Idu I


Idu I was an ancient Egyptian official who is known from his mastaba tomb at Denderah in Upper Egypt. He lived at the end of the 6th Dynasty. His successor was most likely Idu II.
Idu was bearing many important titles, most importantly he was governor of the Sixth Upper Egyptian nome, Iqer and he was also overseer of Upper Egypt. Another important title was ruler of the estate of Men-ank-Neferkere, that is the pyramid complex of king Pepy II. The latter position indicates that he lived under this king. Other titles include royal sealer and lector priest. A woman called Bebi is depicted in his tomb as his wife.
His mastaba is a huge mud brick building with an underground burial chamber excavated by William Matthew Flinders Petrie. It is the largest tomb at the cemeteries of Denderah. Within the overground mastaba was a cult chapel that was decorated with paintings. The paintings show Idu hunting in the marshes, the captions provide many of his titles and the name of his wife Bebi.

Literature