Imhotep (; also spelled
Immutef,
Im-hotep, or
Ii-em-Hotep; called
Imuthes (Ἰμούθης) by the Greeks; fl. 27th century BC (c. 2650–2600 BC);
Egyptian: meaning "the one who comes in peace, is with peace") was an
Egyptian polymath who served under the
Third Dynasty king
Djoser as
chancellor to the
pharaoh and high priest of the sun god
Ra at
Heliopolis. He is considered by some to be the earliest known
architect and
engineer and
physician in history, though two other physicians,
Hesy-Ra and
Merit-Ptah, lived around the same time. The full list of his titles is:
- Chancellor of the King of Egypt, Doctor, First in line after the King of Upper Egypt, Administrator of the Great Palace, Hereditary nobleman, High Priest of Heliopolis, Builder, Chief Carpenter, Chief Sculptor, and Maker of Vases in Chief.
He was one of only a few commoners ever to be accorded divine status after death. The center of his cult was
Memphis. From the
First Intermediate Period onward Imhotep was also revered as a poet and philosopher. His sayings were famously referenced in poems: "I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef with whose discourses men speak so much."
