The Mastabas of Qar and Idu G 7101 and 7102 - Digitally Revised and Enhanced Edition

Part II - Idu G 7102

Section 6 - Titles, Family, and Dependents of Idu
Feb 2, 2019

Titles of Idu

iwn knmwt, “pillar of Kenmet.” Facade; right jamb; stela, west wall southern section, I.

imy-r wpt ḥtp-nṯr m prwy, “overseer of the distribution of offerings in the two houses.” Facade; east wall E, south wall; stela; west wall northern section. Helck, Beamtentiteln, 81-82, regards wpt here as “mission,” or “examination, inspection.” South wall omits m prwy.

imy-r ḥwt wrt, “overseer of the great chapel.” South wall. Helck, Beamtentiteln, 73, regards the title as a judicial one, “overseer of the great hall of justice.”

imy-r sšw mrt, “overseer of the meret-serfs.” Facade; left jamb; east wall B, D, E, F, G; west wall, south section 1, 3; west wall, north section; stela; sarcophagus. The mrt appear to be agricultural laborers, and the term in the Old Kingdom seems to be restricted mainly to occurrences in titles: Abd el Mohsen Bakir, Slavery in Pharaonic Egypt, 22-25. This is one of the main titles of Idu.

wḏꜥ mdw, “determiner of disputes.” West wall, southern section, 1. See wḏꜥ mdw ḥwt wrt, Helck, Beamtentiteln, 74, as well as Idu’s related titles smꜣꜥ wḏꜥ mdw and ḥry sštꜣ m wḏꜥ mdwt.

mdw rḫyt, “staff of the rekhyet-people." Facade; right jamb; south wall; west wall, southern section, 1; stela. Helck places the title in a judicial context, Beamtentiteln, 74.

ḥm-nṯr Mꜣꜥt, “priest of Maat.” Facade. Similarly placed by Helck, op. cit., in a judicial context.

ḥry sštꜣ wḏꜥ mdwt, “counsellor in determining disputes.” Facade. Similarly placed by Helck, op. cit., in a judicial context.

ḫnty-š Mn-nfr-Ppy, “tenant farmer of Mennefer-Pepy.” West wall, northern section; east wall C. The name reflects service in the pyramid town of Pepy I. See Gauthier, Dict. géog. III, 38-39.

ẖry tp nswt, “he who is at the head of the king.” Facade; right jamb; east wall D; south wall; stela, west wall; north and south sections. On the meaning of the title, see Junker, Gîza VII, 200-201.

smꜣꜥ wḏꜥ mdw, “he who makes right the determination of disputes.” South wall, west wall, southern section, 1. Note the related titles of Idu with similar judicial context: wḏꜥ mdw and ḥry sštꜣ m wḏꜥ mdwt.

sḥḏ wꜥbw ꜣḫt-Ḫwfw, “inspector of the weeb-priest of Akhet-Khufu.” East wall F; west wall, northern section. This is Idu’s only title in connection with the great pyramid priesthood.

sḥḏ wꜥbw Wr-Ḫꜥ.f-Rꜥ, “inspector of the weeb-priests of Wer-Khafre'.” West wall, northern section. This is Idu’s only title in connection with the priesthood of the second pyramid.

sš ꜥ nswt, “king’s document scribe.” Right jamb; east wall F; stela. The title should be considered either as an abbreviation of the following or a lower rank from which Idu was promoted to the following title.

sš ꜥ nswt ḫft ḥr, “king’s document scribe in the presence.” Facade; left jamb; east wall A, B, C, D, G; west wall, southern section, 1, 3; west wall, northern section; stela; sarcophagus. With imy-r sšw mrt, this title is the most frequently used in the chapel.

sš mrt, “scribe of the meret-serfs.” East wall A. The title is presumably a stage below the frequently cited imy-r sšw mrt. The same (?) Idu has this title in Posener-Kriéger and Cénival, The Abu Sir Papyri, pl. 68; Grdseloff, ASAE 42 (1943) 117, fig. 21. The papyrus document thus reflects an early stage in his career.


