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  • Essay / Biography of Imhotep

    About 4,600 years ago today, we lost a true scholar, Egyptian mathematician and true vision seeker, Imhotep. Imhotep was a bold man who learned from his successors, and his name meant “He who comes in peace” and that was truly who he was. He was the only Egyptian to be fully deified, becoming the god of wisdom, medicine and architecture. Moreover, Imhotep had a vision like no one else, today I am going to talk about Imhotep's significant achievements that made him the intellectual we know today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Born a robot, Imhotep's intelligence and determination allowed him to rise through the ranks to become one of the advisors most trusted figures of King Djoser, as well as the architect of the pharaoh's tomb, the Step Pyramid. Earlier tombs of the kings of Egypt were called Mastabas, which were one-story rectangular structures made of dried mud bricks containing underground chambers where the dead were buried. When Imhotep began building Djoser's step pyramid, he took inspiration from the mastabas but changed it from a rectangular base to a square base. It is unclear why Imhotep wanted to change the shape, but many believed he had the idea for the square-based pyramid from the start. His step pyramid was essentially made up of many mastabas stacked together. Additionally, earlier mastabas had reed inscriptions and Imhotep wanted to retain this feature, but rather than mud inscriptions they would be on stone, it was evident that Imhotep was a true innovator. When completed, the pyramid was 62 meters high and was the tallest structure of its time. The surrounding area of ​​the pyramid featured a temple, courtyard, living quarters for priests and much more. King Djoser was so astonished by this that he ignored the ancient criterion that only the name of the king appears on a monument and instead he also added the name of Imhotep. Additionally, Imhotep's efforts to create the Step Pyramid introduced the idea of ​​more structures and development to Egypt. During the latter period of his worship, he became a local god in the city of Memphis for his skills in medicine. Furthermore, Imhotep practiced medicine and wrote down his discoveries more than 2000 years before the birth of Hippocrates (father of medicine)! Additionally, Imhotep is believed to be the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus which contains 90 anatomical terms and describes 48 different injuries. The text found dates back to 1600 BCE, well after his death, but many believe it to be a copy of his early work. Additionally, he is said to have extracted medicines from plants and treated diseases like appendicitis, gout and arthritis, which was astonishing for the time. Since Imhotep was technically the "first" physician on earth, the people of Memphis believed that he was both human and god. Additionally, in Edwin Smith's papyrus, examinations are described as a modern visit to a doctor: for example, patients are asked where they feel pain, the doctor finds injuries and asks patients about them, then a prognosis is stated. . Imhotep truly had a mind like no other in creating the pillars of medicine as we know it. There is no doubt that Imhotep was an extraordinary scholar, perhaps even the most intelligent person who ever lived, he was capable of devising a feat never attempted before. perhaps never even imagined, and make it a reality..”