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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Daily Life in Ancient Egypt

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Myths and Mummies

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Circumcision in ancient Egypt

circumcision
The act of circumcision may have been performed as part of a ceremony akin to the rites of passage in the 'age-grade systems' of many band and tribal societies. A stele of the First Intermediate Period (2181-2055 Be) mentions the circumcision of 120 boys at one time,
which perhaps implies a group of individuals of varying ages. It has been suggested, however, that boys would usually have been about fourteen years old when they were circumcised. The mummy of a young prince aged about eleven, which was found in the tomb of Amenhotep II, is uncircumcised and retains the SIDELOCK OF YOUTH hairstyle, which was therefore perhaps worn by young boys only in the years before circumcision.
The ceremony itself, for which the Egyptian term was sebi, was carried out using a curved flint knife similar to those employed by embalmers. On the basis of this archaizing equipment, it has been argued that circumcision was essentially a religious act for the Egyptians. On the other hand, it may have simply been a practical expedient, given the fact that metal knives would hardly have surpassed a newly-knapped flint in terms of sharpness. Moreover, considering the lack of antiseptics, if the cut was as clean and rapid as possible, the healing process would probably have been more likely to be successful.
The 6th-Dynasty mastaba of the vizier Ankhmahor at Saqqara conrains a circumcision scene, which appears to show both the cutting and the application of some sort of ointment, although the latter is unclear. From at least the Late Period onwards (747-332 Be) it became compulsory for priests to be circumcised, as part of the purification necessary for the performance of their temple duties, and this further illustrates that it was not compulsory for children to be circumcised at adolescence. In the Roman period, a ban on circumcision (from which only priests were exempt) appears to have been introduced.
The Egyptians themselves may have regarded circumcision as an ethnic 'identifier', judging from depictions of foreigners in battle scenes of the New Kingdom, such as those depicted in the mortuary temple of Rameses III at MEDINET I-lABU. In enumerating enemy dead, the Egyptians differentiated between the circumcised Semites, whose hands were cut ofT, and the uncircumcised foes -notably Libyans whose penises were removed for the counting.
Although Strouhal suggests that some ancient Egyptian texts refer to 'uncircumcised' virgins and the Roman writer Strabo mentions that female circumcision was practiced by the Egyptians, no physical evidence of the operation has yet been found on surviving female mummies.
F. JONCKHEERE, 'La circoncision des anciens Egyptiens', eentaurus [(1951),212-34.
O. BARDIS, 'Circumcision in ancient Egypt', Indlana Journal for the history of Medicine 12/ I (1967),22-3.
E. STROUHAL, Lift in ancient Egypt (Cambridge, 1992),28-9.


The Greek historian Herodotus mentions that the Egyptians practiced circumcision 'for cleanliness' sake, preferring to be clean rather than comely'; and the practice may well have been inaugurated purely for reasons of hygiene. Nevertheless, depictions of certain uncircumcised individuals in the decoration of Old Kingdom mastaba tombs suggest that the operation was not universal.

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Barks of the gods Sacred boats,

barks of the gods Sacred boats, either in miniature

form or full-size, used as part of ancient Egyptian

religious ceremonies, these vessels were important because

they accentuated the nurturing role of the Nile in

Egyptian life through the centuries. The religious significance

of the barks can be traced to the belief in the

spiritual Nile, which carried the dead to the various

levels of eternal paradise and bliss. The spiritual Nile

led the deceased out of the mortal world if they were

worthy.

RÉ sailed across the heavens on solar barks, using the

MANDET to ascend the sky each morning and the MESEKET

to descend at twilight. He also employed a bark for his

nightly voyage through the TUAT or the Underworld. The

bark of OSIRIS was mentioned in the PYRAMID TEXTS. An

elaborate vessel, this bark had a cabin for a shrine and

was decorated with gold and other precious metals and

stones. In the New Kingdom, the bark of Osiris was

called the neshmet or the KHA’EMHET, and was refurbished

or replaced by each pharaoh. The bark of the god PTAH

was the neb-heh.

AMUN’S bark, called the userhetamun, or the

weseghatamun, “Mighty of Brow Is Amun,” was Egypt’s

most famous ritual boat. Made of cedar wood and about

200 feet in length, the bark was entirely gilded and decorated

with gems. The rams’ heads were fashioned out of

gold. The vessel was replaced or redecorated almost every

year and was used for special Amunite ceremonies in and

around THEBES. A special lake was built for certain rites,

and a temple was designed to house the bark when it was

not in use.

Most barks followed a similar design. They were

fashioned as floating temples, fronted by miniature

obelisks, with flagstaffs and highly ordained cabins,

which served as the sanctuary of the god. The major

deities had barks covered in gold. Other Egyptian deities

sailed in their own barks on feast days, with priests rowing

the vessels on sacred lakes or on the Nile. KHONS’S (1)

bark was called “Brilliant of Brow” in some eras. The god

MIN’S (1) boat was named “Great of Love.” The HENNU

BOAT of SOKAR was kept in MEDINET HABU and was

paraded around the walls of the capital on feast days.

This bark was highly ornamented and esteemed as a cultic

object. The barks could be actual sailing vessels or be

carried on poles in festivals. The gods normally had both

types of barks for different rituals. A fleet of such barks

was discovered in ABYDOS.

Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt

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sun boat

sun boat

sun boat It was a divine vehicle depicted in an early

cosmogonic myth, the mode by which the god RÉ, or

the sun itself, traveled through the sky into the realms

of night. The sun deity, whether personified as Ré or in

his original form, was thought to travel across the sky

on this vessel. Sometimes the boat or bark was shown

as a double raft. On his journey, Ré was accompanied

by the circumpolar stars or by his own double. Sometimes

he rowed the boat himself, sometimes he moved

by magic. Heka, MAGIC, accompanied the sun in most

myths.

The ENNEAD of Heliopolis was composed of gods

who also accompanied the sun in its daily journey. The

SOULS OF NEKHEN and the SOULS OF PE were mentioned

in some myths as riding in the vessel daily. In some

early depictions, the boat was a double serpent, its two

heads forming the prow and the bow. The sun boat had

many adventures during the day, and at night it faced all

the terrors of the darkness, when the dead rose up to

the vessel through the waters. When the sun was associated

with the cult of Ré, the boats were given specific

names.

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