Archaeopress Egyptology

NEW: Tomb Families: Private Tomb Distribution in the New Kingdom Theban Necropolis by Katherine Slinger. Paperback; 205x290mm; 412pp; 361 figures, 66 tables (colour throughout). 821 2022 Archaeopress Egyptology 40. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781803270364. £70.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781803270371. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £70.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Tomb Families investigates the apparently random distribution of New Kingdom private tombs in the Theban Necropolis by focusing on factors which may have influenced tomb location. The Theban Necropolis contains hundreds of tombs belonging to elite individuals, dating from the end of the Old Kingdom through to the Ptolemaic Period, with the vast majority dating to the New Kingdom (c.1550-1077 BC). These tombs are scattered across the landscape at the edge of the desert between the Valley of the Kings to the west, and the row of royal mortuary temples along the edge of the cultivation to the east. GPS surveying has enabled the spatial analysis of these tombs, demonstrating that specific areas of the necropolis were popular at different times and among particular groups of people. Clusters and patterns can be identified between tombs built during the same reign(s), as well as between tomb owners with similar titles and familial connections. The orientation of specific tombs towards Karnak temple, royal mortuary temples and festival processional routes reveals their significance to certain individuals. This research provides a deeper understanding of the necropolis, and how private tombs linked to the wider sacred landscape of Thebes.

About the Author
Katherine Slinger was awarded her PhD in Egyptology in 2020 from the University of Liverpool for her research into the non-royal Theban Necropolis. She graduated with a first-class degree in Egyptology in 2014, and a Master’s degree with Distinction in Egyptology in 2015, both from the University of Liverpool. She is also a qualified primary school teacher. Katherine has taught Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Sheffield and Durham University, and currently works as an Egyptology tutor in the Continuing Education department at the University of Liverpool. She is also an independent researcher and freelance lecturer.

NEW: Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods: Dt and nHH as Fundamental Concepts of Pharaonic Ideology by Steven R.W. Gregory. Paperback; 175x245mm; 196pp; 41 figures, 2 tables. 817 2022 Archaeopress Egyptology 38. Available both in print and Open Access. Printed ISBN 9781789699852. £30.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789699869.  

Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods offers a new interpretation of the terms Dt and nHH as fundamental concepts of Pharaonic ideology. The terms Dt and nHH have often been treated as synonyms reflecting notions related to the vastness of time. However, from the study of original source material – the texts and iconography compiled over some three millennia and authored by those who surely had complete understanding of their subject matter – it becomes clear that those modern interpretations are somewhat questionable. Clues to the connotations which may be ascribed to Dt and nHH are perhaps most clearly apparent in texts and imagery from the reign of Tutankhamun – a time of political upheaval during which it was more than usually important to express traditional mores with clarity to demonstrate a return to the well-established ideology underpinning pharaonic culture prior to the Amarna interlude. Testing those indications against the wider range of extant literary material confirms that Dt and nHH were neither synonyms, nor were they entirely temporal in nature, but rather referenced a duality of ontological conditions which together were fundamental to the fabric of pharaonic ideology. The reappraisal of this duality of conditions allows the many texts and iconographic depictions surviving from dynastic Egypt to be considered from a new perspective – one providing deeper insight into the character of pharaonic culture. Moreover, it becomes apparent that the influences of an ideology which evolved during times pre-dating the pyramid builders permeated the philosophical and theological treaties of the scholars of ancient Greece and Rome, and thence into more recent times. At least two great gods may live on.

About the Author
Steven Gregory studied Egyptology at the University of Exeter and later at the University of Birmingham – but mainly in the surviving monuments of Egypt itself, where the notions forming the basis of this book took shape. The final thesis was developed over a period of some 17 years during which research in the field was punctuated by periods of teaching in both adult and higher education. While teaching at the University of Birmingham the author joined colleagues in founding the student and alumni group, Birmingham Egyptology, and became the first editor of the Birmingham Egyptology Journal. Meanwhile continuing research, focussed on the interpretation of texts and iconography to determine aspects of pharaonic ideology, led to the publication of articles in a variety of academic journals and edited volumes, and the monograph, Herihor in Art and Iconography.

NEW: Religious Practice and Cultural Construction of Animal Worship in Egypt from the Early Dynastic to the New Kingdom Ritual Forms, Material Display, Historical Development by Angelo Colonna. Paperback; 205x290mm; 242pp; 33 figures, 23 tables (5 pages of colour). 788 2021 Archaeopress Egyptology 36. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789698213. £35.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789698220. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £35.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Religious Practice and Cultural Construction of Animal Worship in Egypt from the Early Dynastic to the New Kingdom presents an articulated historical interpretation of Egyptian ‘animal worship’ – intended as a segment of religious practice focused on the mobilisation of selected animals within strategically designed ritual contexts – from the Early Dynastic to the New Kingdom, and offers a new understanding of its chronological development through a fresh review of pertinent archaeological and textual data. The goal is twofold: (1) to re-conceptualise the notion of ‘animal worship’ on firm theoretical and material bases, reassessing its heuristic value as a tool for analysis; (2) to demonstrate, accordingly, that ‘animal worship’ did not represent a late degeneration of traditional religion, socially (popular cult) and thematically (animal mummies and burials) restricted, but a complex domain of religious practice with a longer history and a larger variety of configurations than usually assumed.

About the Author Angelo Colonna is Research Fellow in Egyptology at Sapienza University of Rome, where he graduated in 2010 and completed his PhD in 2014. In 2017 he was Academic Visitor at the Oriental Institute – Oxford University. His research on animal worship has been awarded by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei (2016) and the Istituto Italiano per la Storia Antica (2017).

FORTHCOMING: The Sun Temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab Ten Years of Archaeological Research edited by Massimiliano Nuzzolo. Paperback; 205x290mm. Price: TBC.. 804 2021 Archaeopress Egyptology 37. ISBN 9781789695717.

The Sun Temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab presents a decade of research at one of the most significant and unique royal monuments of Ancient Egypt. First discovered by Ludwig Borchardt in 1898, the temple is located in the northernmost part of the Abusir plateau and is the only one out of the six sanctuaries known from the historical sources that is still visible and reasonably well preserved. Since 2010, an Italian archaeological mission has been re-excavating this unparalleled architectural complex of Fifth Dynasty Egypt (25th century BCE). In this book the main results of the last 10 years of work are presented, including: an overall architectural reassessment of the temple and its main components; a catalogue of the archaeological evidence available on the ground (some of which was entirely unpublished); new methodologies of documentation and management of the dataset; analysis of the material culture that emerged during the present field-work; and a study of the sun temple’s religious and physical landscape.

About the Editor
Massimiliano Nuzzolo is Assistant Professor of Egyptology at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, where, since 2020, he has directed the Sun Temples Project: Religious spaces, ideological patterns and social dynamics of constructing the sacred landscape in Third Millennium BC Egypt. Since 2010 he has been Co-Director of the archaeological expedition to the sun temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab, Egypt, together with Prof. Rosanna Pirelli and Dr. Andrea D’Andrea, from L'Orientale University of Naples, Italy.

