Paser (Vizier)
Encyclopedia
The 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 Noble Paser was 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...

, in the reigns of Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...

 and Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

, during the 19th dynasty
Nineteenth dynasty of Egypt
The Nineteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt was one of the periods of the Egyptian New Kingdom. Founded by Vizier Ramesses I, whom Pharaoh Horemheb chose as his successor to the throne, this dynasty is best known for its military conquests in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.The warrior kings of the...

. He would later also become High Priest of Amun.

Family

Paser was the son of Nebneteru Tenry
Nebneteru Tenry
Nebneteru Tenry was a High Priest of Amun under Sety I.Nebneteru's wife Merytre was Chief of the Harem of Amun. Nebneteru and Merytre are known from monuments of their son, the vizier Paser...

, who was High Priest of Amun and Merytre who was Chief of the Harem of Amun. His maternal grand-parents are named in his tomb as Aniy and Naia, who apparently came from Memphis.

In Paser's tomb a brother Tatia, Steward in the Temple of Maat, is mentioned.

Life

Paser was part of the close entourage of Seti I's son, the then Prince Ramesses, and a hereditary Prince and Count.

Paser held many titles and honors throughout his life. The autobiographical text in Paser's tomb tells us that Menmaatre, i.e. Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...

, elevated Paser to the rank of First Companion of the Palace, and later promoted him to be Chief Chamberlain of the Lord of Both Lands and High Priest of Great of Magic (Werethekau
Werethekau
Werethekau, alts. Urthekau and Weret Hekau, was the ancient Egyptian personification of supernatural powers, weret hekau meaning "great of magic" or "great enchantress".-In myth:...

). Eventually Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...

 appointed Paser to be City-governor and Vizier. Paser received the tribute of the foreign lands for his king, and he was sent throughout Egypt to calculate the revenue. When Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

 took the throne he reappointed Paser as Chief Chamberlain of the Lord of Both Lands, High Priest of Great of Magic and Vizier.
Among his major works was the construction of the tomb
KV17
Tomb KV17, located in Egypt's Valley of the Kings and also known by the names "Belzoni's tomb", "the Tomb of Apis", and "the Tomb of Psammis, son of Nechois", is the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I of the Nineteenth Dynasty. It is one of the best decorated tombs in the valley, but now is almost always...

 of Seti I in the Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings , less often called the Valley of the Gates of the Kings , is a valley in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom .The valley stands on the west bank of...

.

Paser held an array of other titles as well according to inscriptions on statues and monuments. He was a dignitary and judge, Mouth of Nekhen, Prophet of Maat, seal-bearer of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Superintendent of every work of the King, Chief of secrets of the hieroglyphs, etc.

Paser is last attested as Vizier in year 21 of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

, and he may have held this office during the reigns of Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...

 and Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

 for over 25 years.
Eventually Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

 appointed Paser as High Priest of Amun in Thebes. A statue of Paser giving his title as high priest was found in the Karnak Cachette. The statue is now in the Cairo Museum
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

 (CGC 42156). Paser is said to be a Noble and Count, the High Priest of Amun, and the Superintendent of Prophets of all (Theban) Gods. A shabti for the high priest Paser is in the University College, London collection.

Monuments and other Attestations

Paser is known from many monuments and from statuary. His tomb (TT106) is described below.

A stamped brick (Museo Arch. Nazionale/Museo Egizio) can be found on the Global Egyptian Museum Site. The text reads:
Monuments naming Paser come from all over Egypt. There are a handful of items for which the provenance is unknown. For instance, a grey-granite statue holding a stela belongs to Paser, as does a black granite squatting statue now in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

 (BM 510). Wilbour reports seeing a statue of Paser at Tell Roba. For other objects we do know where they were from and some of these are outlined below.

Pi-Ramesse

  • A door lintel shows Paser adoring King Ramesses II
    Ramesses II
    Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

    . Paser is given the titles Hereditary Noble and Count, God's Father, Sem-priest, City-Governor and Vizier.
  • A statue showing Paser holding a Stela, now in the Louvre (E 25980) . Figures of Weren't-hekau, Sekhmet
    Sekhmet
    In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet , was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath created the desert...

    , Ptah
    Ptah
    In Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ptah was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen , meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land, though Tatenen was a god in his...

     and Neith
    Neith
    In Egyptian mythology, Neith was an early goddess in the Egyptian pantheon. She was the patron deity of Sais, where her cult was centered in the Western Nile Delta of Egypt and attested as early as the First Dynasty...

     are deities included on the statue. This statue dates to the time that Paser was Vizier. Several other titles are included.
  • An amulet in the shape of a stela was found in Tanis
    Tanis, Egypt
    Tanis , the Greek name of ancient Djanet , is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt. It is located on the Tanitic branch of the Nile which has long since silted up.-History:...

