PEOPLE YOU
SHOULD KNOW
Imhotep
(c. 2667–2600 BCE)
Imhotep began his career as a priest and architect but was eventually worshiped as a god. His rise to power started with King Djoser, who needed someone to design his sacred tomb at Saqqara.
Imhotep looked at the traditional royal tombs. These tombs were rectangular, low to the ground, and set over an underground burial chamber. He wanted to respect the past but couldn’t help wondering, “What would happen if the tombs were not low to the ground? What if they were made of stone, rather than mud bricks, and strong enough to be stacked?”
The result was Egypt’s first pyramid: the Step Pyramid. Today, many historians consider Imhotep the architect of the famous building. This is because Imhotep’s name and titles were carved on a statue of Djoser at the site. Impressed by the architect’s skill, the king promoted Imhotep to be his advisor.
But Imhotep may have been more than an architect and a royal advisor. Evidence suggests he was also a skilled physician. Centuries after his death, he was worshiped as a god of medicine and healing. Many archaeologists believe Imhotep was buried at Saqqara, but his tomb has not yet been found.
ARSINOE II
(c. 316–270 BCE)
This powerful queen lived during the Ptolemaic period, an era in which Greeks sat on the throne of ancient Egypt. Her father, Ptolemy I, had begun the Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt and was a successor of Alexander the Great. Arsinoe’s rise to power was swift and strategic. As a young girl, she married one of Alexander’s other successors. His name was Lysimachus, and they had three sons together. Arsinoe’s influence grew when her brother, Ptolemy II, became next in line for the throne.
But Arsinoe’s journey to the throne would be riddled with bloodshed.
Family members fought to make sure their children would have a clear path to kingship. After Lysimachus’s death, Arsinoe married her half-brother. Then, following the murder of two of her sons, she married her brother, King Ptolemy II.
Arsinoe’s power grew during Ptolemy’s reign. Coins from this time show her portrait alongside the king’s portrait. Some writings even called her a pharaoh, and many towns were named after the influential queen. Following her death, evidence suggests that Arsinoe was worshiped as a goddess.