Idy () was an important

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

ian high official in the Eighth Dynasty known from several sources and served the last kings of the

Old Kingdom In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning –2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth Dynast ...

Family

He was the son of

vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...

and overseer of Upper Egypt, Shemay. His mother was the ''king's daughter'' Nebet, the daughter of king Khuwihapi. Idy was apparently an adult at the time his maternal grandfather became king and his parents received titles. Their seat of power was the Coptite Nome (5th nome of Upper Egypt) centered on the Temple of Min.

Attestations

Koptos Qift ( ; ''Keft'' or ''Kebto''; Egyptian Gebtu; ''Coptos'' / ''Koptos''; Roman Justinianopolis) is a city in the Qena Governorate of Egypt about north of Luxor, situated a little south of latitude 26° north, on the east bank of the Nile. In a ...

, he is known from several monuments and the

Coptos Decrees The Coptos Decrees are 18 complete or fragmentary ancient Egyptian royal decrees ranging from the 6th Dynasty (2345–2180 BC) to the late 8th Dynasty (c. 2170 BC). The decrees are numbered with letters of the Latin alphabet, starting with "Cop ...

, which are a series of royal decrees granting titles to the family and set up at the Temple of Min. He was a

, overseer of Upper Egypt, ''overseer of priest'', and ''

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

''. The decrees are dated under king Neferkauhor and

Neferirkare Neferirkare Pepi III (sometimes referred to as Neferirkare II because of Neferirkare Kakai; died 2160 BC) was an ancient Egyptian king of the Eighth Dynasty during the early First Intermediate Period (2181–2055 BC). According to the egyptol ...

. One decree (called today Koptos M) is addressed to Shemay and dates under Neferkauhor. It reports the appointment of Idy to the ''

overseer of Upper Egypt The Overseer of Upper Egypt was an important Ancient Egyptian title during the Old and Middle Kingdom periods. The title appears first in the early Fifth Dynasty. The first title holder is the vizier Kay, who possibly lived during the reigns of ...

''. A second one (Koptos Q) mentions affairs in the temple of Min at Koptos. In a third decree (Koptos R), Idy bears the titles of a vizier. In the decree, the king protects the statues and the funerary cult of Idy. The decree is dated under king Neferirkare, who was the successor of Neferkauhor. It seems that Idy took over many positions that his father hold before. Idy is also known from inscriptions in the tomb of his father Shemay. One inscription reports that Idy found the chapel of his father in ruins and rebuilt it. A second inscription reports that king Pepi III (the latter name is partly destroyed), was sending someone to bring for him a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

and stones for the father's tomb. The name of Idy is not preserved, but can be reconstructed. The shipping of the sarcophagus is also depicted on one wall in Shemay's tomb. Here is also mentioned the local official and ''eldest king's son''

User Ancient Egyptian roles * User (ancient Egyptian official), an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eighth Dynasty * Useramen, an ancient Egyptian vizier also called "User" Other uses * User (computing), a person (or software) using an ...

. There is also a statue in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

(no. E.4355) that might belong to Idy. Here he bears the titles ''god's father, beloved of the god'' and ''hereditary prince'' (

iry-pat Iry-pat ( "member of the elite") was an ancient Egyptian ranking title, that is a title announcing a high position in the hierarchy of the country. Iry-pat was indeed the highest ranking title at the royal court, and only the most important offic ...

). There is also a rock inscription from the Wadi Hammamat that most likely belongs to this Idy. Here he bears the titles ''royal sealer'', ''sole friend'', ''controller of priests'', ''privy to the secret of the god's treasure''. The inscription also mentions the ''overseer of Upper Egypt'' Tjauti-iqer and reports the bringing of stones.

References

Bibliography

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External links

Koptos Decree Q at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
{{authority control Viziers of the Eighth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian priests Overseers of Upper Egypt 3rd-millennium BC births 22nd-century BC deaths