    , but originally came from Pi-Ramesses
    Pi-Ramesses
    Pi-Ramesses was the new capital built by the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt Pharaoh Ramesses II at Qantir near the old site of Avaris. The city had previously served as a summer palace under Seti I and may have been originally founded by Ramesses I Pi-Ramesses (Pi-Ramesses Aa-nakhtu, meaning...

    . The Vizier is shown adoring King Ramesses II
    Ramesses II
    Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

    .

Memphis and Middle Egypt

  • A statue with Ptah from the Temple of Ptah in Memphis is now in the Cairo Museum
    Egyptian Museum
    The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

     (CGC 630). Besides the title of Vizier, Paser is also said to be the Ruler with the Bat-sceptre in the Mansion of Sekhmet
    Sekhmet
    In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet , was originally the warrior goddess as well as goddess of healing for Upper Egypt. She is depicted as a lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. It was said that her breath created the desert...

    , Superintendent of all treasures of the King, Eyes of the King in the entire land, who brings contentment to the Two Lands for his master, Ears of the King in his Palace and several more titles. Paser's parents are mentioned. Nebneteru Tenry
    Nebneteru Tenry
    Nebneteru Tenry was a High Priest of Amun under Sety I.Nebneteru's wife Merytre was Chief of the Harem of Amun. Nebneteru and Merytre are known from monuments of their son, the vizier Paser...

     is said to be High Priest of Amun in Southern Heliopolis and Sem-priest in the Temple of Ptah
    Ptah
    In Ancient Egyptian Religion, Ptah was the deification of the primordial mound in the Ennead cosmogony, which was more literally referred to as Ta-tenen , meaning risen land, or as Tanen, meaning submerged land, though Tatenen was a god in his...

    . His mother Merytre is said to be of Hatkuptah (Memphis).
  • An ivory pen-case (?) from Abydos
    Abydos, Egypt
    Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...

    , now in the Liverpool Museum (No 24.9.00.92) is inscribed for the Vizier Paser.

Medamud and Eastern Thebes

Three statues of Paser come from this area. All three depict the Vizier Paser.
  • Seated Statue from Medamud, now in the British Museum
    British Museum
    The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

     (BM 954).
  • A black granite block statue from the Karnak Cachette, now in the Cairo Museum
    Egyptian Museum
    The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

     (JdE 38062)
  • A block statue from the Karnak Cachette, now in the Cairo Museum
    Egyptian Museum
    The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

     (CGC 42164)

Western Thebes, Excluding Deir el-Medina

Four statues of Paser were found in this area. Three came from Deir el-Bahari and the fourth one is thought to come from somewhere in Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

.
  • Large statue from the Mentuhotep Temple in Deir el-Bahari (UM E.534+)
  • Lesser statue from the Mentuhotep Temple in Deir el-Bahari, now in the British Museum
    British Museum
    The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...

     (BM 678)
  • A double statue of Paser and his mother from Deir el-Bahari, now in the Cairo Museum
    Egyptian Museum
    The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

     (CGC 561)
  • A statue of Paser likely from Thebes
    Thebes, Egypt
    Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

    , now in the Glyptothek
    Glyptothek
    The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures . It was designed by Leo von Klenze in the Neoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830...

     in Copenhagen
    Copenhagen
    Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

     (AEIN 50)


In Western Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

 several pieces of graffito are known mentioning Paser. Two pieces of rock-graffito depict Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

 before the goddess Hathor
Hathor
Hathor , is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt...

, and mention the Vizier Paser. Graffito in Tomb 93 (TT93), the tomb of Kenamun from the reign of Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II
Amenhotep II was the seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. Amenhotep inherited a vast kingdom from his father Thutmose III, and held it by means of a few military campaigns in Syria; however, he fought much less than his father, and his reign saw the effective cessation of hostilities...

, mentions Paser. Graffito in Tomb 311, the tomb of Khety a treasurer from the 11th Dynasty
Eleventh dynasty of Egypt
The eleventh dynasty of ancient Egypt was one group of rulers, whose earlier members are grouped with the four preceding dynasties to form the First Intermediate Period, while the later members are considered part of the Middle Kingdom...

, mentions a visit of Paser who went to " .. see ... the works ... of his (distant) forefather, Khety ..."

A votive stela from Western Thebes shows Paser and his mother Merytre adoring Wenennufer, and a stela from Thebes
Thebes, Egypt
Thebes is the Greek name for a city in Ancient Egypt located about 800 km south of the Mediterranean, on the east bank of the river Nile within the modern city of Luxor. The Theban Necropolis is situated nearby on the west bank of the Nile.-History:...

, now in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...

 (AEIN 1553), show Paser and his father Nebneteru Tenry
Nebneteru Tenry
Nebneteru Tenry was a High Priest of Amun under Sety I.Nebneteru's wife Merytre was Chief of the Harem of Amun. Nebneteru and Merytre are known from monuments of their son, the vizier Paser...

 before Hathor
Hathor
Hathor , is an Ancient Egyptian goddess who personified the principles of love, beauty, music, motherhood and joy. She was one of the most important and popular deities throughout the history of Ancient Egypt...

