Online Activities: Ancient Egypt
Who is Who?
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Demedji and Henutsen: Fifth Dynasty. Demedji, who appears in his statue to be a vigorous, powerful man, was Overseer of the Desert, Overseer of the King's Hunters, and Herdsman of the King's Flocks. Henutsen, his wife, was a priestess of the goddesses Hathor and Neith. Though the pair are husband and wife, they do not touch in their statue, and Henutsen is shown on a much smaller scale than her husband. (item 125 in the Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids)
Djadjaemankh: Fourth Dynasty. Priest and Magician. Djadjaemankh is the lead character in a story from the Westcar Papyrus about King Sneferu. When the king is bored, Djadjaemankh advises him to take the royal boat out upon a lake, with young wives as the rowers. When one girl loses a hair ornament into the waters, Djadjaemankh is able to pile half the water up on top of the other to recover it. It is possible that the magician is simply a fictional character. There was a important official of the Sixth Dynasty named Djadjaemankh.
Djau: Sixth Dynasty. Djau was the brother of Pepy I's two queens, Ankhesenmeryre I and II. He was vizier of Egypt during the reign of his nephew, Pepy II. He was stationed at Abydos, where he received letters from the king. In later times, statues of Djau and his two sisters were placed in a small temple, and offerings were made to them every day. He is the only known non-royal man who had this honour.
Djedefre: Fourth Dynasty. King. About 2528-2520 BCE. (Also known as Redjedef.) Djedefre succeeded Khnum-Khufu, though there may have been disputes about the succession. When Khufu's heir, Kawab died, his widow Hetepheres II had married Djedefre. Djedefre planned a huge pyramid complex north of Giza at Abu Roash, but did not live to complete them. He was the first king to call himself Son of Re. A beautiful portrait head in quartzite of this king survives. (item 52 in the Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids)
Djedkare Isesi: Fifth Dynasty. King. About 2381-2353 BCE. During his long reign, the arts flourished. Djedkare Isesi sponsored many building projects in which, according to inscriptions, he took great pleasure. Expeditions into Nubia and to Punt were undertaken. He was buried in a pyramid south of Sakkara.
Djoser: Third Dynasty. King, about 2630-2611 BCE. Djoser – also spelled Zoser – may have been the birth name of the king known to his contemporaries as Netjerikhet. He was one of the most powerful and influential of all Egyptian rulers. With his architect, Imhotep, he constructed the first large stone building in the world, the Step Pyramid.
The Step Pyramid is part of a huge complex (277 by 544 metres) of buildings, surrounded by a stone wall that replicated the walls of a royal palace. Although no two pyramid complexes are identical, Djoser set the basic model, of pyramid, subsidiary tomb, offering places, temples.
Underneath his tomb, a rabbit's warren of tunnels led to burials of family members, and galleries with over thirty thousand fine stone vessels, many already heirlooms when they were buried. Some of the subterranean chambers are paneled with blue-green faience tiles that mimic the woven mates that hung on the walls of Djoser's palace.
Djoser and Imhotep were able to organize the manpower and resources of Egypt on an unprecedented scale in order to build the first pyramid and a fine temple at Heliopolis. Many of Djoser's government officials are known from their tombs. Arts were strongly supported during this reign.
The memory of Djoser and Imhotep was honoured to the end of Ancient Egyptian history. The king's powerful features survive in several statues and an image of the god Geb from Heliopolis.
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