Iiemhotep

Iiemhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪
Born	27th century BCE Egypt
Died	27th century BCE Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian
Known for	Designing the Pyramid of Djeser

Imhotep lived in the 27th century BCE and was a polymath who served as the vizier to Pharaoh Djoser. He designed the 60-meter Pyramid of Djoser, which is located at Saqqara. Before Imhotep, the pharaohs were buried in mounds called mastabas; he designed the first pyramid in the world that we know of. He is also considered the true Father of Medicine, a title which is typically credited to Hippocrates, despite Imhotep predating Hippocrates by 2,000 years.

It is assumed that the Edwin Smith Papyrus, a medical text detailing rational, scientific observation and diagnosis and anatomical treatments, was authored by him. He is considered one of the first recorded philosophers, though none of his original writings have survived the 4,700 years since his death.

As a vizier, he ran the country's judiciary, treasury, and agriculture. He was also the High Priest of the sun god Ra at Heliopolis.

Philosophy

Imhotep was a prolific philosopher, with later generations of Egyptians constantly writing about his missing works, such as in the famous New Kingdom poem "Eulogy of the Dead Writers." This was written in 1200 BCE, roughly 1,400 to 1,600 years after Imhotep's death, and is translated as follows:

"Is there anyone here like Hordedef? Is there another like Imhotep? ... Death made their names forgotten, but books made them remembered!"

We know somewhat of his philosophy, as he established the genre of sebayt. From the little we know, his philosophy was based on the concept of Ma'at, which is the concept of balance, cosmic order, truth, and justice. This counters Isfet, viewed as the thing that corrupts our personal freedom and free will, leading us to take actions of a chaotic nature, e.g., violence or immoral actions.

All of these are interpretations based on more recent proxies like The Maxims of Ptahhotep and the Instructions of Kagemni.

The Song of the Harper is an ancient poem which was inscribed in the tomb of Pharaoh Intef around 2000 BCE, roughly 600 years after Imhotep's death, with the text reading:

"I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef, with whose discourses men speak so much. What are their places now? Their walls are broken apart, and their places are no more as though they had never been!"

Another instance of reverence for Imhotep's status as the grandfather of ancient Egyptian literature and philosophy: the ancient scribes would perform a ritual of pouring out a few drops of water before they began writing or copying a text as an offering of tribute to Imhotep.