Imhotep

Died Circa 2600 b.c.e.

Vizier, high priest, astrologer, and architect

Sources

Divinity . The Egyptian term for god, netjer, could be applied to a range of entities. In addition to gods properly speaking, the word could be applied to the king, certain animals, and the dead. Egyptians venerated their deceased ancestors as being divine. There are a few individuals in Egyptian history whose divinity grew to exceed the bounds of their own families, and who eventually came to have a place in the pantheon of Egyptian gods. One such individual was Imhotep.

Offices . Imhotep served as a vizier and architect under King Djoser of Dynasty 3 (circa 2675-2625 b.c.e.). He also held the offices of high priest of Re at Heliopolis and the chief of sculptors and makers of stone vessels. He is credited with designing the king’s step pyramid complex at Saqqara, and therefore with inventing monumental construction in stone. He outlived his patron, and his name is found in a graffito on the enclosure wall of an unfinished pyramid started during the reign of Sekhemket, the successor of Djoser. Imhotep died around 2600 b.c.e.

Cult . Imhotep disappears from view until the New Kingdom (circa 1539-1075 b.c.e.). Texts from this period credit him as one of the great sages of Egypt, who authored a collection of proverbs (now lost) that were revered for their wisdom. Imhotep was considered to be a patron of scribes and intellectuals. Scribes would frequently pour out a water libation to him from their water pots before beginning to write. By Dynasty 26 (664-525 b.c.e.) Imhotep was considered to be the son of Ptah and Khereduankh, his natural mother. Later on, Imhotep was given a wife, Renpet-neferet. Eventually, a sanctuary in honor of Imhotep was built at Saqqara. Here in the area of Memphis, Imhotep was considered to be a god with special powers of healing. He was thought to be able to grant requests for wives and children. By the time of Roman domination of Egypt, the cult of Imhotep had spread throughout Egypt. In addition to being a god of healing and wisdom, Imhotep acquired a reputation as a famous astrologer and was thought to have the power to bring fertility to the earth.

Sources

Ann Rosalie and Antony E. David, A Biographical Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (London: Seaby, 1992).

Nigel Strudwick, The Administration of Egypt in the Old Kingdom: The Highest Titles and Their Holders (London & Boston: Kegan Paul International, 1985).

Dietrich Wildung, Egyptian Saints: Deification in Pharaonic Egypt (New York: New York University Press, 1977).