Pharmacy and Medicine in Ancient Egypt Proceedings of the conference held in Barcelona (2018) edited by Rosa Dinarès Solà, Mikel Fernàndez Georges and Maria Rosa Guasch-Jané. Paperback; 174x245mm; 156 pages; 76 figures, 14 tables. 744 2021 Archaeopress Egyptology 34. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789697704. £30.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789697711. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £30.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Pharmacy and Medicine in Ancient Egypt presents the proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Pharmacy and Medicine in Ancient Egypt (Barcelona, October 25-26, 2018). The conference included presentations on new research and advances in the topics covered in the first two conferences (Cairo, 2007 and Manchester, 2008). It showcased the most recent pharmaceutical and medical studies on human remains and organic and plant material from ancient Egypt, together with related discussions on textual and iconographic evidence, to evaluate the present state of knowledge and the advances we have made on pharmacy and veterinary and human medicine in Ancient Egypt. The conference program combined plenary sessions, oral communications and posters with discussions that established interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and research groups to formulate breakthrough approaches in these fi elds. Participation in the conference and poster sessions ranged from distinguished researchers and professors from academic institutions, museums and universities, to postgraduates and doctoral students at the beginning of their careers.

About the Editors
Dr Rosa Dinarès Solà holds a BSc in Medicine (1980), specialising in radiology and a MA in Egyptology (2000) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). She was President of the Catalan-Balearic Association of Paleopathology (2014-2017) and has conducted research in missions at Luxor (Egypt) practicing radiographs on mummies and human remains. ;

Dr Mikel Fernandez Georges has obtained BScs in both Biology (1995) and Linguistics (2005) from the University of Barcelona. He has a MA in Egyptology (1999) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona and a PhD in Linguistics (2015) from the University of Barcelona. Dr Fernandez took part in the excavation campaign (1986) of Tertiary fauna at the palaeontological site of Incarcal. He currently teaches at the INS Frederica Montseny secondary school at Badia del Vallès. ;

Dr Maria Rosa Guasch-Jané holds a BSc in Pharmacy (1996), MSc in Nutrition and Food Science (1998), MA in Egyptology (2000) and PhD in Pharmacy (2005). Dr Guasch has been director of the Study of Viticulture and Oenology in Egyptian Tombs research project (2011-2014) at Nova University, Lisbon, and post-doctoral researcher Marie-Sklodowska Curie on the EGYWINE European project (2016-2018) at the Mondes Pharaoniques lab (UMR 8167 ‘Orient et Méditerranée’) of Sorbonne University in Paris.

Doors, Entrances and Beyond... Various Aspects of Entrances and Doors of the Tombs in the Memphite Necropoleis during the Old Kingdom by Leo Roeten. Paperback; 205x290mm; 202 pages; 169 figures, 11 tables (black & white throughout). 714 2021 Archaeopress Egyptology 33. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789698718. £34.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789698725. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £34.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Doors are more than a physical means to close off an entrance or an exit; doors can also indicate that a boundary between two worlds has been crossed. This is above all the case for the door into the chapel. Such a door constitutes a barrier between the world of the living and the world where the living and the dead can coexist, while, inside the chapel, the false door acts as a barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead. Taking into account both physical and non-physical aspects of the door, Doors, Entrances and Beyond... proposes that porticos, false doors, niches and mastaba chapel entrances are interconnected in their function as a barrier between two worlds, of which the entrance into the chapel is the most important. The different elements of the entrance have a signalling, identifying, inviting and in some cases a warning function, but once inside the entrance itself, the decoration of its corridor walls adds a guiding and an explanatory function to it. The main themes there are the tomb owner standing or seated with or without members of the family, and subsidiary figures. Over the course of time, decreasing tomb dimensions correlate with the decreasing size of the chosen decoration themes. At the same time, both on the walls of the corridor and the false door, a change of decoration themes took place which can be explained through the changing mode of supply of the k3 of the deceased.

About the Author
Leo Roeten obtained a Masters degree in biochemistry and plant physiology at the University of Amsterdam in 1972, which was followed by a career in this field, after which he completed a PhD in Egyptology at the University of Leiden in 2011. From then on he has been active as an independent researcher specializing in the Old Kingdom tombs of the Memphite necropoleis. This research has led to a number of articles and three books: The decoration of the cult chapel walls of the Old Kingdom at Giza (2014), Chronological developments in the Old Kingdom tombs in the necropoleis of Giza, Saqqara and Abusir (2016), and Loaves, beds, plants and Osiris (2018).

Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence by Susan Thorpe. Paperback; 156x234mm; 136 pages. 713 2021 Archaeopress Egyptology 32. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789695076. £20.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789695083. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £20.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Representations and inscriptions on tomb and temple walls and individual stelae have provided considerable knowledge of ancient Egyptian daily life, religious custom and military achievements. However, as visual or eulogistic textual evidence they are unable to provide the insight into the people themselves, their personalities and the events and issues they were concerned with, insight which can be found in personal correspondence. Daily Life in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence addresses a selection of letters from the Old Kingdom up to and including the Twenty-first Dynasty. Under the topic headings of problems and issues, daily life, religious matters, military and police matters, it will show the insight they provide regarding aspects of belief, relationships, custom and behaviour, evidencing the distinctiveness of the data such personal correspondence can provide as a primary source of daily life in ancient Egypt – the extra dimension.

About the Author
Susan Thorpe moved to New Zealand from the UK in 1976. In 2003 she enrolled at the University of Auckland and graduated in 2008, majoring in Ancient History. Specialising in Egyptology, she achieved BA Honours (First Class) in 2009 and Masters (First class) in 2010. The topic for her PhD, which she commenced in 2011, was ‘Social Aspects found in Ancient Egyptian Personal Correspondence’. She graduated in 2016. Since then, she has held the position of Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Auckland. She has attended and presented at conferences in Europe, the UK, Australia and New Zealand and had her work accepted for publication in conference proceedings and journals. This publication is the result of further research into the topic of ancient Egyptian personal letters.

Reviews
This is a fascinating read that really brings ancient Egyptian people to life - from the standard-bearer Maiseti threatening a man with death while also asking him to provide more rope, to the horrified Khay sent a jar of fat instead of honey. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Egyptology, with plenty of background notes and references to keep the academics happy.
—Sarah Griffiths, Ancient Egypt, Volume 22, Number 1

In one letter a man demands his maidservant be returned, while in another a brother complains that his sister doesn’t write to him. Each provide a unique snapshot of what it was to live in the shadow of the pyramids. This work yields a fascinating glimpse of what it was to be a part of this long-vanished world.—Dianna Wray, AramcoWorld, Vol. 72, No. 5

Invisible Connections: An Archaeometallurgical Analysis of the Bronze Age Metalwork from the Egyptian Museum of the University of Leipzig by Martin Odler and Jiří Kmošek. Paperback; 205x290mm; 200 pages; 176 figures, 15 tables (colour throughout). 692 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 31. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789697407. £44.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789697414. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £44.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Egyptian Museum of the University of Leipzig has the largest university collection of ancient Egyptian artefacts in Germany. It includes important objects from the excavations of the most prolific excavator among the museum’s curators, Georg Steindorff, at the sites of Abusir, Aniba, and Giza, complemented by objects from Abydos, Thebes, and Kerma. The catalogue represents the results of an interdisciplinary project by Egyptologist and archaeologist Martin Odler, archaeometalurgist Jiří Kmošek and other participating researchers. A selection of 86 artefacts was analysed using a range of archaeometallurgical methods (X-ray fluorescence; metallography; neutron activation analysis; lead isotope analysis), providing a diachronic sample of Bronze Age Egyptian copper alloy metalwork from Dynasty 1 to Dynasty 19.

