Imhotep

Imhotep (fl. 27th century B.C.E.) Priest-physician, vizier,
and designer of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara
Imhotep was an official of the Third Dynasty who served
four pharaohs of Egypt, but he was best known as the
vizier and high priest of PTAH in the reign of DJOSER
(2630–2611 B.C.E.). Imhotep designed and supervised the
building of the STEP PYRAMID at SAQQARA as Djoser’s mortuary
complex. He was a commoner by birth, born to
Kaneferu and Ankh-Kherdu. Both parents are listed in an
inscription found at WADI HAMMAMAT.
Rising through the ranks in the court and in the temple,
Imhotep became treasurer of Lower Egypt, “the First
After the King” of Upper Egypt, the administrator of the
Great Palace, the high priest of PTAH (called “the Son of
Ptah”), the ruler’s chief architect, and “the wise counselor”
as listed in the TURIN CANON. He was a renowned
poet and priest-physician, equated with Asclepios by the
Greeks.

The greatest achievement of Imhotep, the one that
stands as a living monument to his genius and his faith in
eternity, was the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. He built the
complex as a mortuary shrine for Djoser, but it became a
stage and an architectural model for the spiritual ideals of
the Egyptian people. The Step Pyramid was not just a single
pyramidal tomb but a collection of temples, chapels,
pavilions, corridors, storerooms, and halls. Fluted
columns engaged, or attached to, the limestone walls or
emerged from the stone walls according to his plan. Yet
he made the walls of the complex conform to those of the
palace of Djoser, according to ancient styles of architecture,
thus preserving a link to the past.
Imhotep’s didactic texts were well known in later
times, as were his medical writings. The Greeks honored
him, and during the Roman Period the emperors Tiberius
and Claudius inscribed their praises of Imhotep on the
walls of Egyptian temples. He was deified with AMENHOTEP,
SON OF HAPU, a rare occurrence in Egypt, as commoners
were normally not eligible for such honors.
Shrines and clinics were erected throughout the Nile Valley
in his memory, and he was worshiped as far south as
KALABSHA in NUBIA (modern Sudan). A temple of his cult
was erected in PHILAE. Imhotep reportedly lived to the
end of the reign of HUNI (2599–2575 B.C.E.). He was
buried in Saqqara, but his tomb has not been identified.
Imi (Yem) (fl. 20th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Eleventh Dynasty
She was the consort of MONTUHOTEP III (r. 2010–1998
B.C.E.) but not the Great Wife or ranking queen. Imi was
the mother of MONTUHOTEP IV. An inscription in WADI
HAMMAMAT praises her as a royal mother.
Imsety He was one of the four “Sons of HORUS” associated
with the mortuary rituals of Egypt. The Sons of
Horus assisted with the mummification process and


served as patrons of the deceased as the guardians of the
CANOPIC JARS used to store the vital organs removed from
the mummified remains. Imsety was the guardian of the
liver. The stoppers on his canopic vessels were carved to
portray a human head
Source: Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt

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Dress in ancient Egypt

dress These were the various styles of apparel used
throughout Egyptian history. As the warm climate of
Egypt dictated the agricultural seasons, so it influenced
the style of dress. There were seasons, and on some
evenings the temperature was cold because of the surrounding
deserts, but normally the climate remained consistently
warm and dry. In accordance with the
temperature, the Egyptians devised simple styles and
comfortable materials in which to dress from the earliest
eras. Cotton was a major crop put to good use, and linen,
especially the special material called BYSSUS, became the
basis for clothing for upper classes.
In the Predynastic Periods (before 3000 B.C.E.), both
men and women wore kilts, skirts that hung in simple
folds or were adorned with narrow belts made of rope,
fibers, and leathers. In time women wore an empire-type
long skirt that hung just below their uncovered breasts.
Men kept to the simple kilts. These could be dyed in
exotic colors or designs, although white was probably the
color used in religious rituals or by court elite.
In the Early Dynastic Period (2920–2575 B.C.E.),
both men and women wore their hair short, adorned with
various bands or flowers. Then the women of Memphis
began to appear in long cotton gowns with sleeves. Others
adopted the empire style with a band over the shoulders.
Men added simple cotton tops to their kilts when
the weather cooled. That style remained consistent
throughout the Old Kingdom (2575–2134 B.C.E.) and
Middle Kingdom (2040–1640 B.C.E.), although an extra
panel, sometimes goffered, sometimes stiffened, was
attached to the kilts for special occasions. Furs were used
in cold weather, and the Egyptians probably had capes
and shawls.
Wigs were used, and various types of head coverings
were worn to protect the hair or bare scalp from dust and
the heat of the sun. During the Old and Middle Kingdoms,
wigs were made of fiber or human hair and were
adapted for use by the upper classes. Such wigs were
often long, with great masses of hair pulled together in a
stiff design. In such instances beads were woven into the
hair at set intervals to form an intricate pattern.
Styles expanded with the coming of the New Kingdom
(1550–1070 B.C.E.), as the Egyptians were exposed
to foreign elements. During that period, red girdles,
clearly visible under the sheer cotton fabrics, were considered
stylish. Also popular were dresses with patterned
beadwork set into the material, and elaborate designs
made out of bits of shell and small stones that were
embroidered along the length of women’s gowns.
The capelet, made of sheer linen, was the fashion
innovation of the New Kingdom, a time in which men
wore kilts and sheer blouses with elaborately pleated
sleeves. Great panels of woven materials hung from the
waist, and intricate folds were visible under sheer overskirts.
VIZIERS kept to a simple skirt of white cotton, and
PRIESTS used white for all temple functions, placing animal
skins or colored sashes and pectorals on their costumes
to signify their rank and function. Priests wore
shaved heads, and some wore the lock of youth as part of
their insignia. This lock was also affected by the royal
princes, who shaved their heads but maintained a single
lock of hair on the side of the skull, normally entwined
with beads and bits of metal.
After the death of the last Ramesses, RAMESSES XI, in
1070 B.C.E., the nation became vulnerable to outside
influences. The Libyan, Nubian (modern Sudanese), Persian,
and Greek cultures advanced in the Nile Valley,
bringing about a change in styles. The 300-year Hellenization
of Egypt during the Ptolemaic Period (304–30
B.C.E.) was actually confined to ALEXANDRIA, the Delta
capital. Even there the traditional pharaonic court styles
continued, as evidence of a link between the Greek conquerors
and the first rulers of the Nile. Throughout the
land the styles of clothing remained static because of the
demands of the climate and the inherent tendency of the
Egyptians to maintain traditions. Such dress codes faded,
of course, as the Romans and other cultures arrived in
the Nile Valley. Softer styles prevailed, and elaborate collars
and jewels were popular, as well as intricate wigs and
hairstyles.
Source :Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt

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