A few comments after reading all this thread/top posts.
- Most of the details about Imhotep come from later sources. As some have already said there are only a couple/few contemporary sources, one is the inscription in statue base giving Imhotep's titles, and another is the graffito on Sekhemhet's pyramid complex. I've also seen it said that Imhotep was not recorded after his lifetime until the 18th dynasty? (Though I just saw a book saying one reference is supposed to be from Intef's reign, and Mercatante also says venerated after his death.) So I think most details are unreliable. Ptah is his father in some versions vs Kanofer.
Possibly Aclimon in Masoudi might be Imhotep and/or Hemon.
- I've seen a few different suggested meanings of Imhotep:
"he/the-one (who) comes in peace".
"Im is satisfied".
"the voice (or mouth) of Im (or I Am)" (likely wrong).
And one or two others I can't find right now.
Possibly Imhotep is an Egyptian rendering of the name Joseph/Yahuwseph but spelt to convey a meaning in Egyptian. The bread loaf is interesting in that connection, as is also the Heliopolis/On association, and the 3rd month of harvest.
- Interesting that Imhotep associated with Iry-pat, because Intef/Inyotef is also Iry-pat and Intef's name is similar to Imhotep (though I haven't yet checked the original Egyptian versions).
Khasekhemwy/Khaneri also has a name similar to Imhotep: Netjerwy Hetepimef, or Hetep Netjerwy Imef.
- I personally don't think the modern experts are necessarily always all so right about the precise laws and readings of hieroglyphs.
- If Don wants to see my Imhotep article which lists a lot of details about Imhotep from sources I will PM it, but I am not posting the link in here to be possibly awfully attacked by critics.
- I think it is very wrong to trash all net/web sources as all being wrong/unreliable, and all library/etc books as being reliable. There are sites by or using supposed academic experts, are they all wrong? I've written papers with references from books as well as from select net/web sites, does that mean I unfairly wasted all my time and effort for nothing because any net/web source is rejected as unreliable simply because it is posted on the web/net and/or because it uses some web/net sources? What about all the ebooks on gutenberg, are they all wrong because they are on the web/net, or all right because they are copies of books? I also think it is wrong to completely trash sources like Daniken, because even sources like that may still contain true facts from archaeology or academic journals etc. Sitchin's books have pages of academic journals in his references, even though I don't agree with his main aliens theories. Of course one has to be careful, but it is wrong to trash people for merely mentioning some info they got via such a source. (Not that Daniken was even brought up in this topic by the OP, only by a replier.) In any case at least one book I have by AS Mercatante says Imhotep means "he who comes in peace".
- This forum should have an option to expand all replies, like the Hancock forum does, as it took me massive time and effort to click and read all the replies to this topic (not having seen it earlier, having not visited for days/weeks).
(Hope this wasn't too long as I remember we not allowed long posts here.)