Isesi-ankh
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Isesi-ankh (transliteration ''Izzi-ˁnḫ''; ) was an
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 during the second half of the Fifth Dynasty, in the late 25th to mid 24th century BC. His name means "Isesi lives". He may have been a son of king Isesi and queen Meresankh IV, although this is debated. Isesi-ankh probably lived during the reign of Djedkare Isesi and that of his successor
Unas Unas or Wenis, also spelled Unis (, Hellenization, hellenized form Oenas or Onnos; died 2345), was a pharaoh, king, the ninth and last ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old Kingdom. Unas reigned for 15 to 3 ...
. He was buried in a mastaba tomb in north
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
, now ruined.


Filiation

Isesi-ankh may have been a son of Djedkare Isesi, as suggested by his name and his title of ''King's son''. In addition, similarities in the titles and locations of the tombs of Isesi-ankh and
Kaemtjenent Kaemtjenent (Egyptian ''K3(j)-m-ṯnnt''; ) was an ancient Egyptian official under king Djedkare Isesi in the late Fifth Dynasty, during the Old Kingdom period. Career He is mainly known from his mastaba (G 7411), that is located north of the ...
have led Egyptologists such as William Stevenson Smith to propose that the two were brothers and sons of Meresankh IV. Alternatively, Isesi-ankh may have been a son of Kaemtjenent. Even though Isesi-ankh bore the title of ''King's son'', the Egyptologists Michel Baud and Bettina Schmitz have shown that this filiation was probably fictitious, being used only as an honorary title. In particular, inscriptions found on the construction blocks of his mastaba give one of his titles as ''Seal bearer of the king Isesi ankh'', while Baud argues that had he really been the son of a king, this title would have been ''Seal bearer of the king, king's son, Isesi ankh''. Consequently, Isesi-ankh's father was likely not Djedkare Isesi.


Titles

Isesi-ankh bore many titles showing that he made a successful career as a high official: *''Overseer of all the works of the King'', *''Overseer of the expedition/troops'', *''Overseer of all judgements of the King'', *''Shepherd of the livestock'', *''Staff of the recruits'', *''Chief of the royal secrets'', *''Seal bearer of the God in the Two Great Barks'', *''Seal bearer of the God'', *''Director of the bark of Horus'', *''King's son'', *''Sole companion''.


Tomb

Isesi-ankh was buried in
mastaba A mastaba ( , or ), also mastabah or mastabat) is a type of ancient Egyptian tomb in the form of a flat-roofed, rectangular structure with inward sloping sides, constructed out of mudbricks or limestone. These edifices marked the burial sites ...
D8, north of the
Pyramid of Djoser The pyramid of Djoser, sometimes called the Step Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid of Horus Netjerikhet, is an archaeological site in the Saqqara necropolis, Egypt, northwest of the ruins of Memphis.Bard, Kathryn A., and Jean-Philipee Lauer, ed ...
in
Saqqara Saqqara ( : saqqāra ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for ...
. The mastaba was first investigated in the 19th century by
Auguste Mariette François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (11 February 182118 January 1881) was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, and the founder of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities, the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Earl ...
, and again briefly during the excavation season 1907–1908 of
James Quibell James Edward Quibell (11 November 1867 – 5 June 1935) was a British Egyptologist. Life Quibell was born in Newport, Shropshire. He married the Scottish artist and archaeologist Annie Abernethie Pirie in 1900.Bierbrier, M. L. 2012. ''Who Was W ...
. More extensive work took place under the direction of Said Amer El-Fikey in 1983, then director of the archaeological zone of Saqqarah. The excavations yielded two
demotic Demotic may refer to: * Demotic Greek, the modern vernacular form of the Greek language * Demotic (Egyptian), an ancient Egyptian script and version of the language * Chữ Nôm Chữ Nôm (, ) is a logographic writing system formerly used t ...
papyri. A decade later, in 1994, the remaining decorations of the mastaba were studied under the direction of Yvonne Harpur, Field Director of the Oxford Expedition to Egypt. The structure is now in a ruined state and many of its reliefs and decorations are lost. The mastaba comprised a recessed facade with two columns. The architrave above the entrance and the two columns were inscribed with Isesi-ankh's titles, which are now damaged. At the back of the facade, a corridor leads to two rooms, one of which further leads to a cult chapel in the back, where the
false door A false door, or recessed niche, is an artistic representation of a door which does not function like a real door. They can be carved in a wall or painted on it. They are a common architectural element in the tombs of ancient Egypt, but appeared p ...
stela of Isesi-ankh was located. This false door, made of poor-quality
marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...
, bears inscriptions that are better preserved than on the facade. These as well as the other reliefs on the false door were originally painted with a green enamel and the walls of the tomb were adorned with paintings on plaster, much of which have now disappeared although the green coloring has persisted. File:Isesi ankh painting.jpg, Painting on plaster on the wall of the mastaba of Isesi-ankh File:Mastaba_Isesi-ankh_painting.jpg, Painting on the wall of the mastaba File:Isesi-ankh_architrave.jpg, Architrave of the mastaba of Isesi-ankh inscribed with his titles File:Entrance_Mastaba_Isesi_ankh.jpg, Entrance of the mastaba File:Mastaba Isesi-Ankh.png, Layout of the mastaba of Isesi-Ankh File:False door Isesi Ankh.jpg, Isesi-ankh's false door File:Isesi-ankh false door.png, Transcription of the inscriptions on the false-door


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* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isesi-Ankh Princes of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt 3rd-millennium BC births 24th-century BC deaths