Djoser

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Name of Djoser
Djoser statue.jpg
Statue of Djoser; Egyptian Museum , Cairo (JE 49158)
Horus name
G5
R8 D21
F32
Srxtail2.svg
Netjeri-chet
Nṯrj-ẖt
Divine Body
Sideline
G16
R8 D21
F32
S12
(Nebti) Netjeri-chet-nebu
Nb.tj Nṯrj-ẖt-nbw
Divine body made of gold of the two mistresses
Gold name
N5
S12
Nebu-Re
Nbw-Rˁ
Golden des Re
Throne name

style = "text-align: center"

Proper name
G39 N5
G8
Nubhor (Nub Hor)
Nwb Ḥr. (W)
Golden Horus
Royal Papyrus Turin (No. III./5)
V10A D45
r 		M17 X1 G7 V11A G7

Djoser-it
Ḏsr-jt
The Exalted Ruler
(with the name ideogram
for a king who represents the
Horus falcon)
List of Kings of Abydos (Seti I) (No.16)
Hiero Ca1.svg
HASH D45 V17
Hiero Ca2.svg
.... djeser-sa (badly damaged)
... -ḏsr-s3
... exalted protector
List of Kings of Saqqara (No.12)
Hiero Ca1.svg
D45
r
Hiero Ca2.svg
Djoser
Ḏsr
(The) Exalted / Saint
Greek Manetho variants: Africanus : Tosorthros
Eusebius : Sesorthos
Eusebius, AV : Sesorthus
Zoser is an outdated spelling
Egyptian Museum Cairo : pedestal of the statue of the king with royal statute

Djoser was the first ancient Egyptian king ( Pharaoh ) of the 3rd Dynasty ( Old Kingdom ). He ruled from around 2720 to 2700 BC. He can be identified without a doubt with the contemporary Horus name Netjeri-chet . As the first builder of a step pyramid , Djoser is one of the most famous kings of ancient Egypt.

Name and identity

Clay seal fragment with the name "Netjeri-chet"
(Tomb of Hesire ).

The name "Djoser" can be equated with the archaeologically well-documented Horus name "Netjeri-chet". Sound evidence is a seated statue of Pharaoh Sesostris II ( 12th dynasty ), whose base inscription contains the name "Hor-Netjeri-chet-djeser". Thus, under Sesostris II, the earliest use of the name "Djeser" is proven.

The second most recent evidence for the use of the name is provided by the famous Westcar papyrus ( 13th Dynasty ), which also uses the cartouche name "Djeser" for Djoser .

The subject of current research, however, is the question of where the name "Djeser" comes from. Fragments of polished sandstone stelae from the Djoser complex in Saqqara provide a possible clue . Their inscriptions usually name the names of Djoser and his wives and daughters, but always begin with the words "Chenti-ta-djeser-nisut" ( bless the land of the exalted king ). The "djeser-nisut" was probably misinterpreted in later times as the birth name of Djoser and adopted as a cartouche name.

Special attention is also given to the cartouche name No. 16 in the list of kings of Abydos of Sethos I. On closer inspection it becomes clear that the name version there was originally not introduced with "Djeser", but with another word. However, this was later chiseled out again. It is uncertain what that word was and its interpretations are numerous.

Origin and family

Drawing of a relief fragment from Heliopolis with depictions of Djoser, Hetephernebti, Inetkaes and an unknown person

Djoser's mother was Queen Nimaathapi , the wife of Chasechemui , the last ruler of the 2nd Dynasty . It can therefore be assumed with a high degree of probability that Chasechemui was also Djoser's father. Djoser's only known wife was Hetephernebti . The only child of Djoser is a daughter named Inetkaes . Whether she was also the daughter of the Hetephernebti or came from another marriage cannot be determined with certainty from the available source material.

Another possible family member of Djoser is shown on a relief fragment from Heliopolis , which is now in the Museo Egizio in Turin (inv. No. 2671/211). The fragment shows the enthroned king, represented in front of him, much smaller, his daughter Inetkaes and his wife Hetephernebti. Another person clasps the king's foot from behind. It is not certain who this is because the inscription is very poorly preserved. Ann Macy Roth reads the name Nianch-Hathor and thinks the person represented is another daughter. However, this reading is extremely uncertain and has not yet established itself in Egyptological research.

It is possible that the remains of one of Djoser's female relatives have been preserved. At the beginning of the 20th century, James Edward Quibell found several bones of a young woman who he believed to be a princess in the pyramid complex of Djoser. In 1989 the bones were dated using radiocarbon dating . The results were rather imprecise, but did not rule out a dating of the 16 to 17 year old woman to the time of Djoser.

Pharaoh Sechemchet is generally regarded as the successor of Djoser .

