Djoser, also known as Netjerikhet was the second King of the 3rd Dynasty (c. 2650–c. 2575 BCE) of ancient Kemet, who undertook the construction of the earliest important stone building in Kemet. His reign, which lasted around 19 years, was marked by great technological innovation in the use of stone architecture. His minister, Imhotep, a talented architect and physician, was himself deified in later periods. The funerary complex of King Djoser at Saqqara, with its Step Pyramid, is the most extraordinary architectural complex of the Old Kingdom.
The statue of King Djoser, a notable figure from the Third Dynasty of ancient Kemet, is primarily recognized for its representation in the Saqqara complex. This statue typically depicts Djoser seated, embodying both authority and divinity. He is often shown wearing traditional royal garb, which includes a kilt, nemes headdress and a false beard, symbolizing his status as a nswt-bjtj (pharaoh).
The statues limb proportions has been described as unusually long by some academics who may be unaware that these are your typical "tropical body proportions" that exist among Nile Valley Africans. Djoser’s facial features are depicted with a sense of serenity and strength, and his gaze is directed forward, signifying his eternal watch over his kingdom. Unfortunately his nose and eyes have been vandalized. On the Relief of King Djoser you can see his full lips and round snub nose still fully intact. The relief also gives us a side view of his dreadlocks.
The earliest depiction of a headdress that can definitely be identified as a "proto-nemes" is to be found on the ka statue of the Dynasty III king, Djoser, which was originally in the serdab attached to his Step Pyramid Complex at Saqqara, but is now in the Cairo Museum. On his ka statue, Djoser is shown wearing what appears to be a shrunken form of the nemes, for although the overall shape of his headcovering is similar to the later versions of the nemes, on closer inspection Djoser is found to be wearing his hair in the tripartite style, which can be seen sticking out from beneath the kerchief. The kerchief is shown with short pointed lappets, and instead of a tightly secured queue behind, the ends of the kerchief are left loose in a point; therefore, it should be classified as a proto-nemes.
Radiating from his nemes head wrap are thick twisted dreadlocks which hang down to around the middle of his back. Djoser is also shown with a beard that wraps around the chin from ear to ear, the Early Dynastic royal beard. One of the only other Early Dynastic instance of the dreadlock hairstyle is found on an ivory figurine from the Main Deposit, now in the Ashmolean Museum (E.4976).
One of the notable features of this statue is his Nemes head wrap, which represents his kingship and divine right to rule. Beneath this crown, Djoser has long, robust dreadlocks bulging from underneath his Nemes head wrap. These locs can be interpreted as a symbol of his connection to the divine and his royal lineage, aligning with the broader representation of pharaohs as intermediaries between the gods and the people.
In a 2009 study British archeologist Geoffrey Tassie acknowledges the importance of Kemetic hair in the portrayal of social and class status stating, "hairstyles were a means of displaying status. An institutionalized cannon for hairstyles was established coinciding with the creations of administrative institutions. These codified hairstyles continued to serve as the norms for identifying members of the administration or signs of authority." The study of ritualistic and hierarchal hairstyles in ancient Africa is called ethno-trichology.
Reconstruction by: www.youtube.com/kingsmono
"King of Upper Kemet…Beautiful is the Ka-Soul of Ra who appears in Waset"
"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at
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