The high steward (also called chief steward or great overseer of the house; Egyptian: ''imi-r pr wr'') was an important official at the royal court in
Ancient Egypt in the
Middle Kingdom and in the
New Kingdom
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* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
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. He was the main person in charge of the estates supplying the palace and the royal residence with food.
The office appears in the
11th Dynasty
The Eleventh Dynasty of ancient Egypt (notated Dynasty XI) is a well-attested group of rulers. Its earlier members before Pharaoh Mentuhotep II are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, whereas the late ...
. To the earliest title holders belong
Henenu and
Meketre
The ancient Egyptian official Meketre was chancellor and high steward during the reign of Mentuhotep II, Mentuhotep III and perhaps Amenemhat I, during the Middle Kingdom.Meketre is first attested in a rock inscription in the Wadi Shatt el-Riga ...
. After the
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 ...
and the
treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance.
Government
The treasury ...
this was the most important office at the royal court; important title holders of the
12th Dynasty
The Twelfth Dynasty of ancient Egypt (Dynasty XII) is considered to be the apex of the Middle Kingdom by Egyptologists. It often is combined with the Eleventh, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth dynasties under the group title, Middle Kingdom. Some ...
were
Siese
Siese ( egy, zꜣ-ꜣst "son of Isis", Egyptological pronunciation: Zaaset) was a vizier and treasurer of the Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt. He was most likely in office under Senusret III (about 1878 to 1839 BCE).
Career
From objects it is possible to ...
and
Khnumhotep III, both were later in their career appointed vizier.
The title was still very important in the New Kingdom and was in this period often called high steward of the king. An important title holder of the New Kingdom was
Senenmut
Senenmut ( egy, sn-n-mwt, sometimes spelled Senmut, Senemut, or Senmout) was an 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian architect and government official. His name translates literally as "mother's brother."
Family
Senenmut was of low commoner birth, ...
under
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, af ...
, other include
Wadjetrenput serving under the same queen.
Chief steward of the God's Wife
During the
25th and
26th dynasties, the role of
God's Wife of Amun
God's Wife of Amun ( Egyptian: ''ḥm.t nṯr n ỉmn'') was the highest-ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important religious institution in ancient Egypt. The cult was centered in Thebes in Upper Egypt during the Twenty-fifth and Twent ...
greatly rose in importance, both religiously and politically. Their offices required several servants and employees, led by a chief steward of the God's Wife (''imy-r pr wr n ḥm.t nṯr'') who was in charge of the estates of the God's Wife. These were highly wealthy officials known from their monumental tombs at
Thebes. Title holders include
Harwa
The ancient Egyptian official Harwa was the Chief steward of the God's Wife of Amun, Amenirdis I, during the 25th Dynasty.
His tomb, TT37, is located in El-Assasif, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the West Bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. ...
and
Akhamunru.
[ Christopher Hugh Naunton: ''Regime Change and The Administration of Thebes During The Twenty-fifth Dynasty'', Swansea University 2011 (Ph.D. dissertation), pp. 66-95]
References
*
{{Ancient Egyptian royal titulary
Ancient Egyptian titles