What Role Did Imhotep Play In Ancient Egypt

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In the movie Imhotep is a High Priest that lived during the reign of Seti I. He fell in love with the Pharaoh’s mistress Anck-Su-Namun. When they were discovered by Seti I they killed him together, but she took the blame and killed herself counting on Imhotep to resurrect her. But in his attempt to bring her back from the dead he was caught and was punished with the Hom-Dai, a curse used to punish those who commit the worst offenses. Outside of Hollywood Imhotep is a historical figure from the third dynasty of Egypt, around 2,600 BC. He was a greatly important figure at the time and was for years after his death as well. Imhotep was a skilled person with a number of responsibilities. During his life he was a priest, an architect, an advisor to…show more content…
The Step Pyramid is the first Pyramid to be built in Egypt. It isn’t known if the original design of the Step Pyramid came from Imhotep or the King for which it was built, but it is known that Imhotep oversaw it’s planning and construction. (Josephson, 2001) Imhotep was an advisor to King Djoser who was the second king in the third dynasty and reigned from 2,630 to 2611 BC. (Abdullah) He was greatly honored by having his name carved at the base of a statue of Djoser, which goes to show how high his standing was (Josephson, 2001). To have ones name eternally associated would be a great honor. Many years later, sometime in the New Kingdom (1,500 - 1,070 BC), Imhotep was venerated and was considered the patron of scribes in some literature. Eventually the veneration turned into deification, there were temples and priests dedicated to him. It was during this time that his skills as a physician were emphasized. When the Greeks conquered Egypt Imhotep was absorbed into the Greek pantheon and merged with their God of medicine, from then he was then referred to as Asclepius, and the Greek-Egyptians continued to worship him in this form

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