Editing Sahure (section)

=== Court life ===

[[File:Egypt, The false door of the tomb of the physician of Wellcome M0003502.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|alt=Relief with a man and a woman standing, surrounded by hieroglyphs|Niankhsekhmet and his wife shown on his false door, carved and painted in the presence of Sahure]]

==== Officials ====

Several high officials serving Sahure during his lifetime are known from their tombs as well as from the decoration of the mortuary temple of the king. Niankhsekhmet, chief physician of Sahure and first known [[rhinologist]] in history,{{sfn|Pahor|Farid|2003|p=846}} reports that he asked the king that a [[False door#Ancient Egypt|false door]] be made for his [Niankhsekhmet's] tomb, to which the king agreed.{{sfn|Breasted|1906|pp=108–109}} Sahure had the false door made of fine Tura limestone, carved and painted blue in his audience-hall, and made personal daily inspections of the work.{{sfn|Rice|1999|p=173}}{{sfn|Wilson|1947|pp=241–242}}{{sfn|Ghaliounghui|1983|p=69}} The king wished a long life to his physician, telling him:
{{cquote|text=As my nostrils enjoy health, as the gods love me, may you depart into the cemetery at an advanced old age as one revered.{{sfn|Breasted|1906|pp=108–109}}{{sfn|Sethe|1903|p=38}}}}
A similar though much less detailed anecdote is reported by Khufuankh, who was overseer of the palace and singer of the king.{{sfn|Wilson|1947|p=242}}
Other officials include Hetepka, who was keeper of the diadem and overseer of the hairdressers of the king,{{sfn|Emery|1965|p=4}}
Pehenewkai, priest of the cult of Userkaf during the reigns of Sahure and Neferirkare Kakai, then vizier for the latter;{{sfn|Sethe|1903|p=48}} Persen, a mortuary priest in the funerary cult of Sahure's mother Nepherhetepes;{{efn|group=note|His [[mastaba]] tomb is located close to [[Pyramid of Userkaf#Pyramid complex of Queen Neferhetepes|Nepherhetepes's pyramid]] in Saqqara.{{sfn|El Awady|2006a|pp=192–198}}{{sfn|Breasted|1906|pp=109–110}}{{sfn|Lauer|Flandrin|1992|p=122}}}} and Washptah, a priest of Sahure, then vizier of Neferirkare Kakai.{{sfn|Sethe|1903|p=40}} The high-official [[Ptahshepses (high priest)|Ptahshepses]], probably born during the reign of [[Menkaure]], was high priest of [[Ptah]] and royal manicure under Sahure, later promoted to vizier by [[Nyuserre Ini]].{{sfn|Online catalog of the British Museum}}
[[File:Palm Column of Sahure MET 10.175.137-Borchardt p45.jpg|thumb|Palm Column of Sahure]]
Two viziers of Sahure are known: [[Sekhemkare (Vizier)|Sekhemkare]], royal prince, son of [[Khafre]] and vizier under Userkaf and Sahure;{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=136}} and [[Werbauba]], vizier during Sahure's reign, attested in the mortuary temple of the king.{{sfn|Schneider|2002|pp=243–244}}{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=80}}{{sfn|List of viziers|2000}}

==== Evolution of the high offices ====

[[File:Vizier werbauba.png|thumb|upright=1|alt=Drawing of a fragmentary relief showing a man standing|Werbauba on Sahure's royal hunt relief{{sfn|Borchardt|1913|loc=pl. 17}}]]

Sahure pursued Userkaf's policy of appointing non-royal people to high offices.{{sfn|Schneider|2002|pp=243–244}}{{sfn|Dorman|2014}} This is best exemplified by the office of vizier, which was exclusively held by princes of royal blood with the title of "King's son" since the mid-Fourth Dynasty and up until the early Fifth Dynasty.{{sfn|Schmitz|1976|p=84}} Toward the end of this period princes were progressively excluded from the highest office, an evolution undoubtedly correlated with changes in the nature of kingship.{{sfn|Schmitz|1976|p=166}} This process, possibly initiated by Menkaure because of dynastic disputes,{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=339}} seems to have been completed by Sahure's time as from then onwards no royal prince was promoted to vizier. Those already in post were allowed to keep their status{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|pp=312–313}} and so in the early part of Sahure's reign vizier Sekhemkare was a "King's son" while his successor, Werbauba, seems to have been non-royal. In response to this change, the state administration began its expansion as it included more and more non-royal people.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=338}}

Concurrently with these developments, architectural and artistic innovations relating to tombs of private individuals can be dated to Sahure's reign. These including [[Molding (decorative)|torus molding]] and [[cornice]]s for false doors, first found in Persen's tomb.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|pp=10, 15 & footnote 3 p. 10}} This feature would subsequently become common and here demonstrates the particularly high esteem in which Persen must have been held by the king.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=15}} Another innovation is the depiction of small unusual offerings such as that of seven sacred oils on false doors, first found in Niankhsekhmet's tomb.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|pp=26–27}} The canonical list of offerings was also developed during or shortly before Sahure's time in the tombs of the royal family, and spread to those of non-royal high-officials{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|p=41}}{{snd}}the earliest of whom was Seshemnefer I{{snd}}under Sahure.{{sfn|Strudwick|1985|pp=39–40}}