The Treasurer (or often also translated as Chancellor) in

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 ...

is the modern translation of the title ''imi-r ḫtmt'' (word by word: ''Overseer of the Seal'' or ''Overseer of sealed things''). The office is known since the end 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 ...

, where people with this title appear sporadically in the organization of private estates. In the Middle Kingdom, the office became one of the most important ones at the royal court. At the end of the

18th Dynasty The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XVIII, alternatively 18th Dynasty or Dynasty 18) is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty ...

, the title lost its importance, although the famous

Bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

had this office. In the later

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

the function of a treasurer was overtaken by the ''

overseer of the treasury Overseer may refer to: Professions *Supervisor or superintendent; one who keeps watch over and directs the work of others *Plantation overseer, often in the context of forced labor or slavery *Overseer of the poor, an official who administered rel ...

''. The treasurer was responsible for products coming to the royal palace. They were the main economic administrator of the royal belongings.

Middle Kingdom title holders

Tjetjy Tjetjy was an Ancient Egyptian treasurer in the Eleventh Dynasty under the kings Intef II and Intef III. He is known from two stelae now in the British Museum, that most likely originally come from his tomb at Thebes. The texts one of these stela ...

in office under

Intef II Wahankh Intef II (also Inyotef II and Antef II) (died 2063 BC) was the third ruler of the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. He reigned for almost fifty years from 2112 BC to 2063 BC. His capital was located at Thebes ...

and

Intef III Intef III was the third pharaoh of the Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt during the late First Intermediate Period in the 21st century BC, at a time when Egypt was divided in two kingdoms. The son of his predecessor Intef II and father of his success ...

* Bebi, was later appointed

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 Mentuhotep II * Kheti, under Mentuhotep II *

Meketre The ancient Egyptian official Meketre was chancellor and high steward during the reign of Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III and perhaps Amenemhat I, during the Middle Kingdom.Meketre is first attested in a rock inscription in the Wadi Shatt el-Riga ...

, under Mentuhotep II and after *Ipi, under Amenemhet I *

Rehuerdjersen Rehuerdjersen was an ancient Egyptian treasurer (Ancient Egypt), treasurer who held this office under the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt, 12th Dynasty pharaoh Amenemhat I. Rehuerdjersen is mainly known from his tomb at el-Lisht (tomb no. 384), close ...

, under Amenemhet I or later * Sobekhotep, under Senusret I, year 22 *

Mentuhotep Mentuhotep (also Montuhotep) is an ancient Egyptian name meaning "''Montu is satisfied''" and may refer to: Kings * Mentuhotep I, nomarch at Thebes during the First Intermediate Period and first king of the 11th Dynasty * Mentuhotep II, reunifie ...

, under Senusret I *Merykau, under Amenemhat II *

Siese Siese ( "son of Isis", Egyptological pronunciation: Zaaset) was a vizier and treasurer of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He was most likely in office under Senusret III (about 1878 to 1839 BCE). Career From objects it is possible to reconstruct el ...

, was later appointed vizier, under Amenemhat II *

Senankh Senankh was an ancient Egyptian treasurer during the Twelfth Dynasty, under king Senusret III. Senankh is so far only known from a rock inscription carved on the Sehel Island, south of Aswan Aswan (, also ; ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and ...

, under Senusret III *

Sobekemhat Sobekemhat was an ancient Egyptian treasurer under the king Senusret III in the Twelfth Dynasty. Sobekemhat is only known from his mastaba excavated in 1894 next to the pyramid of Senusret III at Dahshur DahshurAlso transliterated ''Dahshour'' (i ...

under Senusret III * Iykhernofret, under Senusret III * Senusretankh, under Amenemhat IIIKei Yamamotoː ''Treasurer Senwosretankh, favored of Amenemhat III.'' In Christina Geisen, Jean Li, Steven Shubert, and Kei Yamamoto (eds)ː ''His good name: essays on identity and self-presentation in ancient Egypt in honor of Ronald J. Leprohon'', Atlanta, GA: Lockwood Press 2021, 249-255. * Senebsumai, Thirteenth Dynasty * Herfu, Thirteenth Dynasty * Senebi, Thirteenth Dynasty *

Amenhotep Amenhotep (''Ỉmn-ḥtp''; "Amun is pleased" or "Amun is satisfied") is an ancient Egyptian name. Its Greek version is Amenophis (). Its notable bearers were: __NOTOC__ Pharaohs of the 18th dynasty * Amenhotep I * Amenhotep II *Amenhotep III * ...

, Thirteenth Dynasty

New Kingdom title holders

*Neferperet, under Ahmose I *

Ahmose Pen-Nekhebet The Autobiography of Ahmose Pen Nekhbet is a tomb inscription from ancient Egypt, which is significant to Egyptology studies. Ahmose Pen Nekhbet was an ancient Egyptian official who started his career under Ahmose I and served all the pharaohs until ...

, under Ahmose I to

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut ( ; BC) was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, Egypt, ruling first as regent, then as queen regnant from until (Low Chronology) and the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II. She was Egypt's second c ...

Nehsi Nehsi was an official at the court of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Hatshepsut. He appears to have been of Nubian descent–nehsi (nHs.j) meaning He of Nubia–and held a number of important official positions, such as Wearer of the Royal Se ...

, under

* Tay, under Hatshepsut *

Sennefer The ancient Egyptian noble Sennefer was "Mayor of the City" (i.e. Thebes) and "Overseer of the Granaries and Fields, Gardens and Cattle of Amun" during the reign of Amenhotep II of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Being a favourite of the king ...

, under Thutmose III * Min, under Thutmose III * Sobekhotep, under Thutmose IV *

Meryre Meryre (also Meryra or Merire) ( "the one loved by Re") was an Egyptian noble and the only certain High Priest of the Aten. Amongst his other titles were Hereditary Noble and High Official and Fan-bearer on the Right Side of the King which em ...

, under

Amenhotep III Amenhotep III ( , ; "Amun is satisfied"), also known as Amenhotep the Magnificent or Amenhotep the Great and Hellenization, Hellenized as Amenophis III, was the ninth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty. According to d ...

* Ptahmose, under Amenhotep III, after year 30 *

, under

Seti II Seti II (or Sethos II) was the fifth pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt and reigned from 1203 BC to 1197 BC. His throne name, Userkheperure Setepenre, means "Powerful are the manifestations of Ra, Re, the chosen one of Re. ...

References

Literature

*Stephen Quirke: ''Titles and bureaux of Egypt 1850-1700 BC'', London 2004 p. 48-49 {{Ancient Egyptian royal titulary Ancient Egyptian titles Historical management occupations