This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of 'yellow' coffins, which is one of the most extensive corpora of funerary objects from Ancient Egypt, and the most complex in terms of decoration. It presents a synthetic view on Egyptian coffin decoration during the II millennium B.C. together with in-depth examination of a sample of nine previously unpublished burial assemblages, involving 18 different objects. Dating from the 21st Dynasty, these objects were chosen in order to showcase the stages of development in coffin decoration detected in the 'yellow' corpus, as well as variations in style and layout.
This volume proposes a theoretical andmethodological framework for the study of "yellow" coffins, which is one of themost extensive corpus of funerary objects from Ancient Egypt, and the mostcomplex in terms of decoration. It presents a synthetic view on Egyptian coffindecoration during the II millennium B.C. together with in-depth examination ofa sample of nine previously unpublished burial assemblages. Dating from the 21st-22ndDynasties, these objects were chosen to showcase the stages of development incoffin decoration detected in the "yellow" corpus, as well as variations instyle and layout. A new formal typology of this corpus is proposed, allowing abetter understanding of the dynamics of coffin decoration in Theban workshops.
Major new multi-disciplinary collection of papers focusing on the development of the coffin in ancient Egypt and the belief systems behind funerary practices involving their use and on new methods and applications of scientific techniques for the analysis of construction, materials and craftmanship involved in coffin manufacture and reworking.
At the end of the 19th century Egyptologists discovered, in two robbed tombs at Luxor, the remains of over 40 mummies dating from the 17th to the 21st Dynasties (1580 BC to 940 BC). These included the bodies of Ahmose, Thutmose III, Amenhotep II and III, Seti I, Ramesses II and III, and Merneptah. This book brings together for the first time all the photographs of the unique collection of mummies and coffins found in the two `Royal Caches' and other royal burials which include Yuya, Thuya and Tutankhamun. Each mummy and coffin is described in detail with brief information about the tomb. Diseases and ailments, mummification techniques and the very origins of the process are covered. Other topics featured are the problems of identification, conservation of remains, and reconstructing lifetime appearance.
Egyptian coffin decoration is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon with its own history and evolution. ‘Yellow’ coffins were crafted in Thebes during a particular critical period in the Egyptian History, witnessing to a situation of political unrest and severe economic scarcity affecting Egypt, the Near East and the Mediterranean. And yet, there is no evidence for a decline in the production of these outstanding funerary artefacts. On the contrary, the corpus of ‘yellow’ coffins outnumbers the previous types of Egyptian anthropoid containers and stands out among the most complex and sophisticated objects ever crafted in the Ancient World. Besides this historical paradox, the ‘yellow’ corpus presents important epistemological challenges for our understanding of Egyptian material culture: what kind of space is created within the walls and forms of an anthropoid coffin? What role plays variability and change in this process? Last but not the least, can we understand the meaning behind the multiple shapes and endless variations adopted in coffin decoration during this period? This book addresses these questions presenting the results of a comparative study on coffin decoration involving an extensive sample of objects from the ‘yellow’ corpus dispersed in museums around the world. The results of this study reveal the principles of composition that ruled the work of the ancient Theban craftsmen and show how important coffin decoration was for the Theban priesthood of Amun to convey their own corporative values.
Previously unpublished, the Danish Lot of antiquities from the Tomb of the Priests of Amun (Bab el-Gasus) is thoroughly examined in this book. The in-depth analysis of the objects is followed by an assessment of how these objects were crafted, designed, used and recycled in the Theban necropolis, a procedure that not only reveals to be instrumental in the dating of the objects, as it sheds light into the extraordinary dynamics of funerary workshops during the 21st Dynasty. The volume also examines the arrival of the Lot and its reception in Denmark.
This volume contains the proceedings of the twenty-third Annual Egyptological Colloquium, held at the British Museum in 2014, augmented by additional papers. The twenty-three contributions investigate functionality, iconography and manufacture of ancient Egyptian coffins from the First Intermediate Period to the eighth century AD. The authors explore the conceptual aspects which lay behind the production of coffins through the study of iconography and texts, examining the functional role of these complex objects as 'structured compositions' which were designed to play an important part in transforming the deceased occupants and perpetuating their existence beyond death. Reinstating coffins in their archaeological and societal contexts, the papers reflect on the circumstances in which they were made, considering workshop practices and regional variability, and studying coffins not only individually but also as components of larger conceptual entities in which the mummy, the burial chamber and the tomb itself all had specific meanings. Several contributions focus on areas of current interest, such as the post-burial adaptation and reuse of coffins, considering how these issues relate to the economic environment in which they were made and to changing attitudes towards the immutability of burial arrangements.