Family of Idu

Wife: Meretyotes (ḥmt.f mrt.f). West wall, southern section, 1; west wall, northern section.

Sons: Qar, Idu, and Hemi.

(1)    Qar. sꜣbsḥḏ sšw. See left jamb; east wall B; west wall, southern section, 2a. A Qar, not specifically identified as a son, bear the title imy-r pr on the west wall, northern section; the heading refers to msw.f “his children." Possibly owner of stela from G 7432.

G 7432, false door of Q'ar, looking W

(2)   Qar. The same or another son (?), relationship not indicated, from fragments assigned to jamb of western chamber off middle level court: [imy]-r wpt ḥtp-nṯr m prwy, [imy-r] ẖnw, ẖry tp nswt imy-r sšw n ꜥprw, imy-r ḥwt-wrt 6 mꜣꜥ.Blocks 25-1-118 through 124. Pl. XXXIV a, b; fig. 42.

Pl. XXXIV a. Corner block, left side from pit of G 7102 E, with representation of Idu’s [son] Qar; small fragment with titles from same location (far left), Pl. XXXIV b. Corner block, right side, with titles (left), Figure 42. Idu (G 7102 E). Corner block assigned to middle level chamber (right) (for additional information, click on the photo to visit Digital Giza, The Giza Project at Harvard University)

(3)   Idu. sꜣb. See west wall, southern section, 2 b. An Idu, not specifically identified as a son, bears the titles imy-r pr and sḥḏ [ḥmw-kꜣ] on the west wall, northern section; the heading refers to msw.f, “his children.”

(4)   Hemi. No title, south wall a. In an earlier copy of the wall, the name was read as Nmi. The son is shown in the stick(?)-thrusting game with the son named Qar.

Daughters: Bendjet and Iry.

(1)   Bendjet. No title, south wall b, as the leading dancer. See comments under description of the scene for the occurrence of this name as a sister of the Qar of G 7101 (pl. X b; fig. 26 b) and the name with titles on the wall of a pit in the vicinity of G 7215. If Idu’s daughter Bendjet is the same lady as Qar’s sister Bendjet, Idu of G 7102 is the father of Qar of G 7102. Qar, however, is the son of Khenut and not of the wife of Idu shown in Idu’s tomb, namely Meretyotes.

Pl. X b. Qar, Room D, north wall, east end (left), Figure 26 b. Qar (G 7101). Room D. North wall east of pillar (right) (Click to enlarge)

(2)   Iry. No title, south wall d, as the first harp player.

Granddaughter: Iry, no title, south wall d, as daughter of the preceding Iry.


Dependents of Idu

(1)   In-di.f iy n.(i)imy-r pr, west wall, southern section, 2 c.

(2)   Isi, south wall c. Perhaps a better reading is Ḥsi, although the first sign looks like the šn sign (Sign List V 7) in the photograph.

(3)   Idwḥm-kꜣimy ḫt, west wall, southern section, 2 e.

(4)   Idw, no title, west wall, southern section, 3 a, b. Perhaps to be identified with preceding or Idu’s son of this name.

(5)   ꜥnḫ n.fḥm-kꜣ, west wall, southern section, 3 c.

(6)   Pḥn-[...]sḥḏ ḥmw-kꜣ, west wall, southern section, 4 a. On reconsideration the name would seem to be Pḥ.n wi kꜣ.i or even Pḥ.n-Ptḥ.

(7)   Ny-ẖtywdpw, south wall f. Perhaps to be identified with the following.

(8)   Ny-ẖtyimy-r pr, south wall f. Perhaps the same as the preceding.

(9)   Nfr-mnḫtḥst, south wall e. The name appears to have been erased.

(10) Nḫtimy-r pr, west wall, southern section, 2 d.

(11)  Ḳꜣrwdpw, south wall e.

(12) Tidwi(?), wdpw, south wall e.

Names lost: imy-r pr, west wall, southern section, 4 a; , west wall, southern section, 4 c; ḥm-kꜣ, west wall, northern section; son (?), imy-r pr, west wall, northern section; son (?), sḥḏ ḥmw-kꜣ, west wall, northern section.

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