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'Imhotep' (sometimes spelled 'Immutef', 'Im-hotep', or 'Ii-em-Hotep', Egyptian meaning "the one who comes in peace") was an Egyptian polymath,^[1] who served under the Third Dynasty king, Djoser, as chancellor to the pharaoh and high priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis. He is considered to be the first architect and physician known by name in history ^[2]. The full list of his titles is: ''Chancellor of the King of Lower Egypt, First after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor and Maker of Vases in Chief''. As with Hatshepsut and Senemut's later relationship, Imhotep is one of very few mortals to be depicted as part of a pharaoh's statue. He was one of only a few commoners ever to be accorded divine status after death. The centre of his cult was Memphis. From the First Intermediate Period onward Imhotep was also revered as a poet and philosopher. His sayings were famously referred to in poems: ''I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef with whose discourses men speak so much.'' ^[3]
The knowledge of the location of Imhotep's tomb was lost in antiquity ^[4] and is still unknown, despite efforts to find it. The general consensus is that it is at Saqqara.
Much else 'known' about him is hear-say and conjecture. The ancient Egyptians credited him with many inventions. As one of the officials of the Pharaoh, Djosèr, he probably designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid) at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630-2611 BC ^[3]. He may have been responsible for the first known use of columns in architecture. He has also been acclaimed to be the inventor of the Papyrus scroll, being its oldest known bearer.
Imhotep is credited with being the founder of Egyptian medicine and with being the author of a medical treatise remarkable for being devoid of magical thinking, the so-called Edwin Smith papyrus, detailing anatomical observations, ailments, and cures. The surviving papyrus was probably written around 1700 BC but may be a copy of texts a thousand years older. This attribution of authorship is speculative, however.^[6].
He was said to be a son of Ptah, his mother being a mortal named ''Khredu-ankh''.

Contents

Legacy

Modern cultural impact

References

See also

Legacy

Two thousand years after his death, his status was raised to that of a deity. He became the god of medicine and healing. He later was linked to Asclepius by the Greeks. The ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' says, "The evidence aforded by Egyptian and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was very respected in early times... His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."
As the "son of Ian", his mother was sometimes said to be Sekhmet, the patron of Upper Egypt because Ptah often was said to have married her. As Imhotep was considered the inventor of healing, he was also sometimes said to be the one who held up the goddess Nut (the deification of the sky), as the separation of Nut and Geb (the deification of the earth) was said to be what held back chaos. Due to the position this would have placed him in, he was also sometimes said to be Nut's son. In artwork he also is linked with the great goddess, Hathor, who eventually became identified as the wife of Ra. He also was identified with Maat, the goddess who personified the concept of truth, cosmic order, and justice—having created order out of chaos and being responsible for maintaining it. An association with Amenhotep son of Hapu, who was another deified architect, also occurred.
It is Imhotep, says Sir William Osler, who was the real Father of Medicine. "The first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity."
An inscription from Upper Egypt, dating from the Ptolemaic period, mentions a famine of seven years during the time of Imhotep. According to the inscription, the reigning pharaoh, Djoser, had a dream in which the Nile god spoke to him. Imhotep is credited with helping to solve the famine. The obvious parallels with the biblical story of Joseph have long been commented upon. ^[7]. More recently, the Joseph parallels have led some alternative historians to identify Imhotep with Joseph, and to argue that the supposedly thousand years separating them are indicative of a faulty chronology. ^[8].

Modern cultural impact

'Im-ho-tep' is the name of a fictional character played by Boris Karloff in the 1932 movie ''The Mummy'', and of a similar character played by Arnold Vosloo in the 1999 movie ''The Mummy'' and its 2001 sequel ''The Mummy Returns'', although the character has been renamed 'Imhotep'. The architect Imhotep most likely provided the name (but just the name) for the character.
'Imhotep' is also the name of the mortuary priest in Agatha Christie's novel ''Death Comes as the End''.
'Imhotep' is also the name of wide receiver Imhotep Durham for the Virginia Cavaliers football team for the year of 2004.
'Imhotep' is also the name of radio DJ Gary "Imhotep" Byrd.
'Imhotep' is also the name of a well-known French rapper from the group IAM.
'Im-Ho-Tep (Pharaoh's Curse)' is a song by American heavy metal band Iced Earth, based loosely on the movie "The Mummy", starring Boris Karloff. The lyrics mentions the scroll of Thoth, which is only in the movie from 1932, revealing that the song is not based on the 1999 movie.
'Imhotep' is also the name of a character by Roy Thomas, featured in the comic book 'Conan' by Marvel Comics. The character is a demon, who controls an army of flying undead warriors, known as the Sky Horde, through his amulet.
'Imhotep' was used as a continuing in-joke in the 2003 and 2005 BBC television series ''Look Around You'', portrayed as an Easter Island monolith which was frequently invisible.
The name 'Imhotep' was used by a minor Goa'uld in the ''Stargate SG-1'' episode 'The Warrior'.
'Bubba Ho-tep' is the title of a short story by Joe R. Lansdale which was adapted as a 2002 horror-black comedy film starring Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley, now a resident in a nursing home.
There is an old video game named Imhotep for the Commodore 64 platform.
In Civilization 4, ''Imhotep'' is a name given to a randomly spawned ''Great Engineer'', most likely due to the fact that in the game, ''Great People'' are limited to the titles of ''Great Engineer, Great Scientist, Great Prophet, Great Artist'' and ''Great Merchants.''
'Imhotep' was adopted by the University of Memphis chapter of the Alpha Rho Chi professional architecture fraternity.
'Imhotep' is the name of a starting configuration in the board game Khet.
'Project IMHOTEP' is the name of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s mentoring program for minority students.

References

1. The Egyptian Building Mania, ''Acta Divrna'', Vol. III, Issue IV, January, 2004.
2. ''The Evolution of Modern Medicine'' by William Osler, Kessinger Publishing 2004, p.12
3. ''Ancient Egypt'' by Barry J. Kemp, Routledge 2005, p.159
4. The Harper's Lay, ca. 2000 BCE
5. ''Ancient Egypt'' by Barry J. Kemp, Routledge 2005, p.159
6. ''Fractures: A History and Iconography of Their Treatment'' By Leonard Francis Peltier, Norman Publishing 1990, p.16
7. Vandier, ''La Famine dans l Egypte ancienne''
8. Emmet Sweeney, ''The Genesis of Israel and Egypt'', London, 1997

See also

★ List of Egypt-related topics

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★ History of ancient Egypt

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★ Old Kingdom

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★ Third dynasty of Egypt

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★ Ancient Egyptian architecture

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★ Pyramid of Djoser

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★ Ancient Egyptian medicine

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★ Pharaoh

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★ Ptah

★ ''Other lists''

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★ List of deities

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★ List of architects

★ Timeline of medicine and medical technology

★ Column