A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art presents a comprehensive collection of original essays exploring key concepts, critical discourses, and theories that shape the discipline of ancient Egyptian art. • Winner of the 2016 PROSE Award for Single Volume Reference in the Humanities & Social Sciences • Features contributions from top scholars in their respective fields of expertise relating to ancient Egyptian art • Provides overviews of past and present scholarship and suggests new avenues to stimulate debate and allow for critical readings of individual art works • Explores themes and topics such as methodological approaches, transmission of Egyptian art and its connections with other cultures, ancient reception, technology and interpretation, • Provides a comprehensive synthesis on a discipline that has diversified to the extent that it now incorporates subjects ranging from gender theory to ‘X-ray fluorescence’ and ‘image-based interpretations systems’
A thorough transdisciplinary archaeological study of the ancient Egyptian Theban rock-cut tombs at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna In recent years, archeological research has undergone major changes. The material turn in archaeology and related disciplines prompted the adoption of sophisticated scientific, digital, and technical approaches and methods often conducted on a micro level, enhancing our understanding of depositional processes and of the creation and life of an archeological object. This volume reflects seven seasons of transdisciplinary archaeological research at a cluster of rock-cut tombs in Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna, an ancient Egyptian hillside cemetery and part of the much larger Theban Necropolis. Organized in twelve main chapters, Life Histories of Theban Tombs presents current investigations in landscape archaeology (including recent excavations at a large debris hill previously covering a tomb), geo- and bioarcheology, the archaeology of tomb construction, burial practices, and domestic uses as well as various epigraphical, visual, and material studies. The last two sections provide additional insight into the applied recording, surveying, and visualization methods and techniques and the database system used for data recording and organization. Contributors’ Affiliations: Martina Aeschlimann-Langer, Basel, Switzerland Zulema Barahona-Mendieta, University of Basel, Switzerland Susanne Bickel, University of Basel, Switzerland Oliver Bruderer, Zurich, SwitzerlandRachael Colldeweih, Nagra, Wettingen, Switzerland Lucía Díaz-Iglesias Llanos, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain Xavier Droux, Hierakonpolis Expedition, Oxford, England Stéphane Fetler, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Zan Gojcic, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Charlotte Hunkeler, University of Basel, Switzerland Mahmoud Ibrahim, University of Cairo, Egypt Matjaž Kačičnik, Cairo, Egypt Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, University of Manchester, England Lara Selina Kurmann, University of Basel, Switzerland Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs, University of Basel, Switzerland Sabrina Meyer, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Matthias Müller, University of Basel, Switzerland Julianna K. Paksi, University of Basel and École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, France Erico Peintner, Cairo, Egypt Matthew A. Perras, York University, Toronto, Canada Lukas Richner, canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Frank Rühli, University of Zurich, Switzerland Marina Sartori, University of Basel, Switzerland Nadine Schönhütte, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS), Cologne, Germany Roger Seiler, University of Zurich, Switzerland Stephan M. Unter, University of Basel, Switzerland André J. Veldmeijer, American University in Cairo, Egypt Noémi Villars, University of Basel, Switzerland Andreas Wieser, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Andrea Wolter, ETH Engineering Geology Group, Zurich, Switzerland Martin Ziegler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland
Thebes in the First Millennium BC is a collection of articles, based mostly, but not entirely, on the talks given at the conference of the same name organised by the team of the South Asasif Conservation Project, an Egyptian-American Mission working under the auspices of the Ministry of State for Antiquities, Egypt, in Luxor in 2012. The organisers of the conference and editors of the volume, Elena Pischikova, Julia Budka, and Kenneth Griffin, brought together a group of prominent scholars to share and discuss the results of their recent field research in the tombs and temples of the Twenty-fifth – Twenty-sixth Dynasties in Thebes, Abydos, and Saqqara. This volume assembles current studies on royal and elite monuments of the Libyan, Kushite, and Saite Periods, and places them in a wider context. This volume investigates such aspects of research as tomb and temple architecture, burial assemblages, religious texts, paleography, artistic styles, iconography, local workshops, and archaism, providing a new perspective to the current scholarship and future exploration of these topics. The volume is further enriched by the inclusion of chapters on the conservation and preservation of monuments representing the present-day approach to the development of archaeological sites.