Besides currently popular focus on the ore provenance, the selection of the applied methods aimed also at the description of practical physical properties of the objects. The question of differences between full-size functional artefacts and models is addressed, as is the problem of 'imports' and their ethnic interpretation. The analyses brought many unexpected results to light, the most surprising being a bowl (ÄMUL 2162) made of arsenical copper high in nickel, which has parallels in Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Anatolia, and was featured in an article in the Journal of Archaeological Science in 2018. The corpus presented here involves the largest analysed metalwork assemblage from the Nubian C-Group and the Egyptian New Kingdom, and it addresses the issue of the use of local Nubian ore sources versus the sources of copper from Cyprus and elsewhere.

About the Authors
Martin Odler defended his PhD thesis 'The social context of copper in ancient Egypt down to the end of Middle Kingdom' in 2020. In 2016, he published the monograph 'Old Kingdom Copper Tools and Model Tools', the first of its kind in Egyptology, with Archaeopress. In Abusir (Egypt), he led, together with Marie Peterková Hlouchová, an excavation of a new type of Egyptian tomb (AS 103) and of the latest known tomb of a transitional type from early Dynasty 4 (AS 104).

Jiří Kmošek is an archaeometallurgist, a PhD candidate at the Institute for Natural Sciences and Technology in the Arts, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna. He has analysed not only ancient Egyptian material but also Bronze Age metalwork from the Czech Republic.

Environment and Religion in Ancient and Coptic Egypt: Sensing the Cosmos through the Eyes of the Divine Proceedings of the 1st Egyptological Conference of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology, Co–Organized with the Writing & Scripts Centre of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the Institute of Coptic Studies (University of Alexandria), at the People’s University of Athens, under the High Auspices of His Eminence Mgr Damianos, Archbishop of Sinai. Athens: Wednesday 1st, Thursday 2nd & Friday 3rd February 2017 edited by Alicia Maravelia and Nadine Guilhou. Paperback; 210x297mm; 582 pages; highly illustrated throughout in colour. 673 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 30. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789696394. £90.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789696400 . £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £90.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Environment and Religion in Ancient and Coptic Egypt: Sensing the Cosmos through the Eyes of the Divine presents the proceedings of a conference held in Athens between 1st-3rd February 2017. The Hellenic Institute of Egyptology, in close collaboration with the Writing & Scripts Centre of Bibliotheca Alexandrina and the University of Alexandria, organized the conference concerning the ancient Egyptian religion, Coptic Christianity and Environment. Thus, the endeavour was to sense the Cosmos, through a virtual Einfahlung, as a manifestation of the Divine and the manifestations of the Divine in the environmental, cosmic and societal spheres. Egyptians were particularly pious and they considered their surroundings and the Universe itself as a creation and a direct immanence of the Divine, being also convinced that they were congenital parts of the Cosmos and adoring their divinities, who were also personifications of environmental and/or cosmic aspects and forces. There are many examples (epigraphic, textual, monumental, & c.) corroborating these relations and that ancient Egyptian piety was rooted on the bi-faceted texture of the ancient Egyptian religion, containing a solar and an astral component: the former was related to Rec, while the latter was related to Osiris. The conference took place with participations of a pleiade of Egyptologists, archaeologists, archaeoastronomers, theologians, historians and other scholars from more than 15 countries all over the world. In this unique volume are published most of the contributions of the delegates who sent their papers for peer-reviewing, enriching the bibliographic resources with original and interesting articles. This publication of more than 580 pages containing 34 fresh and original papers (plus 2 abstracts) on the ancient Egyptian religion, Environment and the Cosmos, fruitfully connects many interdisciplinary approaches and Egyptology, archaeology, archaeoastronomy, geography, botany, zoology, ornithology, theology and history.

About the Editors
Alicia Maravelia is Founder and President of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology (2011). She is Professor of Egyptology at the People's University of Athens and Institute's Seminar. A member of the Editorial Board of several peer-reviewed journals, she is the Editor in Chief of the JHIE. She is Coordinator of the Athens Mummy Project. ;

Nadine Guilhou studied French Literature, History of Art & Archaeology in the University Paul-Valery, Montpellier, obtaining her PhD in Egyptology under Prof. Dr Fr. Daumas. She specializes in ritual and funerary texts from the OK to the PP and has published many books and papers concerning this topic.

‘Blood Is Thicker Than Water’ – Non-Royal Consanguineous Marriage in Ancient Egypt An Exploration of Economic and Biological Outcomes by Joanne-Marie Robinson. Paperback; 175x245mm; 246 pages; 21 figures, 14 tables (11 colour pages). 646 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 29. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789695434. £38.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789695441. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £38.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Discussions on consanguineous marriage within Egyptology usually focus on brother-sister marriages recorded in census returns from Roman Egypt, or royal sibling marriages amongst the ruling Ptolemies. However, no wide-ranging review exists of non-royal consanguineous marriage in ancient Egypt despite the economic and biological implications of such relationships. This is the first time that evidence for nonroyal consanguineous marriage in ancient Egypt has been collated from select sources spanning the Middle Kingdom to the Roman Period and a method created to investigate the potential economic and biological outcomes of these unions, particularly beyond the level of sibling and half-sibling unions. The working definition of consanguineous marriage used throughout this study is that used by clinical geneticists: unions contracted between cousins biologically related as second cousins or closer biological kin. This research argues that for some families, and under certain conditions, consanguineous marriage was a preferred economic strategy in terms of gifts given at marriage and in inheritance, and that families who married consanguineously may have received greater levels of intra-familial support without the expectation of reciprocity. Although there may have been adverse biological outcomes arising from congenital anomalies and genetic disorders in the offspring of consanguineous marriages, the research suggests that it is unlikely that these physical or cognitive disorders were distinguished from other medical disorders in the general health environment of ancient Egypt. The investigation focuses primarily on ancient Egyptian documentary and archaeological sources, including human remains, and is informed by research on consanguinity from a range of disciplines including anthropology, demography, economics and pathology.

About the Author
Joanne-Marie Robinson is a Visiting Scholar at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester. She has a research interest in non-royal consanguineous marriage in ancient Egypt and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the socio-cultural and religious factors that influence this choice of marriage partner. Her work also considers the potential biological outcomes of consanguineous marriage and investigates the reception to congenital physical and cognitive anomalies in ancient Egypt. This book presents the outcomes of a research project. The author holds a PhD in Egyptology and has worked as a lecturer, writer and advisor for television and radio programmes focusing on religion and history.

