The nineteen contributions to this volume approach the subject of Egyptian chronology of the Third Millennium BC from different perspectives: some of them concern the use of modern methods (14C) and natural sciences in Egyptology; others analyze the development of various aspects of the Egyptian culture during the whole period of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period, or try to specify the date of certain monuments and personalities. A study and interpretation of archaeological as well as textual sources and iconographical material is combined in the papers in order to attain a deeper knowledge and better understanding of the Egyptian chronology, archaeology and history of the Third Millennium BC. Contributions by: Hartwig Altenmueller, Tarek El Awady, Miroslav Barta, Ale Bezdek, Vivienne Gae Callender, Andrzej Cwiek, Michael Dee, Mohamed Ismail Khaled, Jaromir Krejci, Juan Carlos Moreno Garcia, John S. Nolan, Hratch Papazian, Patrizia Piacentini, Christopher Bronk Ramsey, Joanne M. Rowland, Teodozja Rzeuska, Anthony Spalinger, Rainer Stadelmann, Miroslav Verner, Hana Vymazalova, and Anna Wodzinska.

This is the first volume of an intended series on visitors' graffiti. It deals with the visitors' graffiti from Abusir (monuments of the 5th Dynasty) and Northern Saqqara (the pyramid complex of Djoser). It contains a catalogue of graffiti, and interpretative essays on the authors, contents and possible meaning of these often quoted, but underestimated texts. This volume will offer the first complete publication of graffiti documented by B Gunn in Djoser's complex.

Archaeological discoveries can shed a flood of light on the biblical text. In this richly illustrated resource, Alfred Hoerth surveys the entire Old Testament, pointing out the relevant archaeological material and explaining how it enriches biblical studies.

"Teachers and students alike will welcome the combination of Hoerth's informed scholarship and engaging style of presentation as he skillfully guides them through the many facets of biblical archaeology. His careful selection of material and his sensible approach to showing the reader how to use that material to gain understanding of the Old Testament combine to make this a superb introduction to the discipline. Hoerth's archaeological expertise is evident on every page. His years of teaching experience also yield their subtle fruits as he masterfully intertwines the biblical story with the history and culture of the ancient Near East. Archaeology and its finds become the tools of his craft as he artfully portrays the rich culture of the biblical world."--John Walton, Wheaton College

"The book gives a wealth of information on ancient documents whose relevance for the biblical world is beyond dispute. The book includes good illustrations and charts, and all readers will profit from this eminently learned work."--"Internationale Zeitschriftenschau fur Bibelwissenschaft und Grenzgebiete"

"This volume is richly illustrated with over two-hundred photographs, line-drawings, chronological charts, maps, and tables. Each chapter is enhanced by a full reference list, as well as Scripture and subject indexes. Indeed, Hoerth has achieved what few have attempted, an integration of the Bible and recent archaeological discoveries in theancient Near East, while retaining a generally high view of Scripture. This volume makes a significant contribution to the field and is essential for anyone interested in Near Eastern archaeology and the Bible. . . . "Archaeology and the Old Testament" will undoubtedly serve as a reference source for interested students of the Bible and a textbook for introductory archaeology courses in seminaries and parochial schools for many years to come."--Michael G. Hasel, "Andrews University Seminary Studies"

"This volume provides a thoughtful introduction for students of the discipline and those preparing for ministry in the church."--Arie C. Leder, "Calvin Theological Journal"

Nowhere in the world do ancient burial mounds dominate the landscape as they do in the Island of Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. This volume presents the results of the Danish Archaeological Bahrain-Expeditions excavation of 54 mound burials, with descriptions of the four mound cemeteries and the finds, as well as an evaluation of all available evidence from Bahraini burials.

The policy and military strategy of the Saites - the men who stayed behind during the re-unification of Egypt, after the period of disorder and unrest of the Third Intermediate Period is analyzed by the author in the first half of the book. The stress is put however, on the forts and various smaller types of fortifications: citadels, watchtowers, strongpoints, etc., which created the backbone of Egyptian defense system in the threatened parts of the country.

Egyptology Today examines how modern scholars examine all aspects of ancient Egypt, one of the greatest of all ancient civilizations. In essays by a team of archaeologists, curators, scholars, and conservators who are actively involved in research or applied aspects of Egyptology, this book looks at the techniques and methods that are used to increase our understanding of a distant culture that was as old to the Greeks and Romans as these cultures are to us. Topics range from how tombs and other monuments are discovered, excavated, recorded and preserved, to the study of Egyptian history, art, artifacts, and texts. Each chapter shows how modern Egyptology approaches, learns about, and strives to preserve the ancient remains of one of the most fascinating cultures in human history.

