Ipi (vizier)

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Ipi was an Ancient Egyptian vizier of the early Middle Kingdom. His only secure attestation known today is his Theban Tomb (TT315) (MMA 516).The tomb was found in the rocks of Deir el-Bahari overlooking the funerary complex of Mentuhotep II. It consisted of a great courtyard, a corridor, a chapel and a burial chamber. The corridor and chapel were found undecorated and only the burial chamber had painted decorations, religious texts and the titles and name of Ipi on its walls. The burial chamber housed a sarcophagus, sunk into the floor. [1]

Ancient Egypt ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in the place that is now the country Egypt. Ancient Egyptian civilization followed prehistoric Egypt and coalesced around 3100 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under Menes. The history of ancient Egypt occurred as a series of stable kingdoms, separated by periods of relative instability known as Intermediate Periods: the Old Kingdom of the Early Bronze Age, the Middle Kingdom of the Middle Bronze Age and the New Kingdom of the Late Bronze Age.

Vizier (Ancient Egypt) highest rank of official in Ancient Egypt

The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the pharaoh (king) during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc., among Egyptologists. The Instruction of Rekhmire, a New Kingdom text, defines many of the duties of the tjaty, and lays down codes of behavior. The viziers were often appointed by the pharaoh. During the 4th Dynasty and early 5th Dynasty, viziers were exclusively drawn from the royal family; from the period around the reign of Neferirkare Kakai onwards, they were chosen according to loyalty and talent or inherited the position from their fathers.

Deir el-Bahari archaeological site

Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt. This is a part of the Theban Necropolis.

The courtyard in front of Ipi's tomb comprised the burial of the servant Meseh, where the Heqanakht papyri were discovered. In another chamber were found about sixty vessels and an embalming table, presumably for the mummy of Ipi. [2]

Heqanakht papyri

The Heqanakht papyri or Heqanakht letters are a group of papyri dating to the early Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt that were found in the tomb complex of Vizier Ipi. Their find was located in the burial chamber of a servant named Meseh, which was to the right side of the courtyard of Ipi's burial complex. It is believed that the papyri were accidentally mixed into debris used to form a ramp to push the coffin of Meseh into the chamber. The papyri contain letters and accounts written by Heqanakht, a ka-priest of Ipi. Heqankht himself was obliged to stay in the Theban area, and thus wrote letters to his family, probably located somewhere near the capital of Egypt at that time, near the Faiyum. These letters and accounts were somehow lost and thus preserved. The significance of the papers is that they give rare and valuable information about lives of ordinary members of the lower upper class of Egypt during this period.

The datation of Ipi's lifetime is disputed, but he most likely lived during the early Twelfth Dynasty. [3]

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References

  1. Rasha Soliman: Old and Middle Kingdom Theban Tombs, London 2009 ISBN   978190613709-0, pp. 115-118
  2. Rasha Soliman: Old and Middle Kingdom Theban Tombs, London 2009 ISBN   9781906137090, pp. 118-119
  3. James P. Allen: The high officials of the early Middle Kingdom, in: Nigel Strudwick, John H Taylor (editors): The Theban Necropolis, Past, Present and Future, London ISBN   0714122475, p. 23