The Festivals of Opet, the Valley, and the New Year Their Socio-Religious Functions by Masashi Fukaya. Paperback; 205x290mm; 306 pages; 37 figures, 26 tables. Print RRP: £45.00. 636 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 28. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789695953. £45.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789695960. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £45.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Festivals of Opet, the Valley, and the New Year: Their socio-religious functions compares the religious and social functions of these three Festivals, the first two of which were often regarded by the Egyptians as a pair; the New Year Festival stands out on account of its corpus of surviving material and importance. Until now, detailed study of the New Year Festival has only been carried out with reference to the Greco-Roman period; this study turns its attention to the New Kingdom. The book analyses the broad perspectives that encompass Egyptian religion and cult practices which provided the context not only for worship and prayer, but also for the formation of social identity and responsibility. The festivals are examined in the whole together with their settings in the religious and urban landscapes. The best example is New Kingdom Thebes where large temples and burial sites survive intact today with processional routes connecting some of them. Also presented are the abundant written sources providing deep insight into those feasts celebrated for Amun-Re, the king of the gods. The volume also includes a list of dated records which provides a concordance for the Egyptian calendars.

About the Author
Masashi Fukaya comes from the city Tokai to the south of Nagoya. After studying at the University of Tsukuba he completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Oxford in 2014. He has long focused on religious festivals where the general public would communicate with the god in various forms, and also been extending his interests to women, foreigners, and the socially weak. At present he teaches as a visiting researcher at Aichi Prefectural University, Japan.

I templi del Fayyum di epoca tolemaico-romana: tra fonti scritte e contesti archeologici Per una classificazione degli edifici sacri nell’Egitto tolemaico e romano by Ilaria Rossetti. Paperback; 205x290mm; 284 pages; 165 figures, 6 tables. Italian text. RRP: £45.00. 622 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 27. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789694956. £45.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789694963. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £45.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

During the Ptolemaic period, Egyptian temples were divided into three ranks: first, second and third class. There was no trace of this classification of sacred buildings in the papyri of the Roman period when only the most important temples were classified by the epithet logima hiera. This work aims to understand the rules according to which Egyptian sacred buildings were classified and how these first, second and third-class temples were planned and arranged.

To do this, an integrated analysis of different kinds of sources was carried out: all the Graeco-Roman papyri and the inscriptions, which contain rank epithets, were examined and different archaeological data about the temples of the Fayyum region were investigated. Based on these sources, it was possible to put forward different hypotheses on the administration and architectural aspects of these sacred buildings.

About the Author
Ilaria Rossetti is currently an archaeology officer at the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. She obtained a Master’s Degree cum laude and a post-graduate degree at the Bologna University in Egyptology. In 2015 she obtained a PhD at Siena University. From 2015-2017 she was junior researcher at Bologna University, where she was involved in numerous archaeological projects. Since 2012, she has been field-director of archaeological Mission at Bakchias coordinated by the two co-directors Prof. Enrico Giorgi (Bologna University) and Prof. Paola Buzi (Sapienza University of Rome).

Italian Description: La documentazione amministrativa di epoca tolemaica testimonia una divisione di tutti i complessi sacri dell’Egitto in primo, secondo e terzo rango. Questa classificazione sembra non aver lasciato traccia nei documenti di epoca romana, quando solo i templi principali sembrano essere considerati e indicati come logima hiera. A tuttora non sono ancora state definite né le ragioni e i criteri secondo cui gli edifici sacri furono suddivisi in classi, né se vi sia stato un riscontro di questa ripartizione nei dati archeologici. Nel I templi del Fayyum in epoca tolemaico-romana: Per una classificazione degli edifici sacri nell’Egitto tolemaico e romano aims si tenterà di rispondere a questi interrogativi mettendo a confronto e integrando dati desumibili sia dai documenti amministrativi sia dai contesti archeologici dei vari complessi templari della regione del Fayyum, alla quale è stata limitata questa seconda categoria di dati.

Ilaria Rossetti è attualmente funzionario archeologo presso il Mibact. Ha ottenuto la laurea con lode e il diploma di scuola di Specializzazione in Archeologia presso l'Università di Bologna. Nel 2015 ha conseguito il dottorato di ricerca presso la Scuola di Dottorato dell'Università di Siena. Dal 2015 al 2017 è stata assegnista di ricerca presso l'Università di Bologna, dove è stata coinvolta in numerosi progetti archeologici, come egittologa, archeologa e topografa. Dal 2012 è field-director della Missione archeologica a Bakchias coordinata dai due co-direttori Prof. Enrico Giorgi (Università di Bologna) e Prof. Paola Buzi (Università di Roma La Sapienza). Dal 2017 al 2018 è stata ricercatrice junior presso la Sapienza Università di Roma per il Progetto ERC -PAThs (P.I .: Paola Buzi), per il quale attualmente collabora. Ha pubblicato una monografia su uno dei templi di Bakchias, vari rapporti di scavo e diversi contributi.

The Hypocephalus: An Ancient Egyptian Funerary Amulet by Tamás Mekis. Paperback; 205x290mm; viii+356 pages; 95 figures, 36 plates. 586 2019 Archaeopress Egyptology 25. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789693331. £55.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789693348. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £55.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The hypocephalus is an element of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment – an amuletic disc placed under the head of mummies. Its shape emulates the sun’s disc, and its form is planar, although it occasionally has a concave shape (in such cases, it protects the head as a funerary cap). The earliest known example can be dated to the 4th century BC and the latest to the 2nd/1st century BC. The Hypocephalus: an Ancient Egyptian Funerary Amulet analyses both the written records and iconography of these objects. So far, 158 examples are known; several, unfortunately, from old descriptions only. The relatively low number shows that the object was not a widespread item of funerary equipment. Only priest and priestly families used them, those of Amon in Thebes, of Min in Akhmim, and the ones of Ptah in Memphis. Among the examples, no two are identical. In some details, every piece is an individualized creation. Ancient Egyptian theologians certainly interpreted hypocephali as the iris of the wedjat-eye, amidst which travels the sun-god in his hidden, mysterious and tremendous form(s). The hypocephalus can be considered as the sun-disk itself. It radiates light and energy towards the head of the deceased, who again becomes a living being, feeling him/herself as ‘one with the Earth’ through this energy. The texts and the iconography derive principally from the supplementary chapters of the Book of the Dead. Some discs directly cite the text of spell 162 which furnishes the mythological background of the invention of the disc by the Great Cow, who protected her son Re by creating the disc at his death.

About the Author
Tamás Mekis graduated from the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest in 2007 with a degree in Egyptology. In 2013 he defended his PhD dissertation with summa cum laude. In quest of hypocephalus amulets he spent his traineeship in Brussels at the Royal Museums of Art and History in 2008 and in Paris at the Louvre Museum in 2010. He conducted extended researches at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo in 2007-9 and 2014-15, where, together with the curators of the museum, he found a rare hypocepalus of the prophet-registrar of Min-Horus-Isis Djed-hor/Wesirwer in situ, under the head of his undisturbed mummy. Tamás is an independent researcher.

