Qar (doctor)

Qar was a doctor during the Sixth Dynasty of Egypt, which lasted from about 2350 to 2180 BC. He was the royal physician.[1]

Adil Hussein discovered his tomb north of the pyramid of Sekhemkhet in 2001.[1] Qar died at the age of fifty years[2] and his mummified remains were discovered by archaeologists in December 2006 in his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt.[3] As with many other tombs in Saqqara, his tomb was re-used several times.[4]

Beside his mummy in the limestone sarcophagus, there were metal (bronze[4] or copper[2][5]) model tools that were entombed alongside his remains. In press reports following the discovery of the tomb and in several publications, they are regarded as surgical instruments.[6] It was stated that they might be the oldest surgical tools in the world.[2] However, these types of model tools are common in many Old Kingdom burials of officials with different functions. They are not surgical instruments. They are model tools.[7] They, his mummy and the rest of the findings are in the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b "Supreme Council of Antiquities Excavations". www.saqqara.nl. The Friends of Saqqara Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b c Hawass, Zahi (2002). Hidden Treasures Of The Egyptian Museum:On Hundred Masterpieces From The ... - Zahi Hawass, Kenneth Garrett, Farouk Hosny - كتب Google. American Univ in Cairo Press. ISBN 9789774247781. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Egypt finds 4,000-year-old doctor's mummy". NBC News. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  4. ^ a b El-Aref, Nevine (7–13 December 2006). "Too big for a coffin". Al-Ahram. Archived from the original on 18 November 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Jean Philippe Lauer - Egypt Tourism Board". 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  6. ^ Jackson, Russell. "Mummy of ancient doctor comes to light". The Scotsman. Retrieved 24 March 2011.
  7. ^ Khalil Messija, Hishmet Messiha: A New Concept about the Implements Found in the Excavations at Giza, In: ASAE 58, 1964, pp. 209–226.