Imhotep: Architect of the Step Pyramid Timeline

Imhotep: Architect of the Step Pyramid 24

2667 BC – 2648 BC Imhotep serves as chancellor to King Djoser Senior official of the Third Dynasty court at Memphis Around the start of Djoser's reign (c. 2667 BC) Imhotep held some of the highest offices in the land, including chancellor of the king of Lower Egypt and high priest of Heliopolis. His titles are known from contemporary inscriptions.
2660 BC Imhotep begins Djoser's tomb at Saqqara as a stone mastaba The first royal tomb built entirely of dressed stone Around 2660 BC Djoser's tomb at Saqqara was started as a flat, square mastaba built of limestone rather than the usual mudbrick. Tradition credits the design to Imhotep.
2655 BC Imhotep's design grows into the six-tiered Step Pyramid Stacked mastabas create the world's first pyramid The mastaba was extended several times and then turned into a pyramid, first of four steps and then of six, about 62 metres high. It is generally seen as the earliest large-scale cut-stone building in the world.
2650 BC Imhotep's name and titles are carved on a statue base of Djoser The main contemporary evidence for Imhotep's career A statue base of Djoser from the Step Pyramid complex lists Imhotep's titles, including chancellor, high priest of Heliopolis and 'chief of sculptors'. Honouring a non-royal official on a king's statue was very unusual.
2650 BC Imhotep's pyramid complex gains its great enclosure and Heb-sed court Stone copies of palace and festival buildings around the pyramid The pyramid stood inside a walled enclosure about 1.6 km round, with one real gate among many false ones. Inside were stone copies of the courts and shrines used in the king's Heb-sed jubilee, carved to imitate reed, wood and mudbrick.
2648 BC – 2640 BC Imhotep is linked to Sekhemkhet's unfinished pyramid His name appears on the enclosure wall of Djoser's successor's pyramid Graffiti naming Imhotep were found on the enclosure wall of the unfinished step pyramid of Sekhemkhet, Djoser's successor. This suggests Imhotep was still working on royal building projects after Djoser died.
2600 BC Imhotep dies Probably buried at Saqqara; his tomb has never been found Imhotep probably died during the later Third Dynasty, though the date is unknown. His tomb is thought to be somewhere at Saqqara but has never been identified.
1400 BC Imhotep becomes patron of scribes in the New Kingdom Scribes pour a libation to him before they begin writing By the New Kingdom, Egyptian scribes honoured Imhotep as their patron and reportedly poured a few drops of water for him before starting work.
1300 BC Imhotep's sayings are recalled in the Harper's Song Remembered as a famous sage centuries after his death The Harper's Song from the tomb of a King Intef, preserved in a New Kingdom copy, says 'I have heard the words of Imhotep and Hordedef'. This shows Imhotep was remembered as a great sage long after he died.
650 BC Imhotep is deified as the son of Ptah A Third Dynasty official becomes a full god in the Late Period From about the 26th Dynasty, Imhotep was worshipped as a god of healing and wisdom and called the son of Ptah of Memphis. Large numbers of bronze figures show him seated with a papyrus roll on his lap.
400 BC Greeks identify Imhotep with Asclepius at Saqqara His shrine becomes a healing centre known as the Asklepieion Greek speakers called Imhotep Imouthes and equated him with their healing god Asclepius. His cult centre at Saqqara drew sick pilgrims hoping to be cured.
200 BC Imhotep appears in the Famine Stela legend on Sehel Island Ptolemaic inscription tells how he helped Djoser end a seven-year famine The Famine Stela, carved in the Ptolemaic period, tells a legend in which Djoser asks Imhotep why the Nile has failed for seven years. On his advice the king makes offerings to the god Khnum, and the famine ends.
190 BC Imhotep receives a temple at Philae under Ptolemy V A small temple in the sacred island complex of Isis Ptolemy V Epiphanes built a small temple to the deified Imhotep on the island of Philae. It shows that his cult had spread well beyond Memphis.
140 BC Imhotep is worshipped at Deir el-Bahari with Amenhotep son of Hapu A healing sanctuary in Hatshepsut's temple Under Ptolemy VIII, part of Hatshepsut's temple at Deir el-Bahari became a sanctuary for two deified wise men, Imhotep and Amenhotep son of Hapu. Pilgrims came there seeking healing.
150 Imhotep is praised in a Greek hymn from Oxyrhynchus Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 1381 tells of the miracles of Imouthes-Asclepius A Greek papyrus from the Roman period, found at Oxyrhynchus, praises the healing miracles of Imouthes-Asclepius. It shows that his cult was still active in Roman Egypt.
1926 Imhotep is the subject of Jamieson B. Hurry's English study 'Imhotep: The Vizier and Physician of King Zoser' is published British physician Jamieson B. Hurry published a book on Imhotep's career and his later worship as a god of medicine. It made Imhotep better known to English-speaking readers, especially doctors.
1926 Imhotep's architecture draws Jean-Philippe Lauer to Saqqara Start of a lifetime's work on the Step Pyramid complex In 1926 the young French architect Jean-Philippe Lauer joined the Saqqara excavations. He spent the rest of his long life studying and rebuilding Imhotep's pyramid complex.
1926 Imhotep's titles are found on a Djoser statue base at Saqqara Cecil Firth's excavations confirm Imhotep was a real person During Cecil Firth's excavations of the Step Pyramid complex, a statue base of Djoser carved with Imhotep's name and titles was found. This confirmed that the later god had been a real Third Dynasty official.
1932 Imhotep's name is given to the villain of Universal's The Mummy Boris Karloff plays a revived priest called Imhotep Universal Pictures released The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff as a revived Egyptian priest named Imhotep. The fictional character has little to do with the historical man, but it made his name famous in popular culture.
1951 Imhotep graffito found at Sekhemkhet's buried pyramid Zakaria Goneim excavates the unfinished pyramid at Saqqara Egyptian archaeologist Zakaria Goneim began excavating the unfinished step pyramid of Sekhemkhet at Saqqara. Graffiti there naming Imhotep suggest he worked for Djoser's successor too.
1964 Imhotep's tomb is sought by Walter Bryan Emery at North Saqqara The search uncovers sacred animal catacombs but not the tomb British Egyptologist Walter Bryan Emery began digging at North Saqqara in 1964 to find Imhotep's tomb. He found vast catacombs of mummified ibises and baboons linked to Imhotep's healing cult, but not the tomb itself.
1999 Imhotep returns to cinema in the 1999 remake of The Mummy Arnold Vosloo plays Imhotep in Stephen Sommers's blockbuster Stephen Sommers's remake of The Mummy, with Arnold Vosloo as Imhotep, became a worldwide box-office hit. It made the name widely known to a new generation.
2006 Imhotep Museum opens at the foot of the Saqqara necropolis A site museum named after the Step Pyramid's architect The Imhotep Museum opened at the entrance to the Saqqara site. It displays finds from the necropolis, including the statue base inscribed with Imhotep's titles.
2020 Imhotep's Step Pyramid reopens after a 14-year restoration Egypt completes a major conservation project on Djoser's pyramid Egypt reopened the Step Pyramid of Djoser to visitors after a restoration that began in 2006. The work strengthened the pyramid's outer walls, its burial chamber and its inner corridors.