A courtier is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official residence of the monarch, and the social and political life were often completely mixed together.
A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word court may also be applied to the coterie of a senior member of the nobility. Royal courts may have their seat in a designated place, several specific places, or be a mobile, itinerant court.
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt is the period in the history of ancient Egypt following a period of political division known as the First Intermediate Period. The Middle Kingdom lasted from approximately 2040 to 1782 BC, stretching from the reunification of Egypt under the reign of Mentuhotep II in the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Twelfth Dynasty. The kings of the Eleventh Dynasty ruled from Thebes and the kings of the Twelfth Dynasty ruled from el-Lisht.
Sobekneferu or Neferusobek was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the last ruler of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. She ascended to the throne following the death of Amenemhat IV, possibly her brother or husband, though their relationship is unproven. Instead, she asserted legitimacy through her father Amenemhat III. Her reign lasted 3 years, 10 months, and 24 days, according to the Turin King List.
Userkare Khendjer was a minor king of the early Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom. Khendjer possibly reigned for four to five years, archaeological attestations show that he was on the throne for at least three or four years three months and five days. Khendjer had a small pyramid built for himself in Saqqara and it is therefore likely that his capital was in Memphis.
Ptahhotep, sometimes known as Ptahhotep I or Ptahhotpe, was an ancient Egyptian vizier during the late 25th century BC and early 24th century BC Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. He is credited with authoring The Maxims of Ptahhotep, an early piece of Egyptian "wisdom literature" meant to instruct young men in appropriate behavior.
Smenkhkare Imyremeshaw was a minor king of the early 13th Dynasty during the late Middle Kingdom. He apparently had a short reign and is mainly attested in the Memphis-Faiyum region in Egypt.
Ankhu was an Egyptian vizier during the early 13th Dynasty in the late Middle Kingdom. He is believed to have resided in Thebes in Upper Egypt.
Ḥaty-a was an ancient Egyptian rank and title given to local princes, mayors, or governors.
Ancient Egyptian literature was written with the Egyptian language from ancient Egypt's pharaonic period until the end of Roman domination. It represents the oldest corpus of Egyptian literature. Along with Sumerian literature, it is considered the world's earliest literature.
The Treasurer in Ancient Egypt is the modern translation of the title imi-r ḫtmt. The office is known since the end of the Old Kingdom, where people with this title appear sporadically in the organization of private estates.
Iymeru Neferkare was the ancient Egyptian vizier under king Sobekhotep IV in the 13th Dynasty, in the Second Intermediate Period.
Senebi was an ancient Egyptian treasurer under the 13th Dynasty kings Neferhotep I and Sobekhotep IV. Senebi belongs to the best attested officials of the 13th Dynasty.
Sekhemre Sementawy Djehuty was a minor king reigning over parts of Upper Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period.
The high steward was an important official at the royal court in Ancient Egypt in the Middle Kingdom and in the New Kingdom. He was the main person in charge of the estates supplying the palace and the royal residence with food. The office appears in the 11th Dynasty. To the earliest title holders belong Henenu and Meketre. After the vizier and the treasurer this was the most important office at the royal court; important title holders of the 12th Dynasty were Siese and Khnumhotep III, both were later in their career appointed vizier.
Logariastes was a type of financial official in the Byzantine Empire from the early 11th century onwards, with the task of controlling expenses.
The overseer of the treasuries was a title and important role in the ancient Egyptian court of the Old and New Kingdom. The title is also attested in the Late Period.
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 Neferirkare Kakai and Nyuserre Ini. The office is well attested in the following years. Most titles holders had other high titles, many of them were viziers. In the Fifth Dynasty, the Egyptian provinces became more important. The central government installed an office in charge of the provinces. The first title holders were all officials at the royal residence. In later times also local officials were bearing the title.
Resseneb was a short-lived vizier in Upper Egypt during the 13th Dynasty, preceded by his father, the famous Ankhu, and succeeded by his brother Iymeru.
The royal sealer, also called royal seal-bearer, was an Ancient Egyptian official position and title. The name literally means "sealer of the king of Lower Egypt," but it seems unlikely that the position was ever geographically limited. In the Early Dynastic period and Old Kingdom, it was one of the most important positions in Egypt. The bearer seems to have headed the treasury and had significant symbolic power as an official representative of the Pharaoh. As a "ranking title," it indicated the bearer's pre-eminence in court. In the late Middle Kingdom, it was revived as a ranking title borne by many of the highest officials in the court. This apparently coincided with an increased prominence of seals in the Egyptian administration, as part of a centralisation of the bureaucracy. The title spread more widely in the Second Intermediate period, diluting its power.
