IFAO

This paper reconsiders the delicate problem of Djoser and Imhotep, two well known figures during the Ptolemaic period in the region of the first cataract. Why is Imhotep, a popular Memphite personnage since the Old Kingdom, worshipped in the Elephantine area, far from his original cult centre? Is it possible to improve our knowledge of the process by which the Egyptians instituted a cult of Imhotep there? Is this cult based on local historical events which would have made the introduction of this Memphite demigod into the Elephantine pantheon easier?

Partly based on the analysis of the delicate problem of the Famine stela, the present paper gathers together the pieces of a puzzle, from Memphis-Saqqara and Hermopolis to Elephantine. It demonstrates that the cult of Imhotep in Elephantine probably emanated from both Memphite and Hermopolite religious traditions. This paper shows how the establishment of his cult at -Elephantine was based on a comparison of Imhotep with Ptah and Khnum and their influence on the development of embryo. Moreover, it shows that the specific characteristics of Imhotep were particularly appreciated during the Late Period because he was considered (as a son of Ptah and Khnum) able to use his influence with both deities, to accelerate the flood process and protect pregnant women.