Idut See SESHESHET.
Ihy (fl. 20th century B.C.E.) Innovative courtier of the
Twelfth Dynasty
He served AMENEMHET I(r. 1991–1962 B.C.E.) as a mortu-
ary ritual official. Ihy joined a coworker named Hetep in
preparing a tomb as part of the mortuary complex of TETI
(2323–2291 B.C.E.). They were servants of the funerary
cult of Teti’s PYRAMIDcomplex in SAQQARA, erected during
the Sixth Dynasty (2323–2150 B.C.E.), and they con-
structed twin tombs that had visible chapels on the outer
boundaries of Teti’s pyramid.
However, the two courtiers tunneled 15 feet down
and 21 feet across the pyramidal boundaries in order to
build their actual burial chambers as part of Teti’s mortu-
ary site. This, they believed, would entitle them to share
in the pharaoh’s heavenly rewards. The tombs built at the
end of the tunnels were small but insured a prosperous
afterlife for both men.
Ikhernofret(fl. 19th century B.C.E.)Mining official and
treasurer of the Twelfth Dynasty
He served SENWOSRET III(r. 1878–1841 B.C.E.) and was
part of the campaigns to conquer NUBIA(modern Sudan).
Ikhernofret was sent to ABYDOSto adorn the temple of the
god OSIRISthere. An official named SISATETaccompanied
Ikhernofret to Abydos, where both men erected com-
memorative stelae. A supervisor of mining operations and
the chief royal artisan, Ikhernofret prepared a portable
shrine for Osiris and refurbished the Abydos temple com-
plexes. His stela at Abydos lists these royal assignments
as well as details of Senwosret III’s campaigns in his 19th
regnal year. Ikhernofret also performed treasury duties in
Nubia.
Ikudidy(fl. 20th century B.C.E.) Expeditionary official of
the Twelfth Dynasty
He served SENWOSRET I(r. 1971–1926 B.C.E.) as a leader
of expeditions in the western or LIBYAN DESERT. These
military probes were momentous because the western
desert regions had not been explored. Ikudidy mapped
the OASESand the natural resources of the territory. He
was buried in ABYDOSafter long and faithful service to the
throne. A STELAerected in Abydos provided biographical
data about his exploits.
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 PTAHin the reign of DJOSER
(2630–2611 B.C.E.). Imhotep designed and supervised the
building of the STEP PYRAMIDat SAQQARAas Djoser’s mor-
tuary 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 tem-
ple, 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 coun-
selor” 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 sin-
gle 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 architec-
ture, 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 AMEN-
HOTEP, SON OF HAPU, a rare occurrence in Egypt, as com-
moners were normally not eligible for such honors.
Shrines and clinics were erected throughout the Nile Val-
ley in his memory, and he was worshiped as far south as
KALABSHAin 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
HAMMAMATpraises her as a royal mother.Imsety He was one of the four “Sons of HORUS” associ-
ated 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 JARSused 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.Imu (Kom el-Hisn) This was a site in the western
Delta of Egypt, south of NAUKRATIS, modern Kom el-Hisn.178 Idut