‘Scènes de Gynécées’ Figured Ostraca from New Kingdom Egypt by Joanne Backhouse. Paperback; 205x290mm; 136 pages; 170 figures approx. 600 2020 Archaeopress Egyptology 26. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789693454. £28.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789693461. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £28.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

‘Scènes de Gynécées’ Figured Ostraca from New Kingdom Egypt: Iconography and intent examines images of women and children drawn on ostraca from Deir el-Medina, referred to in previous scholarship as ‘Scènes de Gynécées’. The images depict women with children either sitting on beds in a domestic setting or in outdoor kiosks. The former are likely to show celebrations carried out in the home to mark the birth of a child. This may have included the bringing of gifts, mainly consumables and small household items. It is possible this was recorded in hieratic texts, also on ostraca, described in earlier research as gift-giving lists. The kiosk scenes may have depicted the place women gave birth in or more likely the place of confinement after birth. However, given the dense nature of settlement at Deir el-Medina it is possible these scenes were symbolic evoking the protection of Isis who nurtured Horus in the papyrus thicket of the Delta. In order to understand the purpose and intent of these images, repeat motifs are considered and their similarities to wall paintings within the village are examined. The objects are important as they represent rare examples of regional art, found only at Deir el-Medina. Also, women are the main protagonists in the scenes, which is unusual in Egyptian art as women are generally depicted alongside the male patron of the work, as his wife, daughter or sister. This publication represents the first systematic study of this material and it brings together ostraca from museums worldwide to form a corpus united contextually, thematically and stylistically.

About the Author
Joanne Backhouse completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2016. Her research interests focus on depictions of non-royal women in ancient Egypt, both two and three-dimensional. She teaches in the Continuing Education department at the University of Liverpool and a variety of educational venues in the North West of England, focusing on the material culture of ancient Egypt.

Egypt in Croatia: Croatian Fascination with Ancient Egypt from Antiquity to Modern Times edited by Mladen Tomorad. Paperback; 205x290mm; 300pp; 369 illustrations in colour and black & white. 585 2019 Archaeopress Egyptology 24. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789693393. £50.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789693409. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £50.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

At first sight, it seems that ancient Egyptian history and culture have no meaningful ties with present-day Croatia. However, when we scratch beneath the surface of the common idea of Egypt, that of a distant and ancient civilisation, we notice that its elements have been present in Croatia ever since antiquity. Egypt in Croatia provides a closer look at many aspects of the presence and fascination of ancient Egyptian culture in Croatia, from antiquity to the present. The topics explored are the artefacts discovered in present-day Croatia (mostly from the early 19th century), Croatian travellers to Egypt from the 16th to the middle of the 20th century, Egyptian collections in Croatia and early collectors from the 1820s until the 1950s, an overview of the development of Egyptology of study within Croatia as well as the various elements of ‘Egyptomania’ found in Croatia, mostly from the beginning of the 19th century.

About the Editor
Mladen Tomorad is a senior researcher and professor of Ancient History at the Department of History, University of Zagreb. He has a masters degree in History and a PhD in Ancient History and Museology, and he has also studied Egyptology at the University of Manchester.

The Tekenu and Ancient Egyptian Funerary Ritual by Glennise West. Paperback; 205x290mm; 300pp; 362 figures (colour and black & white), 1 table. 539 2019 Archaeopress Egyptology 23. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789691825. £55.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789691832. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £55.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

What is the Tekenu? What was its function? What are its origins? These are questions upon which Egyptologists have long pondered. However, Egyptologists, until now, have avoided any major work on the topic. Previous treatments of the Tekenu largely adopt a selective approach focusing on a specific form. Rarely has the Tekenu been examined profoundly in all of its forms or contexts with its possible origins commented upon merely in passing. The aim of The Tekenu and Ancient Egyptian Funerary Ritual is to provide a provocative examination and interpretation of the Tekenu in an endeavour to proffer plausible answers hitherto eluding scholars. Attested from the Fifth Dynasty until, and including the Saite Period, the Tekenu is a puzzling icon which is depicted within the funerary scenes in the tombs of some ancient Egyptian nobles. In this work four distinct types of Tekenu are identified and classified and then a Corpus Catalogue is formed. The Tekenu is appraised within the context of the wall scene. Two tombs are dealt with in greater detail.

About the Author
Glennise West graduated from the University of Sydney and taught English and History at secondary school level. Later she followed her lifelong interest in ancient Egypt obtaining MA and PhD from Macquarie University, Sydney. The topic of this book was the subject of her PhD dissertation. She lives in Sydney.

Reviews
'The great worth of this volume is that it gathers all the sources for the tekenu in one place and presents them with copious illustrations, many of them in colour. The catalogue is certainly the longest and most-detailed part of the book and will be of considerable use to anyone who is interested in Egyptian funerals and their representation on tomb walls.'—Christian Knoblauch, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, Volume 56, 2020

The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Moon: Coffin Texts Spells 154–160 by Gyula Priskin. Paperback; 175x245mm; ii+254 pages; 4 tables, 1 figure. 542 2019 Archaeopress Egyptology 22. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781789691986. £30.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781789691993. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £30.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Moon proposes that Coffin Texts spells 154–160, recorded at around the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE, form the oldest composition about the moon in ancient Egypt and, for that matter, in the entire world. The detailed analysis of these spells, based on a new translation, reveals that they provide a chronologically ordered account of the phenomena of a lunar month. It is argued that through a wide variety of mythological allusions, the separate texts – following an introduction which explains the origins of the month (spell 154) – describe the successive stages of the monthly cycle: the period of invisibility (spell 155), waxing (spell 156), events around the full moon (spell 157), waning (spell 158), the arrival of the last crescent at the eastern horizon (spell 159), and again the conjunction of the sun and the moon when a solar eclipse occurs (spell 160). After highlighting the possible lunar connotations of each spell, further chapters in the book investigate the origins of the composition, its different manuscripts preserved on coffins coming from Hermopolis and Asyut, and the survival of the spells in the later mortuary collection known as the Book of Going Forth by Day.

About the Author
GYULA PRISKIN has an MA in English language and literature from the University of Szeged, and started working as a language teacher in the early 1990s. For fifteen years he taught English at the business college in his hometown, Békéscsaba, Hungary. In the 1990s he also became interested in ancient Egypt and has been publishing his research in various journals since 1998. Lately his main focus of enquiry has been on astral myths, especially the role and significance of the moon in ancient Egypt. In 2012 he received an MA in Egyptology from Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, and now holds a PhD in the discipline from the same institution. Since 2016 he has been working as a teaching assistant at the Department of Ancient History, University of Szeged.

Loaves, Beds, Plants and Osiris: Considerations about the Emergence of the Cult of Osiris by Leo Roeten. Paperback; 175x245mm; xxx+220 pages; 117 figures, 13 tables (black & white throughout). 479 2018 Archaeopress Egyptology 21. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784919665. £34.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784919672. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £34.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The emergence of the cult of Osiris is, in most cases, dated to the end of the 5th dynasty, the period in which the name of Osiris appears in writing, and it is commonly held that before this period not a trace of the cult can be discerned.

This study is intended to investigate whether this emergence was really so sudden, or if there is evidence to suggest this appearance was preceded by a period of development of the theology and mythology of the cult.

One of the most important aspects of the mythology of the cult is the rebirth of Osiris. In the theology of the cult this rebirth was projected on mortal men, and led to the postulation that every human being, whether royal or non-royal, had the possibility to attain eternal life after death. What made this cult even more attractive is that this eternal life was not confined to the tomb, as it used to be for non-royalty.

