- Hemaka -

Hemaka was a high official during the reign of the Horus Den of the 1st Dynasty. His career can be traced through the different titles he carried during his life.

He appears to have started out as an administrator and controller of a royal domain named Her-tepi-khet. Later, the more important domain Her-sekhenti-dju was added to his responsibilities. He would keep control over both domains until the end of his life.

The high office of royal sealbearer, sometimes also translated as chancellor, was added to his already impressive titulary somewhere during the reign of the Horus Den. As such, he stood at the head of the royal treasury and enjoyed the king's confidence. He is only one of the first people to have held such an important office, without being a member of the royal family.

Hemaka was the owner of an impressive mastaba located in the northernmost part of Saqqara (nr. 3035), which is considered a masterpiece of architecture.

The size alone of his tomb hints at the wealth of its owner. It contained a large number of objects, among them an unused papyrus-scroll, an ivory label and a circular object showing hunting dogs in pursuit of a gazelle.

Drawing based on a year label from the reign of Den. The signs highlighted in red represent the title and name of Hemaka.
Note that the red high- lighting has been done solely to show Hemaka's name in this drawing. In the original, there is no such highlight.

Steatite disc inlaid with pink-veined alabaster, found in the tomb of Hemaka. The disc, 8.7 cm in diameter, has a flat and a slightly convex side.
The convex side is decorated with a scene showing two dogs hunting for and catching a gazelle.
Egyptian Museum, Cairo.