The Private Funerary Stelae of the Middle Kingdom and Their Importance for the Study of Ancient Egyptian History

1947 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kurt Pflüger ◽  
Kurt Pfluger
Keyword(s):  
Middle Kingdom ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Egyptian History

The royal mummies of ancient Egypt:An odyssey of discoveries and a fascinating source of data

1970 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Bauduer
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Age At Death ◽  
Valuable Source ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Egyptian History ◽  
Source Of Information

Thanks to mummification, the physical remains of many rulers of ancient Egypt are still observable today and constitute a valuable source of information. By evaluating the age at death and sometimes elucidating the degree of kinship and circumstances of death, our knowledge of ancient Egyptian history becomes more precise. Different pathologic conditions have been found and the evolution of the mummification process can be seen through time.The most spectacular discovery was that of Tutankhamen’s mummy, the single totally undisturbed tomb, associated with a fabulous treasure.The mummy of Ramses II has been extensively studied, the only one that flew to Paris where an irradiation was delivered in order to eradicate a destructive fungal infection.The identification of Akhenaten’s mummy and the explanation for his peculiar appearance are still unsolved problems.Noticeably, many Royal mummies remain of uncertain identity or undiscovered hitherto.

Amunnakht, Scribe and Poet of Deir el-Medina

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Günter Burkard
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Administrative Records ◽  
Phonetic Transcription ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Didactic Texts ◽  
Egyptian History

Amunnakht, scribe in the necropolis of Deir el-Medina, is a well-known figure in Ancient Egyptian history. He was active in the reigns of Ramses III to Ramses VI. From his quill we have not only administrative records but also a series of literary and didactic texts. In addition to the six literary pieces, mostly fragments, ascribed to him previously, a new one, the fragment of a hymn or eulogy to one of these kings, is preserved in Ostracon O Berlin P 14262. After a hieroglyphic transliteration, phonetic transcription, translation, and detailed commentary, the question of whether Amunnakht was the author or simply the copyist of this and some — or all — of the other texts in question is discussed.

The Social Network(s) of the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period Treasurers: Rehuerdjersen, Siese, Ikhernefret and Senebsumai

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-287
Author(s):  
Danijela Stefanović
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Social Setting ◽  
Middle Kingdom ◽  
Intermediate Period ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Social Settings ◽  
Or Groups ◽  
The Social

Abstract Studies on the ancient Egyptian administrative system(s) are usually based on analysis of the institutions and officials attached to them. The present paper focuses on the social settings of the four Middle Kingdom / Second Intermediate Period highest ranking officials, i.e., treasurers. Starting with the traditional methodological approach, which focuses on collecting the prosopographic data, this paper further addresses the implementation of Social Network Analysis (SNA) tools for analyzing the obtained material. SNA is used to study people, or groups of people (nodes), linked together through social interaction, and relations or links between them (edges). SNA exemplifies various types of interaction through networks and analyzes them. By applying SNA methodology for studying the networks of the selected treasurers, it is possible to reconstruct more precisely their social setting (both private and institutional) and interrelations, which complement the traditional approach, but also provide new possibilities for research into ancient Egyptian administration.

The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology

2015 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Current State ◽  
Egyptian Culture ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Current Characteristics ◽  
The Many ◽  
Key Aspects ◽  
Egyptian History

The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology presents a series of articles by colleagues working across the many archaeological, philological and cultural subdisciplines within the study of ancient Egypt from prehistory through to the end of the Roman Period. The volume seeks to place Egyptology within its theoretical, methodological, and historical contexts, both indicating how the subject has evolved and discussing its distinctive contemporary problems, issues and potential. Transcending conventional boundaries between archaeological and ancient textual analysis, it stresses the need for Egyptology to seek multidisciplinary methods and broader collaborations if it is to remain contemporary and relevant. It therefore serves as a reference work not only for those working within the discipline, but also as a gateway into Egyptology for archaeologists, anthropologists, sociologists and linguists. The book is organized into ten parts, the first of which examines the many different historical and geographical perspectives that have influenced the development and current characteristics of the discipline. Part II addresses the various environmental aspects of the subject: landscapes, climate, flora, fauna and the mineral world. Part III considers a variety of practical aspects of the ways in which Egyptologists survey, characterize and manage landscapes. Part IV discusses materials and technology, from domestic architecture and artefacts through to religious and funerary items. Part V deals with Egypt’s relations with neighbouring regions and peoples, while Part VI explores the sources and interpretive frameworks that characterize different phases of ancient Egyptian history. Part VII is concerned with textual and iconographic approaches to Egyptian culture, and Part VIII comprises discussions of the key aspects of ancient Egyptian scripts and philology. Part IX presents summaries of the current state of the subject in relation to a variety of textual genres, from letters and autobiographies to socio-economic, magical and mathematical texts. The final section covers different aspects of museology and conservation.