Domination

Djoser (Egypt)
Abydos
Abydos
Beit Challaf
Beit Challaf
Elephantine
Elephantine
(Clipped)
(Clipped)
Heliopolis
Heliopolis
Saqqara
Saqqara
Wadi Maghara
Wadi Maghara
Sites of evidence of Djoser

Term of office

No contemporary inscriptions are available to determine the exact duration of Djoser's reign, so that only the information from later royal lists can be used. The Turin royal papyrus , which originated in the New Kingdom , names 19 years and 1 month, which was in the 3rd century BC. Egyptian priest Manetho , who lived 29 years ago. In research today, the indication of the Turin papyrus is generally accepted and a reign of 19 to 20 years is assumed.

Events

Djoser's assumption of government on the 26th of Achet III in the Egyptian season "flood" of the Egyptian calendar is documented in an inscription .

Little is known about other events during Djoser's reign. The Palermostein describes the first five years as follows:

year Events
1 year Appearance of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt; Unification of the two countries ; Walking around the White Walls
2 years Appearance of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt; Presentation of the Sentj pillars to the King of Upper Egypt
3rd year Escort of horus ; Creation of a statue of Min
4th year Appearance of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt; Stretching the string for Qebeh-Netjeru ("Fountain of the Gods")
5th year Escort of Horus, festival of the Djet ....

The break line of the Palermo stone runs exactly diagonally through the fifth window, which is why the rest of the entry is missing and it is therefore uncertain which festival was exactly described.

State administration

Shortly before or during Djoser's reign there were first attempts at a fundamental administrative reorganization of Egypt. While the administration was originally based only on individual agricultural goods, the whole country was divided into Gaue during the course of the Old Kingdom . The oldest of them is the Gau Ma-hedj , which was later counted as the 16th Upper Egyptian Gau. It is mentioned for the first time on vessel inscriptions found in Djoser's pyramid complex. Mention of other districts can only be found from the reign of Snofru , the founder of the 4th dynasty . By the end of the Old Kingdom there were 38 Gaue, the number of which increased to 42 through division into Roman times.

Under Djoser, several officials and viziers achieved high esteem, above all Imhotep , Hesire , Ankh-en-iti , Nedjem-Ankh and Chai-neferu . While Imhotep obviously enjoyed Djoser's special favor and was even deified in later times, impressive panels made of valuable cedar wood have been preserved from the official Hesire . Chai-neferu, on the other hand, only occurs on stone vessels and clay seals.

Expeditionary activities

Rock relief of Djoser in Wadi Maghara

As the first Egyptian ruler, Djoser had a state-organized expedition to Wadi Maghara on the Sinai Peninsula to exploit the copper and turquoise mines there. This is reported in a relief that Djoser had placed in the wadi. There he appears killing a captured Bedouin . Next to him is a goddess. Behind this a figure is depicted, which, according to the inscription, shows the administrator of the Ankh-en-iti desert , who thus led this expedition . There is evidence of isolated Egyptian activities on Sinai from pre-dynastic times. Centrally organized mining expeditions were apparently only made possible through decisive advances in administration at the end of the 2nd and the beginning of the 3rd dynasty.

Introduction of the gold name

Djoser at the Hebsed run (relief from the underground tomb galleries)

Under Djoser, the sun cult experienced a further boom, which was at the same time connected with an increasing importance of the king. At least since the 1st dynasty , the connection between the king as a living Horus under the sun and the nickname Nebu was evident , but Djoser was the first to raise the king's status as a living Horus on earth on a par with the sun. These parallels were also evident in the pyramid construction , which from Djoser on assumed ever greater dimensions. His new construction of the step pyramid makes the new philosophy of the king clear, as the new design was intended to create a visual appearance for eternity and an immortal monument was built to the king as a symbol of the equal ruler together with the sun. In addition, Djoser had his grave built directly in his pyramid and also moved his mock grave from Abydos to Saqqara .

Another clue for the extended cult of the sun is the false grave (south grave) , which was first built out of stone and replaced the otherwise usual mat construction made of wood and metal. Overall, the tomb complex experienced a much greater expansion compared to the traditional construction method. The Egyptologists Jochem Kahl , Steven Quirke and Wolfgang Helck point directly to Djoser's introduction of the Goldhorus name , which did not place the sun above the king and raised it to an independent god, but in particular the new and stronger merging of the king with the sun made clear.

Kahl and Quirke assume that during the introduction of the Goldhorus name, spiritual and religious thinking must have undergone a major change in Djoser's time and must have influenced future generations, since subsequent rulers immediately took over the Goldhorus name (compare Chaba ).

