Tomb of Royal Physician/Dentist/Venom Magician Discovered in Saqqara

The ornate tomb of Sixth Dynasty pharaoh Pepi II Neferkare (c. 2278-2212 BC), a multi-tasking physician, was discovered in the Saqqara necropolis. He is a doctor who wears many hats. Hieroglyphic inscriptions in the tomb identify his name as Teti Neb Fu and list his titles: chief court physician, chief dentist, director of medicinal plants, and priest and magician of the goddess Serket. This is the second title of “Director of Medicinal Plants” found in ancient Egypt, and “Chief Dentist” is also a very rare title. The number and importance of his titles indicate that he was the top physician at the court and therefore the Pharaoh’s personal physician.

His role as a priest of Serket also suggests that he healed the pharaoh. Often depicted with a scorpion on her head, Serket had the power to control venomous animals and could protect people from snake or scorpion bites, as well as inflict these bites on those she deemed in need of punishment. She was the mother of the snake god Nehebkau, who protected the pharaoh from snake bites. In addition to his skills in herbal medicine, dentistry and general medicine, Teti Neb Fu’s position as magician of Selkot meant that he was responsible for treating pharaohs and the royal family when they were bitten by venomous creatures .

The tomb was discovered by a joint French-Swiss archaeological mission in the southern part of the Saqqara archaeological zone, where the tombs of high-ranking politicians of the Old Kingdom are located. This mastaba is a rectangular mudbrick or limestone tomb with a flat roof and sloping sides, of the “oven tomb” type, characterized by a vaulted ceiling and accessed through a tomb north of the entrance. As the team was clearing the tomb, they came across a magnificent false door tombstone inscribed with the name of doctor Teti Neb Fu. However, the stone does not necessarily belong to the tomb they are digging. The tombs were extensively looted and were likely displaced thousands of years ago.

When they arrived at the entrance to the tomb, they discovered a limestone lintel with large painted hieroglyphics repeating Teti Neb Fu’s name and title, confirming that the stele was indeed the tomb’s tombstone. After cleaning, three walls of the tomb were covered with vivid carvings. The two long walls and the short back wall are decorated with a full set of funerary objects arranged neatly to look like a pictographic inventory spreadsheet, two elaborate false doors, and vertical and horizontal sections painted in a variety of colors and patterns on the opposite walls , jewelry, all kinds of vessels and vessels. Even the rock-cut ceiling has been painted to give a very realistic red granite effect.

The name and title of the tomb’s owner, carved into the center of the faux granite ceiling, was also found on one of the walls. The tomb was robbed in ancient times, but the doctor’s sarcophagus remains inside the tomb, bearing his name and title in hieroglyphics. The remains of Teti Neb Fu were not discovered, and along with all his grave goods were plundered by looters, leaving only inscriptions and paintings to testify to his life and many outstanding achievements.