Tomb Robberies at the End of the New Kingdom

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Gasperini
Keyword(s):  
British Museum ◽  
New Kingdom ◽  
Intermediate Period ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
New Information ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
And Function ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
First Time ◽  
Egyptian History

At the end of the 19th century W.M.F. Petrie excavated a series of assemblages at the New Kingdom Fayum site of Gurob. These deposits, known in the Egyptological literature as 'Burnt Groups', were composed by several and varied materials (mainly Egyptian and imported pottery, faience, stone and wood vessels, jewellery), all deliberately burnt and buried in the harem palace area of the settlement. Since their discovery these deposits have been considered peculiar and unparalleled. Many scholars were challenged by them and different theories were formulated to explain these enigmatic 'Burnt Groups'. The materials excavated from these assemblages are now curated at several Museum collections across England: Ashmolean Museum, British Museum, Manchester Museum, and Petrie Museum. For the first time since their discovery, this book presents these materials all together. Gasperini has studied and visually analysed all the items. This research sheds new light on the chronology of deposition of these assemblages, additionally a new interpretation of their nature, primary deposition, and function is presented in the conclusive chapter. The current study also gives new information on the abandonment of the Gurob settlement and adds new social perspective on a crucial phase of the ancient Egyptian history: the transition between the late New Kingdom and the early Third Intermediate Period. Beside the traditional archaeological sources, literary evidence ('The Great Tomb Robberies Papyri') is taken into account to formulate a new theory on the deposition of these assemblages.

Cursive Hieroglyphs in the Book of the Dead

2020 ◽  
pp. 577-589
Author(s):  
Rita Lucarelli
Keyword(s):  
Middle Kingdom ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
The Dead ◽  
Book Of The Dead

The script characterizing most scrolls of the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead is called by scholars Totenbuch-Kursive or “Book of the Dead cursive” and it is characterized by an accentuated level of cursiveness in comparison to monumental hieroglyphs. This script also presents similarities with hieratic, as the latter can be seen as a cursive variant of monumental hieroglyphs. The Book of the Dead cursive occurs on a number of sources, the most popular of which are papyri and linen; however, when tomb walls and coffins are decorated with spells of funerary magic, the latter are written in cursive forms as well. In general, it seems that the Totenbuch-Kursive was employed also for non-Book of the Dead sources, mainly for texts of religious, magical, medico-magical, and ritual texts from the Middle Kingdom on; in that sense, we are dealing with a linear script that is not specific of the Book of the Dead genre of texts only.

The Materiality of Shabtis: Figurines over Four Millennia

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn E. Howley
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Background ◽  
Significant Part ◽  
Archaeological Record ◽  
Human Response ◽  
Archaeological Data ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Ancient Times ◽  
Different Cultures ◽  
Egyptian History

Miniature human figurines have inspired many theoretical advances in archaeological literature, centred around universal human reactions to the material affect of their form. However, confirmation that ancient audiences had such reactions to figurines can be difficult to access in the archaeological record. Egyptian shabtis, a type of funerary figurine, allow such reactions to be accessed by the archaeologist due to their widespread use throughout a long period of Egyptian history and their continuing popularity in other cultures since ancient times: evidence consists of a broad range of textual, artistic and archaeological data from many different cultures over a period of roughly 4000 years. This evidence confirms not only that ancient Egyptian craftsmen responded to and sought to maximize the material affect of the shabtis, but that a significant part of the human response to miniature human figurines is indeed conditioned by their material qualities, independent of the figurines’ original religious function and the cultural background of the viewer.

Ancient Egyptian Urbanism in a Comparative, Global Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 77-100
Author(s):  
Michael E. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Urban Society ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Middle Kingdom ◽  
Global History ◽  
Flexible Approach ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Urban Patterns ◽  
Competing Ideas

Abstract For more than 50 years, archaeologists have debated whether or not Egypt was a “civilization without cities.” The publication of Nadine Moeller’s book, The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom, provides the opportunity to reconsider this issue, using a more complete record of the relevant archaeological finds. I present a new, flexible approach to urban definition, and then I examine the ways in which ancient Egyptian urbanism resembled and differed from other early urban traditions. I conclude that Egypt was indeed an urban society, and that Egyptian urban patterns were highly distinctive within the canon of ancient urban systems. I place these points within the context of competing ideas about the nature of global history.

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