Construction activity

Saqqara

The Djoser pyramid

Djoser's step pyramid in Saqqara
The underground chamber system of the pyramid
Plan of the pyramid complex. 1: Step pyramid, 2: South grave, 3: Sed festival courtyard and chapels, 4: Temple T, 5: South courtyard, 6: South pavilion, 7: North pavilion, 8: Mortuary temple, 9: West galleries, 10: Entrance colonnade, 11: North courtyard, 12: north galleries, 13: stair tombs, 14: Serdab, 15: north altar

The Djoser pyramid is the second oldest still preserved monumental building made of hewn stones in Egypt. With their construction Djoser ushered in the epoch of the pyramids in Egypt. It was built in six construction stages and its appearance was significantly changed several times. Originally only planned as an 8 m high mastaba, it was initially expanded twice in length and width. In three further construction stages, it was later converted into a four-tier and finally a six-tier pyramid with a base dimension of 121 m × 109 m and a height of 62 m.

The burial chamber was built in the rock below the center of the step pyramid. Because of the original conception of the pyramid as a flat mastaba, a vertical shaft extends over the burial chamber, which should serve as an entrance. After the renovation of the structure, this function was taken over by two inclined shafts that are accessible from the north side of the pyramid. Corridors branch off from the burial chamber in all four directions, all of which lead to complex gallery systems . Parts of the complex are decorated with faience tiles and reliefs of the king.

Regardless of this, there are still eleven shafts on the east side of the pyramid, which first lead vertically downwards and then lead horizontally under the pyramid. The five northern shafts served as graves of Djoser's family members, but they were robbed in ancient times. The other six shafts are magazine rooms. Ceramics and stone vessels from the graves of almost all kings of the 1st and 2nd dynasties, but also from official graves of these periods, were found in them.

A sprawling complex stretches around the pyramid and is the largest of all Egyptian pyramids. The mortuary temple is attached to the north side of the pyramid . This consists of two open courtyards and several rooms, the exact function of which is not entirely clear, as the concept of the temple deviates significantly from the later common mortuary temples. To the east of the temple is the Serdab , in which a statue of Djoser was placed, which is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The area east of the pyramid is most densely built up. There, two buildings adjoin the Serdab, which are known as the north and south pavilions and whose function is not entirely clear. Presumably these are symbolic administrative buildings for Upper and Lower Egypt. The Sedfest courtyard extends southeast of the pyramid and is flanked on its west side by 13 large chapels and on its east side by twelve small chapels, which are symbolic solid buildings with no actual interior spaces. To the north of the 13 large chapels is another building, known as the "T" temple, which probably played a role in the Sedfest. In the south-east corner of the complex there is a wide entrance colonnade.

Most of the south side of the pyramid is taken up by an open courtyard. This south courtyard is the only development to have only two B-shaped structures, which are interpreted as turning marks for the symbolic run of the king at the Sedfest. In the south-west corner of the courtyard is the so-called south grave, which in a sense represents a scaled-down version of the grave complex under the pyramid. The decoration is also similar to this. This structure could have been intended as a temporary grave for Djoser, but also as a symbolic grave for his Ka .

The entire west of the complex is covered by the so-called western massifs, under which there are long corridors and over 400 chambers. It is so far unclear whether these are storage rooms, tombs for Djoser's servants, an usurped grave of a former king or the original design for Djoser's tomb.

The area north of the pyramid is occupied by an open courtyard that has not yet been fully explored. On its north side there is an altar and to the west of this there are further galleries, which are storage rooms. In the north-west of the courtyard there are several stair tombs, which are the remains of an older necropolis that was built over by the pyramid complex of Djoser.

The entire pyramid complex is surrounded by a wall. It has a length of 545 m and a width of 278 m. The wall is designed in the typical style of the palace facade with protrusions and niches and has 14 false gates. The wall, for its part, is once again surrounded by a monumental trench that is 40 m wide and encloses the entire complex in a maximum extent of 750 m.

Private graves in Saqqara

Seals with Djoser's name of Horus were found in three private graves in Saqqara: In grave S2305, grave S3518 and in the mastaba of Hesire ( grave S2405 )

Bait Challaf

The necropolis of Bait Challaf , north of Abydos , consists of five mastabas, four of which can be dated to Djoser's reign through seals found. The largest of them, Mastaba K1, measures 45 × 85 m and is over 8 m high. Its core masonry consists of several inwardly inclined shells made of Nile mud bricks. It is possible that it originally had a niche sub-structure. On the east side a ramp leads to the roof, on which the entrance to the chamber system is located. The staircase has a barrel vault , which is the oldest known vault in Egypt. The underground chamber system simulates the rooms of a house or palace and contained large quantities of ceramic and stone vessels. Due to its size and the seals found, the mastaba was originally thought to be the tomb of Djoser. But since seals with the name of Queen Nimmaathapi have also been found, it seems likely that it is her grave. The significantly smaller Mastabas K3, K4 and K5, in which seals with Djoser's name were also found, seem to be the graves of less important members of Nimaathapi's family.

Elephantine

The exact extent of Djoser's activities on Elephantine Island has not yet been clarified. At present it has only been attested by several seal impressions, which, however, do not in themselves constitute direct evidence of construction activities. The famine stele (see below), which only emerged in Ptolemaic times, mentions a temple of Khnum , which could have been founded by Djoser on Elephantine or a neighboring island ( e.g. Sehel or Philae ).

