Imhotep (27th Century B.C.: Egypt/Greece)
It wasn’t until the 19th century A.D. that scholars were convinced Imhotep existed as a real person; up until then, he was considered a mythological figure, venerated as a god of medicine by Egyptians and Greeks. He is now considered to have been the chief minister or vizier to Djoser, the second king of Egypt’s Third Dynasty, who reigned from 2630-2611 BC. Imhotep, however, seems more than just a high executive, but was also someone clearly renown in his own times for his genius in a variety of fields.
Revered as a god, a patron of scribes, and a sage, Imhotep is sometimes identified as the world’s first physician, as well as a priest, scribe, poet, and astrologer. That he became a demi-god of medicine only 100 years after his death seems to be a testament to his healing skill and reputation. His cult as a physician god reached its height in Greco-Roman times, with temples in Memphis and on the island of Pilae on the Nile.
Most significantly, Imhotep is also identified as the world’s first architect, credited with many brilliant achievements. According to scholars, however, the only certain creation of Imhotep is the step pyramid at the necropolis of Saqqarah in the city of Memphis. The oldest extant monument of hewn stone in the world, this pyramid is often described as one of the architectural wonders of the ancient world.
The Civilization of Ancient Egypt, pp. 35-37, Paul Johnson.
Copyright © 1978 and 1998 by Paul Johnson. Design and layout copyright © by Weidenfeld and Nicolson 1999. Used by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.
“The Masterpiece of a Demigod: The story of the recent amazing discovery of the first stone building in the world,”
Dr. George A. Reisner
The Independent, April 11, 1925
© Giza Archives Project
Bronze Statuette of Imhotep
Photo: The California Institute of World Archaeology
©2004 CIWA
Imhotep is depicted as a scribe, with an opulent usekh collar with delicate, intertwining rows of beads. The style is suggestive of the work of craftsmen of Dynasty 23 (773-767 BC).
The Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Egypt
Photo: IRC. (2005)
Retrieved May 18, 2006, from unitedstreaming.
King Djoser (Third Dynasty) established Memphis as the permanent capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom. This pyramid was the first funerary monument to be built of quarried stone.
