Rekhmire was an ancient Egyptian noble and official of the 18th Dynasty who served as "Governor of the Town" ( Thebes) and

Vizier A vizier (; ar, وزير, wazīr; fa, وزیر, vazīr), or wazir, is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in the near east. The Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was a ...

during the reigns of

Thutmosis III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, was the sixth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty. Officially, Thutmose III ruled Egypt for almost 54 years and his reign is usually dated from 28 ...

and

Amenhotep II Amenhotep II (sometimes called ''Amenophis II'' and meaning ''Amun is Satisfied'') was the seventh pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few militar ...

, circa 1400 BCE. He was the nephew of Vizier

User Ancient Egyptian roles * User (ancient Egyptian official), an ancient Egyptian nomarch (governor) of the Eighth Dynasty * Useramen, an ancient Egyptian vizier also called "User" Other uses * User (computing), a person (or software) using an ...

, who took office at the time of the fifth year of Queen

Hatshepsut Hatshepsut (; also Hatchepsut; Egyptian: '' ḥꜣt- špswt'' "Foremost of Noble Ladies"; or Hatasu c. 1507–1458 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. She was the second historically confirmed female pharaoh, aft ...

’s reign. User's official titles included mayor of the city, vizier, and prince. Rekhmire is noted for constructing a lavishly decorated

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a :wikt:repository, repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be ...

for himself in

Sheikh Abd el-Qurna The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna ( ar, شيخ عبدالقرنة) is located on the West Bank at Thebes in Upper Egypt. It is part of the archaeological area of Deir el-Bahari, and named after the domed tomb of the local saint. This is the mo ...

, part of the

Theban Necropolis The Theban Necropolis is a necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (Luxor) in Upper Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of the Pharaonic period, especially during the New Kingdom. Mortuary temples * Deir el-Bahri ...

, containing lively, well preserved scenes of daily life during the

Egyptian New Kingdom The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the sixteenth century BC and the eleventh century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasties of Egypt. Radioc ...

. His tomb is also important as it contains a full copy of a text detailing the duties of the office of the vizier, known as the

Installation of the Vizier The Installation of the vizier, alt. Instruction of Rekhmire, Regulation laid upon the vizier Rekhmire, is an ancient Egyptian text dating to the New Kingdom found in Rekhmire's tomb at Thebes. It describes the office of the Egyptian vizier, his ...

. He was also

High Priest The term "high priest" usually refers either to an individual who holds the office of ruler-priest, or to one who is the head of a religious caste. Ancient Egypt In ancient Egypt, a high priest was the chief priest of any of the many gods rever ...

Annu Heliopolis (I͗wnw, Iunu or 𓉺𓏌𓊖; egy, I͗wnw, 'the Pillars'; cop, ⲱⲛ; gr, Ἡλιούπολις, Hēlioúpοlis, City of the Sun) was a major city of ancient Egypt. It was the capital of the 13th or Heliopolite Nome of Lower Eg ...

or Heliopolis. The cause of his political and personal downfall remains unclear. It is suspected that he fell into disgrace and was deposed.Sigrid Hodel-Hoenes, ''Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes'', Cornell University Press 2000, p.140 His tomb was Theban Tomb 100.

References

External links

The Tomb of Rekhmire

Viziers of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian priests {{AncientEgypt-bio-stub