Bones

The dating of several relief blocks from the temple of Hathor in Gebelein is uncertain . The blocks are made of limestone and are now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Museo Egizio in Turin . Among other things, the representation of a king is depicted on them. But since no names have been given, they can only be dated stylistically to the end of the 2nd or the beginning of the 3rd dynasty. William Stevenson Smith considered them to be works from the time of Djoser, while Toby Wilkinson tended towards his predecessor Chasechemui.

Heliopolis

The remains of a small building from Heliopolis have been preserved. They were discovered at the beginning of the 20th century by Ernesto Schiaparelli in the foundations of a subsequent building. These are 36 fragments of a small chapel, which was probably built for the Sedfest Djosers and which served to erect a cult statuette of the king. The exact appearance of the chapel cannot be reconstructed from the remains that have been preserved. The fragments are now in the Museo Egizio in Turin . One piece shows a palace facade and part of Djoser's name of Horus, a second the upper part of a depiction of the enthroned king with a wig, ceremonial beard and Sedfest cloak. On a third piece the lower part of another representation of the enthroned king can be seen. Three women kneel at his feet; they are Queen Hetephernebti, Princess Inetkaes and an unknown person.

Special finds

Royal sculpture

Statue of Djoser in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (JE 49156)
Replica of the statue in the serdab of the Djoser pyramid

Undoubtedly the most famous work of art from Djoser's era is his life-size limestone seated statue , which comes from the Serdab of the Djoser complex in Saqqara. The masterpiece was discovered by Cecil Mallaby Firth around 1924 . The statue is made of polished limestone. The Pharaoh wears a skin-tight Hebsed robe and a pleated Nemes headscarf over a long tiered wig. In addition, his chin is adorned with a strong pharaoh's beard . The hands and face were originally painted brown-red, the upper and lower eye areas were decorated with dark paint. The eye sockets had previously been painted on the inside and covered with crystal stones - but when the statue was found, the crystals were stolen and the statue was badly damaged. The original of the statue is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (Inv.No. JE 49156), while a replica is on display in the Serdab . A side stone of the Serdab was replaced by a disk during the reconstruction, so that visitors can see inside the Serdab.

Another statue is also in Cairo (Inv.No. JE 49889 and 49889a – g), of which only the base with the feet of the king has survived. It was also discovered during the excavations of Firth in the pyramid district of Djoser. It is made of limestone and has remains of painting. Djoser once depicted the piece larger than life. With his feet he tramples on nine arches , which symbolize the foreign peoples understood as enemies of Egypt. In front of his feet there are also three Rechit birds, which represent hostile peoples in the Nile Delta . The front of the statue base bears the name and title of the king as well as an inscription with the name Imhotep.

A third piece in Cairo today (inv. No. JE 60487) is the remains of a limestone standing figure of the king. Only the torso and remains of the legs are preserved. The king is not depicted in a step position, but with his legs closed and a belt with Hathor bands around his hips .

Only the base and feet of a group of statues have survived. The piece is made of limestone and has a preserved height of 13 cm, a width of 183 cm and a depth of 42 cm. There are a total of four pairs of feet on the base, of which the two right pairs are significantly smaller than the left.

Statue fragments that resemble the Serdab statue were found in the area of ​​the mortuary temple, which could indicate a possibly existing second Serdab.

  • Unfinished statues, pyramid complex of Djoser

  • Remains of a group of statues, pyramid district of Djoser

More statues

Statuette of a god, possibly from the pyramid district of Djoser; Brooklyn Museum (58,192)

A statue that is now in the Brooklyn Museum (Inv. No. 58.192) may originally have come from the Djoser pyramid complex. It is a small figure representing a male deity, perhaps Onuris . The piece is made of anorthosite gneiss and has a preserved height of 21.4 cm, a width of 9.7 cm and a depth of 8.9 cm. It shows a figure preserved only from the thighs up, with a broad back plate rounded at the top. The god is depicted in a stance position with his left leg forward and wears a belt and a phallus pouch around his hips . The arms lie on the sides of the body. The left hand is clenched in a fist, the right is holding a knife. The god wears a ceremonial beard that reaches to his chest and a voluminous round wig.

The Museum of Art and History in Brussels houses a very similar figure (Inv.No. E 7039). This piece is of uncertain origin, but is very similar to the Brooklyn piece in terms of material and design. It is also made of gneiss and was originally about 30 cm high. Only the head with a short wig and the upper part of a rounded back pillar are preserved. The facial features have been little worked out, the chin section is broken off.

