but represented a synthesis of various Upper and Lower Egyptian burial practices. It was the preliminary high point in the development of the tombs of the kings of the 1st and 2nd dynasties from Abydos. However, elements of the graves and facilities of the Saqqara necropolis can also be found. The large enclosure (Gisr el-Mudir), as a stone equivalent of the valley districts of Abydos, may have served as a model for the enclosure of the pyramid district. The gallery graves of the second dynasty in Saqqara are also models for the extensive galleries in the Djoser pyramid district. The pyramid itself is a further development of the grave mounds symbolizing the mythological "original mound", as can be found at royal tombs in Abydos.
The design of the actual pyramid was changed and expanded several times by the architect during the construction. Initially started as a square mastaba with an edge length of 63 m and a height of 8 m, the structure was transformed in six construction phases into a four- and finally six-level pyramid with a base size of 121 m × 109 m and a height of 63 m. Limestone was used as building material. The substructure with the burial chamber formed a symbolic palace for eternity and was partially decorated with blue faience tiles .
The pyramid was surrounded by a huge wall. There were numerous symbolic cult buildings on this site, which were supposed to enable the deceased king to celebrate the Sedfest in the afterlife and thus to consolidate his claim to rule for all eternity.
Even if the construction techniques and the execution of the following pyramids were changed and improved, Imhotep created a model with this building that shaped the burial rites in ancient Egypt for centuries.
The Sechemchet pyramid
The pyramid of the Sechemchet can be recognized as a further development of the construction concept of the Djoser pyramid. However, it was planned from the start with a square floor plan as a step pyramid. With basic dimensions of 115 × 115 meters, it would have been completed with six or seven steps, which, according to Lauer's reconstruction, indicates a final height of around 70 meters. The construction techniques corresponded to the final version of the previous building and, as with the Djoser pyramid, the masonry consisted of inwardly inclined layers. Fourteen of these layers, inclined 15 degrees inward, formed the core of the first stage. The local limestone core masonry was supposed to have a fine limestone cladding, but this does not appear to have been installed as no remains have been found. When the ruler died, the pyramid had only reached a height of about eight meters, as only the first stage of the construction was completed. Thus it had the character of a huge, square mastaba .
The entire substructure is carved underground from the rock. A large open shaft for the burial chamber, as with the Djoser pyramid, was not created there. The design of the corridors and chambers is significantly reduced compared to the previous building. Extensive other buildings on the pyramid complex are not detectable here.
Afterlife
Legends
In the centuries after his death, reference is made to Imhotep again and again, whereby the scope of the works ascribed to him continues to grow and the legends about Imhotep are expanded and his veneration as a sage and magician increases. In the Middle Kingdom , sayings of wisdom from Imhotep are mentioned, but they have not been preserved. The so-called famine stele created in the 18th dynasty names Imhotep as Djoser's advisor.
Imhotep were numerous inventions such. B. the hieroglyphic writing , medicine and the Egyptian calendar . He is sometimes referred to as the author of medical texts such as the Edwin Smith papyrus . He is also said to have invented the mummification technique with separate burial of the organs in canopic jars . From today's perspective, however, this can be seen as a legend, as there are no contemporary mentions about it and the hieroglyphic script was also used before Imhotep. In the New Kingdom it is said that scribes sacrificed a drop of ink to Imhotep at the beginning of their work.
In the Aegyptiaca of the Egyptian historian Manetho (3rd century BC) Imhotep is named as the "inventor of the art of building with hewn stones".
cult
A real Imhotep cult is only documented from the Saïtic period . From this time, but especially in the Roman-Greek period, there are numerous bronze figures depicting Imhotep as a priest with a bald head, a simple apron and a papyrus scroll .
A priest of the Imhotep cult is also known for the first time from the Saïtic period. The center of the cult was the Imhotep Temple, believed to be near Memphis , and the tomb of Imhotep, but neither of these is known today. In Ptolemaic times, numerous temples opened to the Imhotep cult. B. in the temple of Karnak an Imhotep chapel built. In these cults, Imhotep was represented as the god of healing and the temples became places of pilgrimage for the sick. During this time Imhoteps was equated with the Greek god of healing Asklepios (German: Aesculapius), whose healing cult shows similarities with Imhoteps.
In the late period Imhotep was said to have a divine origin and he was widely worshiped in Memphis and Thebes under the title "Son of Ptah " .
Modern reception
Due to the multitude of inventions and wisdom that Imhotep is said to have, Imhotep is referred to by various authors as the first universal scholar of mankind known by name.
Due to several similarities in the traditions, Imhotep is equated in modern comparative analyzes by some popular scientific authors with the biblical figure of Joseph , who, according to the biblical story, was the chief official of a pharaoh. This equation finds no reception in the historical sciences.
The name Imhotep is used in various horror films. For example in the film The Mummy from 1932 and its remake of the same name from 1999 as well as in the sequel from 2001 in The Mummy Returns . The portrayal of the wicked undead in the films is contrary to the ancient characterization of Imhotep as a wise figure of light.
The following space objects were named after Imhotep:
- (1813) Imhotep , an asteroid discovered in the main belt in 1960
- a crater on the planet Mercury
- an area on the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet , which was visited by the Rosetta probe and Philae lander in 2014 .
In the Antarctic, Mount Imhotep bears his name.