The study is concerned with the rebirth possibilities of non-royal persons and aims to determine the chronological development of the rebirth connotations of the various decoration themes that were used in the chapel of Old Kingdom tombs. The decoration themes that are the subject of the determinations are the group of bed-scenes consisting of the bed-making scene and the marital bed-scene, the development in form and length of the bread loaves on the offering table, the different aspects of the scenes in which the “lotus” flower is depicted, and the marsh scenes.

About the Author
LEO ROETEN obtained a Masters degree in biochemistry and plant physiology in 1972. After a career in this field Leo studied Egyptology at the University of Leiden and in 2011 wrote a dissertation called ‘The certainty of change. A research into the interactions of the decoration on the western wall of the cult chapels of the mastabas at Giza during the Old Kingdom’. From then on he has been active as an independent researcher specialised in the Old Kingdom tombs in the Memphite necropoleis. This research has led to a number of articles and to publication of two books (‘The decoration of the cult chapel walls of the Old Kingdom at Giza’ (2014) and ‘Chronological developments in the Old Kingdom tombs in the necropoleis of Giza, Saqqara and Abusir’ (2016).

Egyptian and Imported Pottery from the Red Sea port of Mersa Gawsis, Egypt by Sally Wallace-Jones with contributions from Andrea Manzo, Mary Ownby and Karin Kopetzky. Paperback; 205x290mm; viii+186 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white (43 colour plates). 432 2018 Archaeopress Egyptology 20. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784919030. £32.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784919047. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £32.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The unique site of Mersa Gawasis was a base for seaborne trade along the Red Sea coast during the Middle Kingdom. The Egyptians’ purpose was to trade with Punt for incense and other exotic materials. There is little evidence of any permanent structures at the site apart from man-made caves in which shipping equipment was stored between expeditions. The pottery is, therefore, amongst the most significant evidence for human activity here. Vessel types include many marl C jars, but other kinds of vessels including significant foreign material also occur, some in large quantities. This variety of vessels and the careful reuse of potsherds is central to an understanding of specific and day to day domestic activities and of how the site operated. Mersa Gawasis has many vessel forms of the 12th and Early 13th dynasties. Epigraphic evidence closely dates the site, helping to confirm and underpin an understanding of vessel types and technologies within the ceramic chronology of the period. This volume presents the site’s wide variety of ceramic material, offering also an interpretation of what pottery reveals about activities at the site. The author and excavation photographer have worked together to enhance details of the text with specific photographs.

About the Author
SALLY WALLACE-JONES was born in Norwich, and her interest in archaeology was sparked in childhood by parents who had worked in Egypt and by the Egyptian collection at Norwich Castle Museum where she assisted with the redisplay of the collection. She studied Archaeology and Classics at Manchester University and completed her PhD in the ceramics of Predynastic Egypt. Sally has excavated in many places including Hadrian’s Wall and the Frankish port of Quentovic. She studied with Janine Bourriau and worked for several seasons on the pottery from the Egypt Exploration Society’s Survey of Memphis. She has also worked on the Predynastic pottery at Diospolis Parva for Kathryn Bard’s Boston University excavations, before being asked to take on the ceramic analysis at Mersa Gawasis. She worked as a teacher until 2015 when she began to study for ordination in the Anglican Church, being awarded a BTh degree from Cambridge in 2017. Sally is now part of the clergy team at Hingham in Norfolk. In her spare time, she enjoys continued study of Ancient Egyptian culture as well as travelling, collecting pottery from her travels and playing in a woodwind chamber group. She also speaks on Egyptology to local organisations.

Proceedings of the XI International Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy 23-30 August 2015 edited by Gloria Rosati and Maria Cristina Guidotti. xiv+738 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white with 100 plates in colour. Papers in English and Italian. 335 2017 Archaeopress Egyptology 19. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784916008. £90.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784916015. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £90.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Egyptian Museum of Florence, in collaboration with the University of Florence, hosted the Eleventh International Congress of Egyptologists which took place from 23rd to 30th August 2015, under the patronage of the IAE – International Association of Egyptologists.

This volume publishes 136 papers and posters presented during the Congress. Topics discussed here range from archaeology, religion, philology, mummy investigations and archaeometry to history, offering an up-to-date account of research in these fields.

About the Author:
Gloria Rosati is Associate Professor of Egyptology at the University of Florence, Department of History, Geography, Archaeology, Fine and Performing Arts. Her research topics are Middle Kingdom history and art, as well as funerary texts and rituals. Gloria has been working in Egypt, at El-Sheikh Abadah / Antinoupolis, in both Roman town and at necropoleis, in the temple of Ramesses II, and in the Theban necropolis, Asasif.

Maria Cristina Guidotti is the Director of the Florence Egyptian Museum, and is a specialist in Egyptian pottery from the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman periods. In her publications she studied material from the Florence collections, from excavations at Saqqara, from the funerary temple of Thutmosis IV-western Thebes, and from the Roman town of Antinoupolis.

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Egypt 2015: Perspectives of Research Proceedings of the Seventh European Conference of Egyptologists (2nd-7th June, 2015, Zagreb – Croatia) by Mladen Tomorad and Joanna Popielska-Grzybowska. xii+358 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. 329 2017 Archaeopress Egyptology 18. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784915841. £65.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784915858. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £65.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Seventh Central European Conference of Egyptologists. Egypt 2015: Perspectives of Research (CECE7) was held at the University of Zagreb in Croatia in 2015. It was co-organised by two scholarly institutions: the Department of History at the Centre for Croatian Studies of the University of Zagreb, Croatia (Dr Mladen Tomorad), and the Department of Ancient Cultures of the Pułtusk Academy of Humanities in Pułtusk, Poland (Dr Joanna Popielska-Grzybowska).

This book presents a selection of papers which were read at the conference. The volume is divided into six sections in which thirty-two scholars from fourteen European countries cover various fields of modern Egyptological research. The first group of five papers is devoted to language, literature and religious texts; in the second section three authors describe various themes related to art, iconography and architectural studies; the third group contains four contributions on current funerary and burial studies; in the fourth (largest) section, ten authors present their recent research on material culture and museum studies; the fifth is concerned with the history of Ancient Egypt; and in the last (sixth), two authors examine modern Egyptomania and the 19th century travellers to Egypt.

Liber Amicorum–Speculum Siderum: Nūt Astrophoros Papers Presented to Alicia Maravelia edited by Nadine Guilhou with the help of Antigoni Maniati. xxvi+374 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. Papers in English and French. 302 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 17. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784915223. £56.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784915230. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £56.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

In this volume, a pleiade of Egyptologists, Archaeologists, Archaeoastronomers, Archaeoanthropologists, Historians and other scholars from fifteen countries (Hellas, Egypt, France, Russia, Ukraine, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, Turkey, Australia) have combined their efforts in order to honour Alicia Maravelia, whose important work in Egyptology and in the foundation of the Hellenic Institute of Egyptology are highly acknowledged.