. This stela was dedicated by a Servant in the Place of Truth.

Deir el-Medina

Paser is well attested in Deir el-Medina. About ten stelae are known often showing Paser with King Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

 before different deities. Two of the stelae show Paser with the tomb-scribe Ramose who was the main scribe in Deir el-Medina.

Further items from Deir el-Medina include statuary, lintels, cornice fragments, (statue?) bases and finally letters between Paser and the scribes. There is a letter from the scribe Ramose mentioning two other scribes named Huy and Aa. A letter from the scribe Inu(?)shefnu recording how the wages for the people working on the tombs was received and delivered. A letter from the scribe Mose mentions an inspection by the granary chief Kheriuf. The scribe Nebre writes to Paser to inform him that the Pharaoh's Village is in excellent order.

Upper Egypt

A chapel of Paser is located in West Silsila
Gebel el-Silsila
Gebel el-Silsila or Gebel Silsileh is 65 km north of Aswan, where the cliffs on both sides of the Nile narrow. The name Kheny means "The Place of Rowing"...

 in the Horemheb
Horemheb
Horemheb was the last Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty from either 1319 BC to late 1292 BC, or 1306 to late 1292 BC although he was not related to the preceding royal family and is believed to have been of common birth.Before he became pharaoh, Horemheb was the commander in chief...

 Speos. Paser is given the titles Noble and count, Judge and dignitary, Mouth of Nekhen
Nekhen
Nekhen was the religious and political capital of Upper Egypt at the end of the Predynastic period...

, Prophet of Maat
Maat
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....

 and City-Governor and Vizier. He is also said to be the Superintendent of Prophets of all the gods in Upper and Lower Egypt
Upper and Lower Egypt
Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions, namely Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. To the north was Lower Egypt where the Nile stretched out with its several branches to form the Nile Delta. To the south was Upper Egypt, stretching to Syene. The two kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were united c....

.

Tomb

He was buried in a TT106
TT106
The Theban Tomb TT106 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of the Ancient Egyptian noble and Vizier, Paser....

, located in the Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
Sheikh Abd el-Qurna
The necropolis of Sheikh Abd el-Qurna is located on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt.Named after the doomed tomb of the local saint. This is the most frequently visited cemetery on the Theban west bank, with the largest concentration of private tombs....

, opposite Luxor
Luxor
Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt and the capital of Luxor Governorate. The population numbers 487,896 , with an area of approximately . As the site of the Ancient Egyptian city of Thebes, Luxor has frequently been characterized as the "world's greatest open air museum", as the ruins of the temple...

, in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

. The exterior facade of the tomb includes the cortouche of Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

. Scenes include Paser and his mother Merytre as mummies and a canopic shrine with its jars being libated by his brother Titia.

Several pillars in the hall are decorated. Paser is shown before Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I
Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. His reign is generally dated from 1526 to 1506 BC. He was born to Ahmose I and Ahmose-Nefertari, but had at least two elder brothers, Ahmose-ankh and Ahmose Sapair, and was not expected to inherit the throne...

 and Ahmose Nefertari. On the same pillar Paser's brother Titia is depicted again offering before Paser and his mother Merytre. Another pillar depicts Paser and his parents worshipping the Gods. There are scenes before Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...

 and Maat
Maat
Maat is a naval rank of the German navy equivalent to the army rank of Unteroffizier. A Maat is considered the equivalent of a junior Petty Officer in the navies of many other nations....

, his parents before Wenennufer, and Paser participating in a Valley Festival, praising Re
Re
Re, bre, moré is an interjection common to Cypriot Greek, the languages of the Balkans, Turkish, and Venetian, with its "locus... more in the Greek world than elsewhere". It is used in colloquial speech to gain someone's attention, add emphasis, insult, or express surprise or astonishment, like...

 and Amun
Amun
Amun, reconstructed Egyptian Yamānu , was a god in Egyptian mythology who in the form of Amun-Ra became the focus of the most complex system of theology in Ancient Egypt...

.

The texts include a hymn to Osiris
Osiris
Osiris is an Egyptian god, usually identified as the god of the afterlife, the underworld and the dead. He is classically depicted as a green-skinned man with a pharaoh's beard, partially mummy-wrapped at the legs, wearing a distinctive crown with two large ostrich feathers at either side, and...

, the Song of the Harper, a biographical text and praise of King Ramesses II
Ramesses II
Ramesses II , referred to as Ramesses the Great, was the third Egyptian pharaoh of the Nineteenth dynasty. He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire...

.

Funerary objects include two canopic jars, which are now in the Cairo Museum
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....

(CGC 4325 and 4326). One of the jars shows Selqet and Duamutef, the other Isis and Qebehsenuf. A shabti for Paser is now in the collection in Berlin (Berlin 367), while three other shabtis are in the collection of University College in London (nos 93-94-95).
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