In the detective novel The Pharaoh Plot by Philipp Vandenberg from 1990, various Western secret services and Egyptian nationalists are looking for the grave of Imhotep around the First World War . Immeasurable treasures and insights are said to be hidden in the grave, which enable world domination . In the novel , the tomb is in Saqqara.
In 2006, the Imhotep Museum was opened in Sakkara , in which, among other things, the aforementioned statue base, finds from the Djoser pyramid complex and other finds from Sakkara are exhibited.
See also
literature
- Hans Bonnet : Lexicon of the Egyptian religious history. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-08-6 , pp. 322-324.
- Wolfgang Helck , Eberhard Otto : Small Lexicon of Egyptology. Edited by Rosemarie Drenkhahn. 4th revised edition. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1999, ISBN 3-447-04027-0 .
- Wolfgang Helck: Investigations on the thinite period (= Egyptological treatises. Volume 45). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4 .
- Kamal Sabri Kolta, Doris Schwarzmann-Schafhauser: Imhoptep. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , pp. 659 f.
- Jean-Philippe Lauer : Remarques concernant l'inscription d'Imhotep gravée sur le socle de statue de l'Horus Neteri-khet (roi Djoser) . In: Peter DerManuelian (Ed.): Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson. Volume 1. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston MA 1996, ISBN 0-87846-390-9 , pp. 493-498, ( PDF ; 150 kB).
- Rainer Stadelmann : The Egyptian pyramids. From brick construction to the wonder of the world (= cultural history of the ancient world . Volume 30). 3rd updated and expanded edition. von Zabern, Mainz 1997, ISBN 3-8053-1142-7 .
- Miroslav Verner : The pyramids. Edition completely revised and expanded by the author. Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1998, ISBN 3-498-07062-2 .
- Dietrich Wildung : Imhotep and Amenhotep. Becoming a god in ancient Egypt (= Munich Egyptological studies. Volume 36). Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich et al. 1977, ISBN 3-422-00829-2 (At the same time: habilitation paper, University of Munich, 1973).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the thinite age. Pp. 256–258 ( limited online version ).
- ↑ statue base JE 49889, Cairo
- ↑ Nadja Samir Tomoum: The sculptors' models of the late and Ptolemaic periods. A study of the type and function of a group of ancient Egyptian artefacts. National Center for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage and the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Kairo 2005, ISBN 977-305-816-6 , p. 128 (also: Munich, Univ., Diss., 2005).
- ↑ Jaromir Malek: The Old Kingdom. In: Ian Shaw (Ed.): The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-280293-3 , p. 92.
- ↑ Jochem Kahl : Old Kingdom: Third Dynasty. In: Donald B. Redford (Ed.): The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 2: G - O. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford et al. 2001, ISBN 0-19-513822-8 , p. 592 ( online ).
- ↑ Jaromir Malek: The Old Kingdom. In: Ian Shaw (Ed.): The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford et al. 2002, ISBN 0-19-280293-3 , pp. 92-93.
- ↑ a b c d Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the thinite age. P. 256 ( limited online version ).
- ↑ E. Endesfelder: Observations on the emergence of the ancient Egyptian state (= Internet articles on Egyptology and Sudan archeology, Volume XIV), Berlin / London 2011, ISBN 978-1-906137-25-0 , pp. 131–32.
- ↑ a b c d e Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the thinite age. P. 257 ( limited online version ).
- ^ Jean-Philippe Lauer : Remarques concernant l'inscription d'Imhotep gravée sur le socle de statue de l'Horus Neteri-khet (roi Djoser). 1996, p. 495.
- ^ A b c Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the thinite age. P. 258 ( limited online version ).
- ↑ Graffito from the Sechemchet pyramid ( Memento from January 5, 2012 on WebCite )
- ↑ The builder Imhotep and the step pyramid of Saqqara. In: Memphis - History of a Metropolis. (= Kemet. Vol. 11, No. 2, 2002, ISSN 0943-5972 ),
- ↑ Kamal Sabri Kolta, Doris Schwarzmann-Schafhauser: The medicine in ancient Egypt. Magic and ratio in conception of illness and therapeutic practice (= Sudhoff's archive. Supplement 42). Steiner, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-515-07482-1 , p. 73.
- ↑ a b c d Hans Bonnet: Lexicon of the Egyptian religious history. 2005, pp. 322-324.
- ↑ a b c M. Verner: The pyramids. P. 131ff .: The step pyramid of Netjerichet (Djoser).
- ↑ a b M. Verner: The pyramids. Pp. 165–174: The step pyramid of the Sechemchet.
- ^ Friedhelm Hoffmann : Egypt, culture and life in Greco-Roman times. A representation based on the demotic sources. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-05-003308-8 , p. 206.
- ^ Hermann Grapow : Outline of the medicine of the ancient Egyptians. Akademie Verlag, Berlin 1954.
- ↑ Kamal Sabri Kolta, Doris Schwarzmann-Schafhauser: Egyptian Medicine (3000-30 BC). In: Werner E. Gerabek u. a. (Ed.): Encyclopedia of medical history. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , pp. 9-14, here: pp. 10 and 1541.
- ↑ Lennart Möller: The Exodus file. New discoveries about the exodus from Egypt. Inner Cube, Düsseldorf 2010, ISBN 978-3-942540-00-1 , pp. 67-98.
- ↑ USGS Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature: Imhotep .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Imhotep |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Imuthes, Imouthes |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Iripat and high priest of Re of Heliopolis |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 28th century BC Chr. |
| DATE OF DEATH | 27th century BC Chr. |