This book, with foreword by His Eminence the Archbishop of Sinai and Abbot of the Holy Monastery of St Catherine, Mgr Damianos, contains thirty original articles, two abstracts and a plethora of accompanying texts including Dr Maravelia’s list of publications. The book is divided into three parts: 1. Nūt and the Realm of Stars [15 contributions]; 2. Ancient Egyptian Religion and its Celestial Undertones [12 contributions]; and 3. Ancient Egyptian Science, Medicine, Archaeoanthropology, Egyptomania, Egyptophilia, etc. [5 contributions].

The reader will find papers that deal mainly with the goddess Nūt and her mythology and cosmographic notions related to her, the stars and other celestial luminaries, orientations of monuments, ancient Egyptian constellations and decans, the notion of time, calendars, religious and funerary observances related to the sky, ancient Egyptian religion, religious and amuletic artefacts, religious mythology, as well as archaeoanthropological and medicinal studies, papers on ancient Egyptian Mathematics, Egyptophilia, Egyptomania and ancient Egyptian collections.

Studies on the Vignettes from Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead I: The Image of mś.w Bdšt in Ancient Egyptian Mythology by Mykola Tarasenko. viii+151 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. 281 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 16. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784914509. £30.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784914516. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £30.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Among the numerous deities in the ancient Egyptian mythology, whose nature and function are still vague and obscure, are mś.w Bdšt – ‘Children of Weakness’. These beings are twice mentioned in the Book of the Dead chapter 17. The text fragments contain two local versions of the myth with mś.w Bdšt – Hermopolitan (Urk. V: Abs. 1), and Heliopolitan (Urk. V: Abs. 22). Since the last text describes the combat between Re and the ‘Children of Weakness’, the same is likely to be reflected on the vignette, which depicts the battle of Re against mmś.w Bdšt, metaphorically shown in the form of a serpent. This book is a comprehensive study of the ‘Children of Weakness’ myth and the scene depicting the cat, cutting off the head of the serpent under the branches of the išd-tree found on the number of Book of the Dead chapter 17 vignettes.

About the Author:
Dr Mykola Tarasenko is a Senior Fellow at the А. Yu. Krymskyi Institute of Oriental Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyev. His research area is focused on the studies of illustrative tradition of the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, and specifically the vignettes of spell 17. In 2007 he was awarded the fellowship grant of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) for the study course at the ‘Bonn Book of the Dead Project’ (Bonn Totenbuchprojekt). In 2014 he won the fellowship grant of the Stiftungsfonds für Postgraduates der Ägyptologie (Vienna, Austria). The current book is the result of his work within these Fellowships Projects.

Chronological Developments in the Old Kingdom Tombs in the Necropoleis of Giza, Saqqara And Abusir Toward an Economic Decline during the Early Dynastic Period and the Old Kingdom by Leo Roeten. xiv+144 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white. 280 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 15. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784914608. £30.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784914615. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £30.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

At the end of the 6th dynasty the 500 year old established order of the Old Kingdom fell apart, which, according to the interpretation given to various contemporary literary sources, started a period of social unrest and economic decline.

The magnitude of the economic investment bestowed by the members of the higher social strata on the monuments that would be the abode for their after-life leads to the hypothesis that an economic decline could also manifest itself in the dimensions of the various architectonic elements of these monuments.

The dimensions of the tombs have been chosen as the subject of this study. The preliminary part of the study is performed on the tombs in the necropolis of Giza. The results of the study are compared with the same measurements in the necropoleis of Saqqara and Abusir. The conclusion is that the economic decline started already at the early dynastic period and not as a result of the caving in of the Old Kingdom.

An interesting ‘side-effect’ of the study is that the dimensions of the tombs can serve as a method to check a dating that has been proposed based on other aspect of the tomb.

Old Kingdom Copper Tools and Model Tools by Martin Odler. xvi+292 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. 275 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 14. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784914424. £45.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784914431. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £45.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Old Kingdom of Egypt (Dynasties 4–6, c. 2600–2180 BC) is famous as a period of the builders of the largest Egyptian pyramids. It is generally accepted that the evidence on the use of copper alloy tools from this era is meagre. Martin Odler gathers the textual, iconographic and palaeographic evidence and examines Old Kingdom artefacts in order to revise this view on the use of copper alloy tools and model tools. Furthermore, he provides updated definitions of tool classes and tool kits, together with the context of their use. Besides rare specimens of full-size tools, the largest corpora of the material have been preserved in the form of model tools in the burial equipment of the Old Kingdom elite and were most probably symbols of their power to commission and fund craftwork. Moreover, the size and elaboration of the model tools were probably connected to the social status of the buried persons. The long-standing division in the Egyptological literature between full-size tools and model tools is questioned. The ancient sources also enable to show that the preservation of material culture from the Old Kingdom was largely dependent on a conscious selection made within the past culture, with completely different settlement and funerary contexts and a conspicuous absence of weapons. The volume is completed by co-authored case studies on archaeometallurgy of selected Old Kingdom artefacts in the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Leipzig University, on morphometry of Old Kingdom adze blades and on the finds of stone and ceramic vessels associated with the findings of so-called Old Kingdom model tools.

Martin Odler provides an accessible introduction and overview of his research in his article for the Archaeopress Blog. Click here to read the blog post.

Reviews:

“In short: the authors have succeeded in presenting a reference and standard work, in which no one who is concerned with this period and this material should pass by; a work that will always be consulted with pleasure and joy.” – Robert Kuhn, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (KunstbuchAnzeiger.de) (Translated from the German)

Tomb Security in Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic to the Pyramid Age by Reg Clark. 566 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white. 227 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 13. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784912994. £70.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784913007. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £70.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

Egyptians went to great lengths to protect their dead from the omnipresent threat of robbery by incorporating specially developed architectural features in their tombs. However, the architecture of tomb security has rarely been studied as a subject in its own right and is usually treated as a secondary topic in publications of a scholarly nature, which tend to regard its role as incidental to the design of the tomb rather than perhaps being the driving force behind it. This issue had been raised in the early Twentieth Century by Reisner (1908: 11), who suggested that the rapid evolution of Egyptian tomb substructures was as a result of the desire for tomb security and more ostentatious tombs, rather than a development spurred by religious or funerary practices. Taking this premise much further, this book presents an in-depth analysis of the architecture of tomb security in Egypt from the Predynastic Period (c. 5000–4000 BC) until the early Fourth Dynasty (c. 2500 BC) by extrapolating data on the security features of published tombs from the whole of Egypt and gathering it together for the first time in one accessible database. Using the information assembled it adds new information to the current body of knowledge concerning the architecture of tomb security and explains many of the underlying reasons behind their adoption. By thematically analysing these features in order to draw conclusions it also demonstrates that many aspects of the architecture of the Egyptian tomb over this period, in both royal and private contexts–whilst subject to changing tastes, needs and ideologies–had indeed originated as the result of the need to protect the tomb or improve its security.

About the author:
Following a two year foundation course, Reg Clark trained in graphic design at the West Surrey College of Art & Design during the mid 1970s and since then has been involved variously in graphic design, public relations, furniture design, manufacture, sales and product training. Always interested in Egyptology, he studied for a Certificate in Archaeology at Bristol University in the late 1990s and then in 2005 went on to read Egyptian Archaeology at Swansea University, where he was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in 2008. He subsequently undertook a research degree at the same university and was finally awarded a PhD in Egyptology in 2014 for his thesis Tomb Security in Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic to the Pyramid Age, published by Archaeopress of Oxford in 2016.

