Ptahhotep Desher

Last updated May 03, 2019

Ptahhotep Desher^[1]
Ptḥ-ḥtp-dšr
in hieroglyphs

Ptahhotep Desher was an Ancient Egyptian official at the end of the Fifth Dynasty, most likely in office under kings Menkauhor Kaiu and Djedkare Isesi. His main function was that of a vizier. This was the most important office in Ancient Egypt, second only to the king. Ptahhotep also held other titles, such as overseer of the six great houses, overseer of the scribes of the royal documents and overseer of all royal works. These are all important functions, often held by a vizier.^[2]

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.

Menkauhor Kaiu was an Ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Old Kingdom period. He was the seventh ruler of the Fifth Dynasty at the end of the 25th century BC or early in the 24th century BC.

Djedkare Isesi was a pharaoh, the eighth and penultimate ruler of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt in the late 25th century to mid-24th century BC, during the Old Kingdom. Djedkare succeeded Menkauhor Kaiu and was in turn succeeded by Unas. His relations to both of these pharaohs remain uncertain, although it is often conjectured that Unas was Djedkare's son, owing to the smooth transition between the two.

Ptahhotep Desher is mainly known from is mastaba (C6) at Saqqara.^[3] The mastaba was built in one unit with the mastaba of another vizier, who was also called Ptahhotep. They were perhaps brothers. In both mastabas were not found any inscriptions providing a clue for a dating. On observations on the style of the architecture it had been argued that they date to the reign of Menkauhor and Djedkare Isesi.^[4]

Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English, is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world-famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of mastabas. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km.

Ptahhotep was an ancient Egyptian official of the Fifth Dynasty, most likely under king Djedkare Isesi. His most important office was that of a vizier, making him to the most important official at the royal court, only second to the king. Next to this important office he hold further important titles, such as Overseer of the treasuries, overseer of the scribes of the king's document, overseer of the six big houses and overseer of all royal works of the king.

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Ptahhotep Tjefi, also called Ptahhotep II was an Ancient Egyptian official who lived at the end of the Fifth Dynasty, most likely under king Djedkare Isesi and under king Unas. His main function at the royal court was that of the vizier, making him to the most important man at the court, only second to the king. Ptahhotep, whose second name was Tjefi came from an influential family. His father was the vizier Akhethetep. His grandfather was the vizier Ptahhotep (I). Ptahhotep is mainly known from his mastaba at Saqqara. The burial complex was built for him and his father Akhethetep.

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Ihy was an Ancient Egyptian official of the Fifth Dynasty, in office most likely under king Unas. Ihy was vizier and was therefore the most important official at the royal court only second to the king. Next to the titles of a vizier, he was also overseer of the treasuries, overseer of the scribes of the king's document, overseer of all royal works and overseer of the double granary. These are also important titles, demonstrating his important position at the royal court.

References

Bibliography

Mariette, Auguste; Maspero, Gaston (1889). Les mastabas de l'Ancien Empire: Fragment du dernier ouvrage de A. Mariette, publié d'après le manuscrit de l'auteur. Paris. OCLC 46226552.
Strudwick, Nigel (1985). The administration of Egypt in the Old Kingdom: the highest titles and their holders (PDF). Studies in Egyptology. London, Boston: KPI. ISBN 978-0-71-030107-9.

François Auguste Ferdinand Mariette was a French scholar, archaeologist and Egyptologist, and founder of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities.

Sir Gaston Camille Charles Maspero was a French Egyptologist known for popularizing the term "Sea Peoples" in an 1881 paper.

OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Incorporated d/b/a OCLC is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs". It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center. OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog (OPAC) in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services. OCLC also maintains the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

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[FOOTNOTEMarietteMaspero1889123-1] Mariette & Maspero 1889, p. 123.

[FOOTNOTEStrudwick198585&ndash;86-2] Strudwick 1985, pp. 85–86.

[FOOTNOTEMarietteMaspero1889124&ndash;125-3] Mariette & Maspero 1889, pp. 124–125.

[FOOTNOTEStrudwick198586-4] Strudwick 1985, p. 86.