In addition to figures of gods, there are also several prisoner heads from Djoser's reign, which probably originally served as throne or statue bases. Two of these pieces are in Cairo today. The first (Inv.-No. JE 49613) is made of granite and is 25 cm high, 45 cm wide and 20 cm deep. It originally consisted of three heads, of which only two have survived. The one on the right shows a Libyan , the one on the left an Asian. The lost head probably represented a Nubian . The second piece located in Cairo (preliminary inv. No. 18.2.26.5) is made of slate and shows two heads.

A third piece, which is now in the State Museum of Egyptian Art in Munich, is of unknown origin . It can only be assigned stylistically to the 3rd dynasty and here most likely to the reign of Djoser. It is a block of alabaster with a height of 19.5 cm, a width of 35 cm and a depth of 23 cm. Two heads of foreign enemies are depicted on each of two adjacent sides. One couple are Asians, the other Libyans.

Djoser in memory of ancient Egypt

Djoser and his favorite Imhotep were both equally adored and even deified in later times. Djoser's name appears on countless objects and in legends from later eras.

Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period

The Westcar papyrus

From the 12th dynasty comes a statue that Sesostris II had made in honor of Djoser. It consists of diorite and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Berlin . Only the lower half of the statue is preserved. It is a sitting figure showing Djoser on a throne. He's wearing an apron and his right hand is clenched on his thigh. His feet are made supernaturally large in the typical Middle Kingdom style. With them he treads on nine arches, which symbolize the enemies of Egypt. The origin of the piece is unknown, but the format, material and style point to Thebes . Possibly the original installation site was the temple of Karnak , where Sesostris I already had statues for Sahure and Niuserre , two kings of the 5th dynasty , installed.

Djoser is also one of the main characters in the famous Westcar papyrus , which is mostly dated to the Middle Kingdom or the Second Intermediate Period ( 13th Dynasty ). It tells miracles and legends from the reigns of the pharaohs Djoser, Nebka , Snofru and Cheops . The story of Djoser is only preserved as the final sentence, the name of the hero figure (probably Imhotep) has been lost.

New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period

Redrawing of the Karnak King List

During the New Kingdom was in the 18th Dynasty under Thutmose III. in the Karnak Temple in Thebes the so-called King List of Karnak is attached, in which Djoser's name was probably mentioned. In contrast to other ancient Egyptian king lists, this is not a complete listing of all rulers, but a shortlist that only names those kings for whom during the reign of Thutmose III. Sacrifices were made. Djoser's signature itself has not been preserved. The list begins with a destroyed entry and then continues with Sneferu , the founder of the 4th Dynasty . Although the first entry was partially read as Neferkare , this is due to an incorrect interpretation by Karl Richard Lepsius . Since the Karnak list is based on a series of statues that were erected in the temple in the 12th dynasty and Djoser is known to have a statue from this period, which is believed to come from Karnak, it is quite likely that the first entry on the list Djoser was dedicated.

Visitor inscriptions in the south house of the Djoser pyramid

A total of eleven visitor inscriptions from private individuals in the north and south houses of the Djoser pyramid have been preserved from the New Kingdom . The oldest inscription comes from the reign of Amenhotep I ( 18th dynasty ), the youngest, precisely datable, comes from the reign of Ramses II ( 19th dynasty ). In one of the inscriptions a scribe complains about numerous insignificant texts that other people had left there before him. A visitor inscription from the time of Ramses II is also known from the Chendjer pyramid located south of the Djoser pyramid . It is of particular interest because it refers to Djoser as the inventor of stone construction.

In addition to the visitor inscriptions, a restoration inscription is also known from the 19th dynasty, which was found on some blocks that originally belonged to the cladding of the Djoser pyramid. It shows that Chaemwaset , a son of Ramses II, had restoration work carried out on the Djoser pyramid, as was the case with numerous other buildings in the Old Kingdom.

A relief fragment from the grave of priest Mehu from Saqqara, which dates to the 19th or 20th dynasty , also comes from the New Kingdom . Three deities are depicted on it, facing a number of deceased kings. These are Djoser and Djos erti from the 3rd dynasty and Userkaf from the 5th dynasty. Only a badly damaged signature remains of a fourth king, which was partly read as Djedkare , but occasionally also as Schepseskare . The relief is an expression of the personal piety of the tomb owner, who made the ancient kings pray to the gods for him.

A stele is known from the Serapeum in Saqqara which dates to the 22nd to 24th Dynasty . A king is depicted on it in a prayer gesture who is identified as Djoser by an inscription. The owner of the stele, a certain Padi-Webastet, addresses a prayer to Osiris - Apis with an inscription and lets Djoser act as mediator between himself and the god.

Late period

In addition to the visitor inscriptions from the New Kingdom, one from the late period was also discovered in the north house of the Djoser pyramid . It dates to the 26th dynasty and makes no direct reference to Djoser, but proves that his pyramid complex was still open to visitors at that time.

Several stele and relief fragments of Djoser, which were found in Horbeit and Tanis , date from the same period . They were originally dated to the 3rd Dynasty, but are now identified as Saitic copies of works from the Old Kingdom. The style of depiction of the reliefs is only a homage to Djoser's era.

