Few monuments occupy a place in human history as significant as the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. It can be said without exaggeration that its pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and the world at large.
His name means "He who comes in peace" and he is the only Egyptian, besides Amenhotep, to be completely deified, becoming the God of wisdom and medicine (or, according to some sources, god of science, medicine and architecture).
Imhotep was a priest, vizier to King Djoser (and possibly to the next three kings of the Third Dynasty), poet, physician, mathematician, astronomer, and architect.
Although his Step Pyramid is considered his greatest achievement, he was also remembered for his medical treatises, which held that illnesses and injuries occurred naturally rather than as punishments sent by gods or inflicted by spirits or curses. He was deified by the Egyptians around 525 BC, and the Greeks equated him with the healing demigod Asclepius. His works remained extremely popular and influential during the Roman Empire, and the emperors Tiberius and Claudius had their temples inscribed with praises of the benevolent god Imhotep.
Under the reign of King Djoser (c. 2670 BC), Imhotep was vizier and chief architect. Throughout his life, he held many titles, including First After the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Chancellor to the King of Lower Egypt, Hereditary Noble, High Priest of Heliopolis, and Chief Sculptor and Vase Maker. Imhotep was a commoner by birth who rose to become one of the most important and influential men in Egypt through his natural talents.
He may have started as a temple priest and was a very religious man. He became high priest of Ptah (and was reverently known as "Son of Ptah") under Djoser and, with his understanding of the will of the gods, was in the best position to oversee the construction of the king's eternal home.
The earliest tombs of Egypt's kings were mastabas, rectangular structures made of mud bricks built over underground chambers where the dead were placed. When Imhotep began constructing the Step Pyramid, he changed the traditional shape of the king's mastaba from a rectangular base to a square one. It is unknown why Imhotep decided to change the traditional shape, but it is likely that he had a square-based pyramid in mind from the beginning.
The early mastaba was built in two stages, and according to Egyptologist Miroslav Verner, “a simple but effective construction method was used. The masonry was laid not vertically, but in inclined courses towards the center of the pyramid, which significantly increased its structural stability.”.
The basic material used was limestone blocks, whose shape resembled that of large clay bricks. The first mastabas had been decorated with inscriptions and reed carvings, and Imhotep wanted to continue that tradition.
Its grand and imposing mastaba pyramid would have the same delicate touches and resonant symbolism as the more modest tombs that had preceded it, and, even better, all would be worked in stone instead of dried mud.
Imhotep reproduced in stone what had previously been built with other materials. The facade of the enclosure wall had the same niches as the mud-brick tombs, the columns resembled bundles of reeds and papyrus, and the stone cylinders on the door lintels represented rolled-up reed screens.
There was a great deal of experimentation, which is especially evident in the construction of the pyramid at the center of the complex. It had several plans with mastaba-like forms before becoming the first step pyramid in history, accumulating six mastaba-like levels one on top of the other… The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders, who placed the stones at an inward tilt to prevent the monument from collapsing.
When completed, the Step Pyramid rose 204 feet (62 meters) high and was the tallest structure of its time. The surrounding complex included a temple, courtyards, shrines, and living quarters for the priests, covering an area of 40 acres (16 hectares) and enclosed by a 30-foot (10.5-meter) high wall.
The wall had 13 false gates cut into it, with only one true entrance cut in the southeast corner; the entire wall was surrounded by a ditch 2,460 feet (750 meters) long and 131 feet (40 meters) wide. Historian Margaret Bunson writes:
Imhotep built the complex as a mortuary shrine for Djoser, but it became a stage and architectural model for the spiritual ideals of the Egyptian people.
The Step Pyramid was not merely a pyramid tomb but a complex of temples, chapels, pavilions, halls, storerooms, and corridors. Fluted columns rose from the stone according to his plan. However, he ensured the walls of the complex matched those of the king's palace, in accordance with ancient architectural styles, thus preserving a link to the past.
Djoser was so impressed by Imhotep's creation that he ignored the old precedent that only the king's name appeared on his monuments and also had Imhotep's name inscribed on it.
When Djoser died, he was placed in the burial chamber beneath the Step Pyramid, and it is believed that Imhotep went on to serve his successors, Sekhemkhet (c. 2650 BCE), Khaba (c. 2640 BCE), and Huni (c. 2630–2613 BCE). Scholars disagree on whether Imhotep served all four kings of the Third Dynasty, but the evidence suggests that he lived a long life and was highly sought after for his talent.
Legacy
A number of didactic writings on morality and religion, as well as poetry, scientific observations, and architectural treatises, are also attributed to Imhotep but have not survived; they are mentioned in the works of later writers. Regarding his masterpiece, the Step Pyramid, Miroslav Verner writes:
Few monuments occupy a place in human history as significant as that of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara… It can be said without exaggeration that its pyramid complex constitutes a milestone in the evolution of monumental stone architecture in Egypt and in the world in general.
Here, limestone was used on a large scale for the first time as a building material, and the idea of a monumental royal tomb in the form of a pyramid was realized for the first time. In a 19th Dynasty inscription found in southern Saqqara, the ancient Egyptians already described Djoser as "the opener of the stone," which we can interpret as the inventor of stone architecture.
Source: Sia Tours
