Siese was an Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...

ian vizier

Vizier (Ancient Egypt)

The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king, or pharaoh during the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. Vizier is the generally accepted rendering of ancient Egyptian tjati, tjaty etc, among Egyptologists...

 and treasurer

Treasurer (Ancient Egypt)

The Treasurer in Ancient Egypt is the modern translation of the title imi-r ḫtmt . The office is known since the end of the Old Kingdom, where people with this title appear sporadically in the organisation of private estates...

 of the Twelfth Dynasty. He was most likely in office under Amenemhat II

Amenemhat II

Nubkhaure Amenemhat II was the third pharaoh of the Twelfth Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. Not much is known about his reign. He ruled Egypt for 35 years from 1929 BC to 1895 BC and was the son of Senusret I through the latter's chief wife, Queen Nefru. His queen is not known; although recently a...

 (about 1929 BC to 1895 BC). Information about Siese is primarily derived from his mastaba excavated by Jacques de Morgan

Jacques de Morgan

Jean-Jacques de Morgan was a French mining engineer , geologist, and archaeologist. He was the director of Antiquities in Egypt during the 19th century , and excavated in Memphis and Dashur, providing many drawings of many Egyptian pyramids...

 around 1894/95 at Dahshur

Dahshur

Dahshur , is a royal necropolis located in the desert on the west bank of the Nile approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo...

 and rediscovered in 2008 by an Egyptian team. The mastaba was decorated with a palace facade and with scenes showing Siese and his family. Four panels with the image of Siese in front of an offering table were excavated by de Morgan and are now on display in the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The burial chamber of the tomb is decorated with pyramid texts

Pyramid Texts

The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom. The pyramid texts are possibly the oldest known religious texts in the world. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara during...

. On the chamber, he is given the title treasurer.

From other objects it is possible to reconstruct elements of his career. He started as a chamberlain, then was appointed to the post of a high steward, and became treasurer. Towards the end of his career he was appointed vizier.

Literature

• Wolfram Grajetzki: Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, London 2009 p. 56-57, pl. 2 ISBN 9780715637456
• Samy el-Husseiny, Adel Okasha Khafagy: The Dahshur tomb of Vizier Siese rediscovered, In: Egyptian Archaeology 36 (2010), p. 21-24
• William Kelly Simpson: Lepsius Pyramid LV at Dahschur: the Mastaba of Si-Ese, Vizier of Amenemhet II, In: Pyramid studies and other essays presented to I. E. S. Edwards, John Baines [Hrsg.], London 1988, p. 57–60, ISBN 0-85698-106-0
• William Kelly Simpson: Rulers and Administrators - Dynasty 12, The Rule of the House of Itj-towy with Some Personal Reminiscenes, In: D. P. Silverman, W. K. Simpson, J. Wegner (Hrsg.): Archaism and Innovation: Studies in the Culture of Middle Kingdom Egypt, New Haven, Philadelphia 2009 p. 302 ISBN 978-0-9802065-1-7

External links

• The Tomb of Sa-Iset at Dashur