The statue of the priest Jahmes (Ägyptisches Museum Berlin, Inv.-Nr. 14 765) comes from the Persian period , on the base of which it can be read that he carried out the funeral service for the rulers Djoser and Sechemchet .

Also in Persian times, an inscription was placed in Wadi Hammamat under the rule of Darius I. In it, the chief builder Chenemibre lists his ancestry over 22 generations, although the authenticity of his information is questionable. As his progenitor, he gives a senior builder named Rahotep, who lived under Ramses II, and attributes to him that he enjoys an even greater fame than the senior builder Imhotep, who worked under Djoser.

Ptolemaic and Roman times

The famine stele

The so-called famine stele near Sehel (southwest of Elephantine ), a rock relief from Ptolemaic times, tells of a legend about Djoser, according to which the pharaoh ended a seven-year drought by sacrificing to the god Khnum and tempering him. This recourse to Djoser was intended to legitimize an ancient legal claim of the Ptolemaic rulers to the borderland between Egypt and Nubia ( Dodekaschoinos ).

Furthermore, the coffin of a priest named Senebef from the Ptolemaic period has been preserved (Egyptian Museum Berlin, inv. No. 34). An inscription shows that Senebef served as Djoser's funeral priest.

A demotic papyrus, which is now in the Egyptian Institute of the University of Copenhagen, dates back to the 1st or 2nd century AD . Due to the poor state of preservation of the papyrus, the fictional narrative recorded on it is only incomplete. It is about a campaign against Assyria that Djoser undertakes with Imhotep. The Assyrians are led by an unnamed queen who has magical powers. When the Egyptian army finally camps in Nineveh , Djoser instructs Imhotep to fetch the images of the gods from the fortress Arbela, because they are to be taken to Egypt. However, in a dream a maid appears to him and warns him about it. The rest of the text is only very fragmentary. It can still be reconstructed that Djoser wants to celebrate his victory in Memphis. Here Imhotep's daughter is to appear as a singer. However, this refuses. Finally, there is a passage in which Imhotep and the Assyrian queen create images of gods, bring them to life and let them fight against each other. The text is very similar to older works of Egyptian literature such as the Westcar papyrus, but also to the Greek Alexander novel .

Modern reception

The life of Djoser and his architect Imhotep was processed in numerous fictional works. For example, the Frenchman Pierre Montlaur wrote the novel Imhotep, le mage du Nil in 1985 (German: Imhotep. Doctor of the Pharaohs , 1988). In 1990, the German author Harald Braem published the novel Hem-On, the Egyptian, set in Djoser's royal court . The French writer Bernard Simonay published a historical trilogy of novels between 1996 and 1998 with the title La première pyramide (no German translation) about the life of Djoser.

A 1960 discovered main-belt - Asteroid carries Djoser's name in obsolete English spelling: (4907) Zoser .

literature

General literature

About the name

To the pyramid

For further literature on the pyramid see under Djoser pyramid / Literature and sources

For further construction work

  • John Garstang : Mahâsna and Bêt Khallâf . Quaritch, London 1902, ( British School of Archeology in Egypt Publications 7), plate 8 (1).

Questions of detail

  • Jürgen von Beckerath: Chronology of the pharaonic Egypt . von Zabern, Mainz 1997, ISBN 3-8053-2310-7 .
  • Horst Beinlich (Ed.): 5th Egyptological Temple Conference: Würzburg, September 23-26, 1999 . Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 3-447-04544-2 , ( Egypt and Old Testament 33, 3), ( files of the Egyptological temple conferences 3).
  • Günter Dreyer: The first king of the 3rd dynasty. In: Heike Guksch, Daniel Polz (Ed.): Stations. Contributions to the cultural history of Egypt. Dedicated to Rainer Stadelmann. von Zabern, Mainz 1998, ISBN 3-8053-2526-6 , pp. 31-34.
  • Adolf Erman : The fairy tales of the Westcar papyrus . 2 volumes. W. Spemann, Stuttgart 1890.
  • Wolfgang Helck: The dating of the vessel inscriptions from the Djoser pyramid. In: Journal of Egyptian Language and Antiquity. 106, 1979, ISSN  0044-216X , pp. 120-132.
  • Wolfgang Helck: Investigations on the Thinite Age (= Egyptological Treatises. (ÄA) Volume 45). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4 .
  • Jacques de Morgan : Catalog des monuments et inscriptions de l'Egypte antique . Première Série: Haute Egypte . Tome 1: De la frontière de Nubie à Kom Ombos . Holzhausen, Vienna 1894, pp. 80–82.
  • Steven Quirke: Ancient Egyptian Religions . Dover Publishing, London 1992, ISBN 0-7141-0966-5 .
  • Stephan J. Seidlmayer: The Relative Chronology of Dynasty 3. In: Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, David A. Warburton (Eds.): Ancient Egyptian Chronology (= Handbook of Oriental studies. Section One. The Near and Middle East. Volume 83 ). Brill, Leiden / Boston 2006, ISBN 90-04-11385-1 , pp. 116–123 (online)
  • Nabil MA Swelim: Some Problems on the History of the Third Dynasty . Archaeological Society, Alexandria 1983, ( Archaeological and historical studies 7).
  • Dietrich Wildung : The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity . Part 1: Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties (= Munich Egyptological Studies. Volume 17). Hessling, Berlin 1969 (at the same time: Munich, Univ., Diss., 1967).
  • Toby AH Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt . Routledge, London a. a. 1999, ISBN 0-415-18633-1 .

