Imhotep was the governor of the city (in
Thebes), a judge and a
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 ...
under
Thutmose I
Thutmose I (sometimes read as Thutmosis or Tuthmosis I, Thothmes in older history works in Latinized Greek; meaning "Thoth is born") was the third pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, 18th Dynasty of History of Ancient Egypt, Egypt. He re ...
. He was also said to be a tutor to the sons of the king.
[Demas, Martha, and Neville Agnew, eds. 2012. Valley of the Queens Assessment Report: Volume 1. Los Angeles, CA: Getty Conservation Institute]
Getty Conservation Institute, link to article
/ref>
QV46
Imhotep was buried in tomb QV 46 in the Valley of the Queens
The Valley of the Queens is a site in Egypt, in which queens, princes, princesses, and other high-ranking officials were buried from roughly 1560 BC to 1130 BC. Pharaohs were buried in the Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Queens was known an ...
. The tomb was discovered by Ernesto Schiaparelli
Ernesto Schiaparelli (; 12 July 1856 – 14 February 1928) was an Italian Egyptologist.
Biography
Schiaparelli was born on 12 July 1856, in Biella. He found Queen Nefertari's tomb in Deir el-Medina in the Valley of the Queens (1904) and exc ...
during an expedition which took place between 1903 and 1905. The tomb is a simple shaft with a single chamber that contained the burial. During the excavations his mummy was recovered along with funerary goods.canopic jar
Canopic jars are funerary vessels that were used by the Ancient Egypt, ancient Egyptians to house embalmed organs that were removed during the mummification process. They also served to store and preserve the viscera of their soul for the afterl ...
inscribed with his name, and an alabaster oval plaque.[Porter, Bertha and Moss, Rosalind, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings Volume I: The Theban Necropolis, Part 2. Royal Tombs and Smaller Cemeteries, Griffith Institute. 1964, pg 766-7] These objects are now in the Museo Egizio
The Museo Egizio () or Egyptian Museum is an archaeological museum in Turin, Italy, specializing in Art of Ancient Egypt, Egyptian archaeology and anthropology. It houses List of museums of Egyptian antiquities, one of the largest collections of ...
in Turin, as well as mummified ducks in boxes, wooden boxes, and baskets found in the tomb.Ostraca
An ostracon (Greek language, Greek: ''ostrakon'', plural ''ostraka'') is a piece of pottery, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel. In an archaeology, archaeological or epigraphy, epigraphical context, ''ostraca'' refer ...
from the later Ramesside Period
The New Kingdom, also called the Egyptian Empire, refers to ancient Egypt between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasties. Through radioc ...
were recovered from near the tomb's entrance.
References
Ancient Egyptian mummies
Viziers of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt
Year of birth unknown
Year of death unknown
External links
Theban Mapping Project
– Plan of the tomb and other details.
{{AncientEgypt-bio-stub