Notation of Fractions

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Imhausen
Keyword(s):  
Small Group ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Ancient Egyptian

This chapter discusses the development of the ancient Egyptian concept of fractions. The beginnings of fractions in ancient Egypt consisted of a small group of specific fractions written by special signs. These fractions are first attested within the context of metrological systems, but they retain their notation in later times as abstract fractions. The list of earliest fractions comprises 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4, and it may be inferred that fractions came to be understood as the inverses of integers. As a consequence, the Egyptian notation of fractions did not consist of numerator and denominator but rather of the respective integer of which the fraction was the inverse and a symbol to designate it as an inverse, that is, a fraction. Following the concept of fractions as inverses of integers, the next step would have been to express parts that consist of more than one of these inverses. This was done by (additive) juxtaposition of different inverses.

When Ancient Egyptians Copied Egyptian Work

2020 ◽  
pp. 146-162
Author(s):  
Tamás A. Bács
Keyword(s):  
Visual Culture ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Artistic Activity ◽  
Ancient Egyptian

Repetition or the practice of copying preeminently structured artistic activity in ancient Egypt. Besides its role in training, as a technique of learning to practice an art, and also serving documentary purposes in creating record copies, it served as a conscious artistic strategy in the act of representation. Different modes of the practice coexisted, such as replication or the effort to reproduce perfect replicas, differential reproduction that encouraged variation as well as emulation and could result in transformation, and finally eclectic imitation that characterized “archaism.” What were deemed as appropriate to serve as models for imitation in ancient Egyptian visual culture at any moment depended not only on the particular aesthetic and historical contexts but also on their accessibility, be it physical or archival.

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.

Libraries in Ancient Egypt, c.1600–800 BCE

2019 ◽  
pp. 244-318
Author(s):  
Fredrik Hagen
Keyword(s):  
Rare Case ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Archaeological Remains ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Historical Individual ◽  
Indirect Sources

The chapter surveys the evidence for ancient Egyptian libraries during the period 1600–800 BCE. It looks at both private and institutional libraries, defined as collections of papyri with literary texts, with a notable focus on archaeological context, and the use and materiality of manuscripts. Given the paucity of archaeological remains of temple and palace libraries, many indirect sources play a key role in the analysis, including book labels, administrative titles, and patterns of transmission for literary texts. Private libraries are better attested, and here the main groups are described with a particular focus on their importance for reconstructing the circulation and reception of literature. Finally, the chapter includes a rare case study where an historical individual and his family can be identified as the owners of a private library.

Ancient Egyptian Plant-Remains in the Manchester Museum

1987 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 245-246
Author(s):  
Renate Germer
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Plant Remains

This article provides a complete, analytical list, with provenance and date, of the plant-remains from ancient Egypt in the Manchester Museum.

A World Without Play?

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Family Life ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Growing Up ◽  
Intended Audience ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Egyptian Iconography

Social status, religious affiliations and beliefs, wealth, power, aspirations, and desires were all expressed through ancient Egyptian iconography, but children and the process of growing up are rarely the main focus of artistic compositions. While the selectiveness of ancient sources may mean that we cannot reconstruct an accurate or comprehensive picture of the experience of childhood in ancient Egypt, figured ostraca and other imagery at least provide insights into the contribution children made to the economy and to family life in antiquity. This chapter explores the contexts in which children were depicted, to show that the lived reality of youth is accessible at least insofar as it was relevant to the medium, intended audience, or the context in which images were displayed.

1. Four little words

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Land Art ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Representational Power ◽  
Art And Architecture ◽  
Made In

‘Four little words’ analyses the meanings of ‘Ancient’, ‘Egyptian’, ‘art’, and ‘architecture’ in order to understand how Egyptian art and architecture are studied and discussed, why and how they have influenced the modern world, and whether iconic examples of Egyptian artworks and buildings are in any way representative of cultural norms and lived experience in the ancient past. When is ‘ancient’ Egypt? Where and what was ‘Egypt’ in antiquity and how did its people describe themselves and their land? Art and architecture are considered to comprise those objects made in such a way that their form and materials contribute to their representational power, social or symbolic significance, and aesthetic qualities.

BEFORE THE IMF: THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF UNINTENTIONAL STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT IN ANCIENT EGYPT

2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-131 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Warburton
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Structural Adjustment ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Market Forces ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Technological Improvement ◽  
The Bronze Age

AbstractDebate about states and markets in the Bronze Age world has directed attention away from their roles and thus away from the way these economies functioned. The ancient Egyptian state assigned fields to its dependents and stimulated demand by spending and taxation. Markets and market forces were responsible for the allocation and distribution of materials in the ancient Near East from the end of the third millennium. Growth did not result from technological improvement or market competition so much as from demand stimulus, as in the modern world, suggesting that demand is more important than supply.

Mathematical texts

2020 ◽  
pp. 1032-1040
Author(s):  
Annette Imhausen
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Knowledge ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Modern Analysis ◽  
Mathematical Techniques ◽  
Mathematical Texts ◽  
The Way

Approximately a dozen mathematical papyri have survived from ancient Egypt. Based on their script (but also their stage of the Egyptian language) they fall into two groups—hieratic and demotic texts. These papyri constitute our primary source material to learn about ancient Egyptian mathematics. Because of the procedural style that they were written in, it is assumed that they were used in teaching junior scribes the mathematical techniques they would need for their job; however, the procedural format may also have constituted the way of collecting mathematical knowledge at the time. It is only if this format is taken into account in the (modern) analysis of Egyptian mathematical texts that their sophistication becomes visible, and a deeper understanding of Egyptian mathematics beyond rudimentary similarities to modern equivalents can therefore be achieved.

Ancient Egyptian architecture

2020 ◽  
pp. 426-440
Author(s):  
Corinna Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Ancient Egyptian ◽  
Large Scale Analysis ◽  
Ancient Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Egyptian Architecture

Architectural remains represent one of our main sources of information on ancient Egypt, and one of the first aspects of the ancient Egyptian civilization to have captured the attention of the earliest explorers. Since Egyptology was born, and while it developed as a discipline, the study of ancient Egyptian architecture evolved from initial cursory studies on portions of monuments emerging from the sand, to a wide spectrum of investigations, ranging from analyses of the chemical composition of building materials to the ancient mathematics lying at the basis of the ancient projects, and from the detailed study of specific buildings to the large-scale analysis of the relationship between architecture and landscape.

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