Web links

Commons : Djoser  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ The proper name, as it is introduced from the 4th dynasty with "Sa Ra", does not yet exist at this time, which is why the transfer to proper name (Pharaoh) is basically problematic. The formulation proper name is based on Jürgen von Beckerath: Handbuch der Ägyptischen Könignames. Munich u. a. 1984.
  2. ↑ For unknown reasons, the first character was subsequently removed
  3. ↑ Term of office: 29 years.
  4. ↑ a b Duration of government: not specified.
  5. ↑ What is meant is a founding ceremony

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Peter Kaplony: Stone vessels with inscriptions from the early days and the Old Kingdom. Volume 1, Monumenta Aegyptiacae, Brussels 1968, p. 68.
  2. ↑ Steven Quirke: Ancient Egyptian Religions. London 1992, p. 22.
  3. ^ Alan H. Gardiner: The royal canon of Turin . Panel 2; The presentation of the entry in the Turin papyrus, which differs from the usual syntax for hieroboxes, is based on the fact that open cartridges were used in the hieratic . The alternating time-missing-time presence of certain name elements is due to material damage in the papyrus.
  4. ^ Thomas Schneider: Lexicon of the Pharaohs . Düsseldorf 2002, p. 315.
  5. ↑ James Edward Quibell: Excavations at Saqqara 1911–1912. The Tomb of Hesy . Imprimerie de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, Cairo 1908, plate 28; Object No. 23.
  6. ↑ Dietrich Wildung : The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I: Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 59 & 60ff.
  7. ↑ Adolf Erman: The fairy tales of the Papyrus Westcar. Pp. 76-77.
  8. ^ Jürgen von Beckerath: Handbook of the Egyptian king names . Munich u. a. 1984, pp. 50, 176.
  9. ^ Ann Macy Roth: Social Change in the Fourth Dynasty. The Spatial Organization of Pyramids, Tombs, and Cemeteries. In: Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. Volume 30, 1993, p. 54.
  10. ↑ Renate Germer: Remains of royal mummies from the pyramids of the Old Kingdom - do they really exist? In: Sokar. No. 7, 2003, p. 37.
  11. ↑ Jürgen von Beckerath: Chronology of the Pharaonic Egypt. Mainz 1994, p. 208.
  12. ↑ Gerald P. Verbrugghe, John M. Wickersham: Berossos and Manetho, introduced and translated. Native traditions in ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor (Michigan) 2000, ISBN 0-472-08687-1 , p. 134.
  13. ↑ Jürgen von Beckerath: Chronology of the Pharaonic Egypt. Mainz 1994, p. 187.
  14. ↑ Darrell D. Baker: The Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, Volume I: Predynastic to the Twentieth Dynasty (3300-1069 BC). Bannerstone Press, Oakville 2008, p. 97.
  15. ^ Siegfried Schott: Altägyptische Festdaten (= Academy of Sciences and Literature. Born in 1950. Volume 10). Steiner, Wiesbaden 1950, p. 54.
  16. ↑ Wolfgang Helck: The ancient Egyptian districts (= supplements to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East. Series B. Geisteswissenschaften. Volume 5). Reichert, Wiesbaden 1974, pp. 109-111, 199.
  17. ^ AH Gardiner, TE Peet: The inscriptions of Sinai. London 1953, p. 54, No. 1, plate 1.
  18. ^ A b c Toby AH Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt . Routledge, London a. a. 1999, p. 97.
  19. ^ Gay Robins: The Art of Ancient Egypt. British Museum Press for the Trustees of the British Museum, London 1997, ISBN 0-7141-0988-6 , p. 43, fig. 39.
  20. ↑ a b Wolfgang Helck: History of ancient Egypt. P. 47.
  21. ↑ Wolfgang Helck: History of ancient Egypt. Pp. 45-46.
  22. ↑ Steven Quirke: Ancient Egyptian Religion. P. 22.
  23. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 137-138.
  24. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 141-144.
  25. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 144-146.
  26. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 158-159.
  27. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, p. 159.
  28. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 156–158.
  29. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 153-156.
  30. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 135-137.
  31. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 146-150.
  32. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 150–152.
  33. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 160-161.
  34. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 159-160.
  35. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, pp. 133-135.
  36. ^ Bertha Porter, Rosalind LB Moss: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings. III 2 . Memphis. Part 2. Ṣaqqara to Dahshûr. 2nd Edition. University Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-900416-23-8 , p. 437 ( PDF; 33.5 MB ).
