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]

Qar tomb

Adil Hussein discovered his tomb north of the pyramid of Sekhemkhet in 2001.^[1] He 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 were many other tombs in Saqqara, his tomb was re-used several times.^[4]

Tomb contents

Beside his mummy in the limestone sarcophagus, there were metal (bronze^[4] or copper^[5][6]) 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.^[7] It was stated that they might be the oldest surgical tools in the world.^[5] They are now preserved in Imhotep museum.^[6][8] 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.^[9]

Also 22 bronze statues were unearthed representing different deities in various shapes and sizes including Ptah, Horus-the- child (also known as Harpocrates) and Isis. A statuette of Imhotep^[10] the physician, the great engineer and builder of Djoser's pyramid complex, was also among the statuettes found by the team.^[4]

Legacy in museums

His mummy and findings from his tomb are preserved in the Imhotep Museum at Saqqara.^[6]

References