Reviews
'All considered, Tomb Security is as nearly perfect a publication as one could hope to find. The scholarship is impeccable, the writing lucid and concise, the organization clear and easy to access, both on first reading and for reference later. The physical product, too, is beyond reproach. The binding is solid, the illustrations bright with good contrast, the print (even the small-font footnotes) easy to see… This is a volume sure to be a standard for years to come.' (Kmt A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt)

'Packed with plans, diagrams, black-and- white photographs, an extensive bibliography, reference charts and a comprehensive illustrated tomb catalogue, this is a go-to text for anyone studying the development of the Egyptian tomb.' - Sarah Griffiths (Ancient Egypt Magazine, Issue 96, 2016)
Read the full review online here: http://www.ancientegyptmagazine.co.uk/reviews96.htm

The Production, Use and Importance of Flint Tools in the Archaic Period and the Old Kingdom in Egypt by Michał Kobusiewicz. vi+168 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. 203 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 12. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784912499. £36.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784912505. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £36.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

This book seeks to explore the issues of production, use and importance of flint tools in the Archaic Period, known also as the Early Dynastic Period, and the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the epoch immediately following the unification of pre-state organisms of Upper and Lower Egypt into one political body. This volume provides an in-depth study of tools made of flint, which unceasingly fulfilled a major role in the period being considered. Flint, occurring in a number of varieties, substantially outnumbers other raw materials used for manufacturing tools, to wit: chalcedony, obsidian, quartzite, carnelian or rock crystal, all found in small or even minute amounts, which attests to their minor role in the first periods of Egyptian history. Notwithstanding a growing number of implements made of copper, then bronze, flint tools constituted an essential element of a broad-based culture, and not only material culture, in the Archaic Period, the Old Kingdom and beyond.

Rise of the Hyksos Egypt and the Levant from the Middle Kingdom to the Early Second Intermediate Period by Anna-Latifa Mourad. xiv+314; black & white throughout with 4 colour plates. 174 11 Archaeopress Egyptology . Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784911331. £48.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784911348. £16.00 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £48.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt is characterised by the destabilisation of the Egyptian state. It is also recognised as the time in which the aptly named ‘rulers of the foreign lands’, or Hyksos, extended their control over parts of Egypt. But, who are these rulers and where did they come from? How did they create their Fifteenth Dynasty within Egypt? This book provides a new appraisal of the circumstances leading to Hyksos rule. Utilising theories on ethnicity and cultural mixing, it investigates the nature and effects of Egyptian-Levantine contact from the Middle Kingdom to the early Second Intermediate Period, and reassesses the Egyptian concept of the other. The approach is holistic, gathering archaeological, textual and artistic evidence from sites across three regions: Egypt, the Eastern Desert, and the Levant. This method is proven to be wellsuited in shedding light on the origins of the enigmatic Hyksos, offering new insights into how these ‘rulers of foreign lands’ established their Fifteenth Dynasty in Egypt.

Reviews

'...a pioneer attempt to study the rich and overwhelming data on contacts between Egypt and the Levant and the Levantine presence in Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period entirely... The author is to be congratulated on collecting and systematically presenting almost all the sites with related material in a catalogue divided regionally as this must have been a time consuming process. Until now there is no monographs attempting to cover all the sites in Egypt with the Levantine or Levant related material culture, artistic representations and textual attestations on one side, and sites in the Levant with Egyptian material culture on the other.' - Uros Matic (Archäologische Informationen 39, 2016)

'Mourad has written a timely, informative, and excellent monograph, replete with data, detailed illustrations, and plates, a comprehensive bibliography, two appendices of additional materials, and relevant texts presented in multiple formats.' - Susan L. Cohen, Montana State University (Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies Vol 5, Nos 3-4, 2017)

Royal Statues in Egypt 300 BC-AD 220 Context and Function by Elizabeth Brophy. iv+166 pages; illustrated throughout in colour and black & white. 166 2015 Archaeopress Egyptology 10. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784911515. £38.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784911522. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £38.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

The aim of this book is to approach Ptolemaic and Imperial royal sculpture in Egypt dating between 300 BC and AD 220 (the reigns of Ptolemy I and Caracalla) from a contextual point of view. To collect together the statuary items (recognised as statues, statue heads and fragments, and inscribed bases and plinths) that are identifiably royal and have a secure archaeological context, that is a secure find spot or a recoverable provenance, within Egypt. This material was used, alongside other types of evidence such as textual sources and numismatic material, to consider the distribution, style, placement, and functions of the royal statues, and to answer the primary questions: where were these statues located? What was the relationship between statue, especially statue style, and placement? And what changes can be identified between Ptolemaic and Imperial royal sculpture?

From analysis of the sculptural evidence, this book was able to create a catalogue of 103 entries composed of 157 statuary items, and use this to identify the different styles of royal statues that existed in Ptolemaic and Imperial Egypt and the primary spaces for the placement of such imagery, namely religious and urban space. The results, based on the available evidence, was the identification of a division between sculptural style and context regarding the royal statues, with Egyptian-style material being placed in Egyptian contexts, Greek-style material in Greek, and Imperial-style statues associated with classical contexts. The functions of the statues appear to have also typically been closely related to statue style and placement. Many of the statues were often directly associated with their location, meaning they were an intrinsic part of the function and appearance of the context they occupied, as well as acting as representations of the monarchs. Primarily, the royal statues acted as a way to establish and maintain communication between different groups in Egypt.

Prepared for Eternity A study of human embalming techniques in ancient Egypt using computerised tomography scans of mummies by Robert Loynes. xx+249 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white with 7 colour plates. 156 2015 Archaeopress Egyptology 9. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784911102. £43.00 (No VAT). Epublication ISBN 9781784911119. £15.83 (Exc. VAT) Institutional Price £43.00 (Exc. UK VAT)

This publication brings together personal analyses of sixty CT scans of ancient Egyptian human mummies collected from many museums throughout the UK and continental Europe. The effect is that of performing ‘virtual autopsies’ (‘virtopsies’) allowing techniques of mummification to be examined. The historical age of the mummies ranges from the Middle Kingdom to the Roman Period. Several new observations are made regarding the preparation of mummies and confirmation of previously described themes is tempered by the observation of variations probably indicating individual workshop practices. The work presents a springboard for further detailed research on the subject.

'This volume contains the results of his studies of sixty scans of mummies, dating from the Middle Kingdom to the Roman Period, collected from various UK and continental European museums. The data obtained is presented in great detail and will undoubtedly prove invaluable in future research into mummification.' - J. Peter Phillips (Ancient Egypt Magazine, 2016)

About the Author:
Robert Loynes is an Orthopaedic Surgeon who, after retirement, carried out the research described in this publication and was subsequently awarded a PhD in Egyptology. His lifelong interest in Egyptology and a lifetime career using medical images fired his passion for the subject of mummy research specifically using CT scans as a tool.