Imhotep
Ancient Egyptian chancellor, possible architect of the step pyramid, and later deified god of medicine.
Two contemporary inscriptions from his lifetime confirm Imhotep's historicity, including one on Djoser's statue base.[1] Imhotep served as chancellor to King Djoser and as high priest of Ra at Heliopolis.[2] Fewer than a dozen non-royal Egyptians were deified after death; Imhotep is one of them, and his cult was centered in Memphis.[3]
Quick Facts
- Other names
- Asclepius (name in Greek) Imouthes (also name in Greek)
- Burial place
- Saqqara (probable)
- Occupation
- chancellor to the King Djoser and High Priest of Ra
- Years active
- c. 27th century BC
- Known for
- Being the architect of Djoser's step pyramid
- Relatives
- Djoser (possible brother; disputed)
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
The Greeks equated Imhotep with their own god of health, Asklepios.[4]
What the cited sources add
A 1932 film review describes Imhotep as the antagonist of the movie The Mummy, portrayed by Boris Karloff.[5][6] The review notes that Imhotep is driven by righteousness rather than primal bloodlust.[5] According to the review, Imhotep's devotion became dark and twisted after his punishment.[5] The review observes that a slight shift in perspective could make Imhotep the hero of the story.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Imhotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Malek, "The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt", Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 92–93; Kahl, "The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt", Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 592; Malek, "The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt", Oxford University Press, 2002, p. 92–93 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imhotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Imhotep", Collins Dictionary; Ranke, "Die Ägyptischen Personennamen", J. J. Augustin, 1935, p. 9 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imhotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Troche, Julia (2021). Death, Power and Apotheosis in Ancient Egypt: The Old and Middle Kingdoms. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.; "The Divine Father: Religious and philosophical concepts of divine parenthood in antiquity", Brill, 2014, p. 29 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Imhotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Boylan, "Thoth or the Hermes of Egypt: A study of some aspects of theological thought in ancient Egypt", Oxford University Press, 1922, p. 166–168; Lichtheim, "Ancient Egyptian Literature", The University of California Press, 1980; Pinch, "Handbook of Egyptian Mythology", ABC-Clio, 2002 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Reid, "The Mummy (1932)", Pre-Code.com, 24 April 2014. facts only, no text reused. pre-code.com
- Wikipedia, "Imhotep" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Reid, "The Mummy (1932)", Pre-Code.com, 24 April 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Imhotep (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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