  37. ^ Bertha Porter, Rosalind LB Moss: Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Reliefs and Paintings. III 2 . Memphis. Part 2. Ṣaqqara to Dahshûr. 2nd Edition. University Press, Oxford 1981, ISBN 0-900416-23-8 , p. 448 ( PDF; 33.5 MB ).
  38. ↑ James Edward Quibell : Excavations at Saqqara 1911–1912. The Tomb of Hesy. Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, Cairo 1913, plate XXVIII.23 ( online version ).
  39. ↑ John Garstang: Mahasna and Bet Khallaf. London 1903, plate VII.
  40. ↑ digitalegypt.ucl.ac.uk
  41. ^ Dieter Arnold: Lexicon of Egyptian architecture. Albatros, Düsseldorf 2000, ISBN 3-491-96001-0 , p. 41.
  42. ^ Peter Kaplony: Beit Challaf. In: Wolfgang Helck, Eberhard Otto (Hrsg.): Lexikon der Ägyptologie. Volume 1: A - Harvest. Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1975, ISBN 3-447-01670-1 , Sp. 686.
  43. ↑ Werner Kaiser among others: City and Temple of Elephantine. 13./14. Excavation report. In: Communications from the German Archaeological Institute, Cairo Department. (MDAIK). Volume 44, pp. 108, 109, fig. 13c, plate 15c.
  44. ^ Jean Leclant, Gisele Clerc: Fouilles et travaux en Égypte et au Soudan, 1991-1992. In: Orientalia. Volume 62, p. 250.
  45. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, p. 87.
  46. ^ William Stevenson Smith: A History of Egyptian Sculpture and Painting in the Old Kingdom. 2nd Edition. Oxford University Press, London 1949, p. 137.
  47. ↑ Horst Beinlich: 5th Egyptological Temple Conference: Würzburg, September 23-26, 1999. p. 152.
  48. ^ Christiane Ziegler: Decorated Fragments from the Chapel of King Djoser at Heliopolis. In: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Ed.): Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1999, ISBN 0-87099-906-0 , pp. 175-176.
  49. ↑ a b c d Dagmar Stockfisch: Investigations into the cult of the dead of the Egyptian king in the Old Kingdom. The decoration of the royal cult complexes. Volume 2. Kovac, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8300-0857-0 , p. 15.
  50. ↑ a b c Dagmar Stockfisch: Investigations into the cult of the dead of the Egyptian king in the Old Kingdom. The decoration of the royal cult complexes. Volume 2. Kovac, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-8300-0857-0 , p. 16.
  51. ↑ Miroslav Verner: The pyramids. Rowohlt, Hamburg 1998, p. 159 f The Serdab and the northern part of the Djoser complex
  52. ^ Christiane Ziegler: Male Deity. In: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Ed.): Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1999, ISBN 0-87099-906-0 , pp. 178-179.
  53. ^ Christiane Ziegler: Statue Base with Enemy Heads. In: Metropolitan Museum of Art (Ed.): Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1999, ISBN 0-87099-906-0 , p. 174.
  54. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 59-60.
  55. ↑ Verena M. Lepper : Investigations on pWestcar. Pp. 29-30.
  56. ↑ Adolf Erman: The fairy tales of the Papyrus Westcar. P. 7.
  57. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 60-63.
  58. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 65-71.
  59. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 72-74.
  60. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, p. 72.
  61. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 74-76.
  62. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 76-77.
  63. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 77-79.
  64. ^ Georges Goyon: La découverte des trésors de Tanis. Perséa, Paris 1987, ISBN 2-906427-01-2 , pp. 34-35.
  65. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 79-83.
  66. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 83-84.
  67. ^ Gertrud Dietze: Philae and the Dodekachoinos in Ptolemaic times. In: Ancient Society. No. 25, 1994, pp. 94-97.
  68. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 85-91.
  69. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, p. 85.
  70. ↑ Dietrich Wildung: The role of Egyptian kings in the consciousness of their posterity. Part I. Posthumous sources on the kings of the first four dynasties. Berlin 1969, pp. 91-93.
  71. ^ Zoser in the Internet database of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (English).
predecessor Office successor
Chasechemui King of Egypt
3rd Dynasty 		Sechemchet
personal data
SURNAME Djoser
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zoser; Tosorthros; Djoser-it; Djoser-sa; Hor Netjer-i-chet
BRIEF DESCRIPTION second ancient Egyptian king of the third dynasty
DATE OF BIRTH 28th century BC Chr.
DATE OF DEATH 27th century BC Chr.