Mary Had a Little Ram

The Spanish Mission to Dra Abu el-Naga (Proyecto Djehuty) has been working in the Eighteenth Dynasty Theban Tombs of Djehuty (TT 11) and Hery (TT 12) and their environs since 2002. The excavators uncovered a deposit west of the courtyard of TT 11, consisting of a wrapped ram, a wooden coffin, and a dense deposit of pottery sherds. This is possibly one of the earliest excavated animal burials in the Theban area, and unusual in the fact that it is of a ram. This article focuses on exploring and contextualising this rare find of the late Second Intermediate Period/early New Kingdom.

New Insights into Papyrus Millingen and the Reception History of The Teaching of Amenemhat

This article examines Papyrus Millingen, an important but now-lost manuscript of The Teaching of Amenemhat. The papyrus survives today in a nineteenth century facsimile, which was last published in black and white photographs in 1963. This article presents new color photographs of the facsimile, along with hieroglyphic transcription and philological commentary, which discusses not only the text but also what the facsimile’s paratextual features suggest about the ancient and modern copying processes. P. Millingen’s version of Amenemhat is contextualized within the full corpus of surviving copies of the poem. The article proposes several possible social contexts for the manuscript’s production and usage and considers the impact of those contexts, along with broader cultural trends of the Eighteenth Dynasty, on the papyrus owner’s reception of Amenemhat.

Name Rings Associated with the “Royal Kiosk Icon” in the Theban Tombs during the Eighteenth Dynasty

The name rings depicted in the Theban tombs dating to the Eighteenth Dynasty are similar to those found on monumental topographical lists, though they seem to belong to a completely different motif: the Nine Bows. The Nine Bows are a list of nine lands considered to be the “enemies of Egypt,” a list that can be seen to fluctuate over time in parallel to the socio-political context. This article covers the phenomenon of name rings in the Theban tombs as a component of the “Royal Kiosk Icon,” examining their iconography and overall form to articulate typological differences for dating purposes, together with a brief discussion on their meaning and placement within the tombs themselves.

War and Order in Eighteenth Dynasty Egypt (1550‒1295 BCE)

Summary This paper studies royal inscriptions of the Eighteenth Dynasty—a period of extensive military activity in Nubia and the Levant—to examine the prevailing assumption that earthly wars were conceived as mirroring a cosmic struggle between order and chaos. Instead, the sources suggest a more intricate picture, in which royal prerogative and divine will are at play, often ambiguously intertwined.

Epigraphic notes on the aleph-sign (Gardiner G1) in the second half of the Eighteenth Dynasty

The paper proposes to consider the hieroglyphic writing of the aleph-sign (Gardiner G1) in royal monumental architecture as a dating criterion. A certain epigraphic feature of the sign appears to be particularly characteristic of the second half of the Eighteenth Dynasty and the beginning of the Nineteenth Dynasty. The characteristics of the sign are discussed mainly in reference to the renewal texts, concluding with some remarks on the chronology of the restorations of reliefs in the Hatshepsut temple at Deir el-Bahari.

Tell el-Retaba (West): season 2019

Area 4 north of the Migdol was the focus of the 2019 season excavations. An apparent well from Phase G3 was discovered with some pottery sherds inside dating from the end of the Middle Kingdom. In the early Eighteenth Dynasty it was turned into a cemetery; seven tombs discovered this season provided the first evidence of suprapositioning of grave structures in this part of the burial ground. The outskirts of the Phase G settlement and cemetery may have been reached in the excavation. Mud-brick structures from Phase F3 were used for domestic and crafting activities. A battery of ovens continued to be excavated. Parts of Phase F2 architecture were excavated beside the Migdol and below the platform of Wall 2. Artifacts and raw materials indicated long-distance contacts. Metal objects (rings, needles) and arrowheads were also discovered. Phase D4 was represented by the remains of a transport route/walkway. Two silos and a fireplace enclosed by a wall dated to phase C.

A Family of Lector-Priests at Edfu: Oriental Institute Stela E11455 and the 'Ib Family during the Early Eighteenth Dynasty

This article presents the study of two stelae from Edfu dating to the early Eighteenth Dynasty that represent members of the same extended family of lector-priests from Edfu (Oriental Institute E11455 and Princeton Y1993-151). The texts of both stelae were published in the early twentieth century; however, neither stela has been comprehensively published. The two stelae present the opportunity to revisit the family’s genealogy and chronological position. The study also considers dating criteria for late Second Intermediate period and early Eighteenth Dynasty stelae and assesses the contemporary positioning and role of lector-priests. Finally, it briefly addresses the influence of documentary scribal culture on monumental inscriptions vis-a?-vis the late Second Intermediate period–early New Kingdom Tell Edfu Ostraca.

The Late Eighteenth Dynasty Tomb of Ry at Saqqara (Reign of Tutankhamun). Horemheb’s Chief of Bowmen and Overseer of Horses Contextualised

This article presents the Saqqara tomb of Ry, an army official who built his funerary monument in the immediate post-Amarna period (temp. Tutankhamun c. 1319–1310 BCE). The Leiden-Turin Expedition to Saqqara excavated this anonymous mud-brick tomb structure in 2013. Recent research revealed that various decorated limestone revetment blocks held in museum collections around the world derive from this tomb. They were removed by early excavators almost 200 years ago and formed part of the antiquities collections of prominent collectors such as Giuseppe Passalacqua and Henry Abbott. The dispersed tomb elements bearing texts and iconography are here contextualised and the funerary monument is analysed in the framework of the development of the Memphite New Kingdom necropolis. ملخص البحث يقدم هذا المقال مدفن ري في سقارة، مسؤول بالجيش بنى لنفسه المدفن في فترة ما بعد العمارنة مباشرة (فترة توت عنخ أمون، حوالي 1319-1310 قبل الميلاد). قامت بعثات ليدن وتورينو في عام 2013 بتنقيب هذا المدفن المجهول في سقارة، وهو مبني بالطوب الطيني. كشفت الأبحاث الحديثة أن العديد من لوحات الحجر الجيري المزخرفة والمنتشرة في عدة متاحف حول العالم أصلها من هذا المدفن. لقد تم نقلها أثناء الحفريات المبكرة قبل مئتان عام تقريباً وكانت جزءاً من المجموعات الأثرية لهواة جمع الآثار البارزين مثل جوزيبي باسالاكوا وهنري أبوت. العناصر المبعثرة لهذا القبر تحمل نصوصاً وأيقونات مختلفة، في هذا النص تم جمعها ودراستها وتحليل الغرفة الجنائزية في إطار تطور مقابر ممفيس خلال فترة الدولة الحديثة.