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Kagemni

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{short description|Ancient Egyptian vizier}}

Kagemni
Vizier
Hereditary noble, chief judge, vizier, high priest in the city of Heliopolis[1]
A door lintel script,
The places of Teti are enduring
Overseer of the Town of the Pyramid
Kagemni
Dynasty6th Dynasty
PharaohTeti
WifeNebtynubkhet Sesheshet
Beloved daughter of the king (Teti) whom he loves, her great name is Nebtyneboukhet
His wife whom he loves, his adored, her beautiful name is Sesheshet
[1]
BurialTomb LS10 in the Teti Cemetery in Saqqara[2]

Kagemni was a vizier from the early part of the reign of King Teti of the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt. Kagemni's wife Nebtynubkhet Sesheshet was a King's daughter and likely the daughter of Teti.[3]

Vizier Kagemni, in the left column, a list of sacrificial offerings, fat cattle, poultry from the three courts, desert game and fruits from vast waters[1]
Tomb of Kagemni, Saqqara
Mastaba Kagemni, decoration of the I.chamber, scribes and their representative, feeding of hyenas and domestic poultry[4]

Biography

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Kagemni held a great number of titles. He was an overseer of the two houses of gold and an overseer of the two treasuries. He also held several religious positions, including that of High Priest of Re and Stolist of Min. Other duties were related to the royal palace: overseer of the two chambers of the king's adornment, director of the Mansions of the White and Red Crowns and keeper of the head ornaments. As vizier, Kagemni also held the positions of overseer of the scribes of the king's documents, overseer of all the works of the king, and overseer of the six great courts.[5]

Kagemni titles in mastaba interiers:
Hereditary prince, Chief justice, Director of the Mansions of White and Red Crown crowns, High priest of Heliopolis, Chief of king’s scribers (chancellor), Master of secrets, Overseer of the Upper and Lower land, Judge of the nome administrator, Vizier Kagemni[6]

The exterior scenes cover the wall of the first room, while the scenes associated with the funeral meal are concentrated in the farthest part of the tomb. The inscriptions contain the names of the scenes, a description of the sacrifices and their provenance, as well as numerous titles of the Kagemni.

Gifts and offerings to Kagemni:
Bringing slaughtered animals, fowls, and all kinds of plants, which are from his castles and villages of eternal possession, some of which are from the Lower and Upper lands, as well as from monasteries, all the servants of the eternal good, in the New year, on the Wag festival,[note 1] on the feast of Thoth, of the first day of the year, feasts of Seker, the great fire, and the sacrifices on feasts of the New year and full Moons (and) on every feast of the Chief judge and vizier Kai-gemni [4][7]

Tomb

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Kagemni was buried in the largest mastaba in the Teti cemetery in Saqqara. The tomb is a large 32 m. x 32 m. square.

The mastaba was constructed of large blocks of limestone. Part of the mastaba consists of a chapel with six rooms, a pillared hall, five magazines, two chambers containing boats, a serdab and a staircase which gives access to the roof. The chapel walls are decorated and so are the walls of the burial chamber, which was located at the bottom of a shaft. The burial chamber contained an inscribed stone sarcophagus with a wooden coffin inside it.[5]

The tomb consists of a hall right after the entrance, followed by a pillared hall and then a suite of rooms to the north of the pillared hall. The entrance hall contains scenes of daily life, including a scene with dancers. The pillared hall shows scenes of Vizier Kagemni on a boat which is accompanied by a small papyrus skiff carrying three men. There are scenes of fishing and scenes of the wildlife including crocodiles, dragonflies and frogs. Other scenes in the pillared hall show cattle, including a man carrying a calf and a cow being milked.

The rooms off the pillared hall show Kagemni in a carrying chair with attendants. This scene includes several of his titles. Other scenes in this room show birds including a scene where geese are being force fed. Another scene shows hyenas being force fed, in a manner very similar to that in the tomb of Mereruka.[8]

Note

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  1. ^ Festival that supposedly took place in late Augus, dadicated to Osiris

References

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  1. ^ a b c Bissing, Fridrich Wilhelm, Mastaba des Gem-Ni-Kai. Vol.I, Alexander Dunckler, Berlin 1905 [1]
  2. ^  GPS 29.8758919N, 31.2215322E
  3. ^ Dodson, Aidan and Hilton, Dyan. The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. 2004. ISBN 0-500-05128-3
  4. ^ a b Fridrich Wilhelm Bissing, Mastaba des Gem-Ni-Kai Vol.II, Alexander Dunckler, Berlin 1911 [2]
  5. ^ a b Naguib Kanawati, Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace: Unis to Pepy I, (Routledge, 2002). ISBN 0-415-27107-X.
  6. ^ Khaled el Enany, Thierry Benderiter,Kagemni,Cairo2015[3]
  7. ^ Wolfram Grajetzky, Festivals in the ancient Egyptian, University College London, 2000[4]
  8. ^ Lauer, Jean Phillipe. Saqqara: The Royal Cemetery of Memphis, Excavations and Discoveries since 1850. Charles Scribner's Sons. 1976. ISBN 0-684-14551-0