The sixth annual Current Research in Egyptology symposium took place from 6th-8th January 2005 at the University of Cambridge. Although the topics covered by the papers were many and varied, if there is a general theme it might be that of exploring the borders and parameters of the discipline of Egyptology.

The main archaeological results of the excavation of the pyramid complex of Neferre in Abusir are published in this report. This volume deals primarily with the archaeological examination of the monuments of the complex. Chapters on the structural analysis of Neferre's mortuary temple, the chronology of the complex and the shape and meaning of the pyramid in the Old Kingdom complement the archaeology. Also discussed are: the builders' marks and inscriptions, seals and sealing, jar dockets, pottery, statues, amulets and beads, faience inlays and tablets of Egyptian blue, anthropological remains of Neferre, stone vessels, chipped lithics and micro-wear analysis of chert. There is also a chapter on the mud-brick masonry of the mortuary temple.

More than one third of the world's population lives in houses made of unfired earth bricks or stamped earth, materials also known as mud brick, adobe, "terre crue, pise, or rammed earth. Houses in the middle east have been made out this material for at least 10,000 years, but in many places this form of architecture is slowly being superceded by more recent building techniques using reinforced concrete and concrete blocks. This study contains a description of the remaining mud brick architecture in several villages in the Dakhleh Oasis in Egypt. It includes a brief history of mud brick, a discussion of the distinct local building techniques of the Oasis, and three architectural case studies of traditional mud brick houses in the Oasis, and it has many plans and photographs of local houses. The study was carried out as preparation for the design and construction of an archaeological working and training centre in the Dakhleh Oasis, which has been made according to the local traditions in mud brick vernacular. It is based on a field trip carried out in 1997 by Wolf Schijns (architect), Margriet Schijns (architect), Olaf E Kaper (Egyptologist) and Joris D Kila (art historian).

Corinna Rossi explores the use of numbers and geometrical figures by the Ancient Egyptians in their architectural projects and buildings. Whereas previous architectural studies have searched for "universal rules" to explain the entire history of Egyptian architecture, Rossi reconciles the approaches of architectural historians and archaeologists by testing architectural theories. This book is essential reading for all scholars of Ancient Egypt and the architecture of ancient cultures.

This new volume repairs a significant gap in the British Museum's Egyptian catalogue series. The first to be devoted to ostraca, as opposed to other inscribed media, it publishes in full the British Museum's collection of hieratic, hieroglyphic and figured ostraca of the Ramesside Period. This is a large, rich and varied collection covering the entire range of known text-types, documentary, literary and religious. The texts include duplicates of well-known literary works, hymns to Amun and other gods and goddesses, a considerable variety of administrative documents, and a whole series of previously unknown texts. The wide spectrum of subjects treated in the administrative texts demonstrates the vital importance of the information furnished by the written documents from the necropolis workers' community of Deir el-Medina, from which most of the ostraca originate. Each ostracon is presented with a photograph and where the text is in hieratic, transcriptions are provided. The catalogue is organised according to British Museum inventory number for ease of reference, but a separate list of the ostraca according to subject provides a guide to the reader interested in a particular group of texts.

The book is an edition of an ancient Egyptian cosmology for which there is no known parallel. The cosmology was written in the demotic script and preserved in a manuscript dating to the 2nd century AD. Although once of considerable extent, this manuscript now survives only in fragments. These are scattered among three collections. The Egyptian text gives an account of how the cosmos first came into being, explains how it developed, and describes the agencies through which it is maintained and continues to function up until the present day. It lays particular stress upon the role played by the watery mass called the Noun, or Primaeval Ocean, in each of these processes. The Ocean is the source from which the first life emerged, and all subsequent existence is played out on it and in interaction with it. In this edition, each of the constituent fragments of the manuscript is transliterated, translated, and commented upon in detail. An introduction describes the process by which these fragments were identified, joined together where possible, and arranged in their present order. A chapter of summary gives an overview of the cosmological doctrines set forth in the manuscript and compares these with similar ideas preserved in earlier and contemporary sources, both Egyptian and Greek. There is also a full bibliography, a glossary, and photographic plates depicting the individual fragments of the text.

Deir el-Medina, the village of the workmen who built the royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, has bequeathed to us thousands of private records. A. G. McDowell presents translations of 200 of these, giving a unique and fascinating insight into the secret lives of Ancient Egyptian people.

The pyramid complex of Queen Khentkaus, a key personage of the 5th Dynasty, was discovered by the Czech Institute of Egyptology in 1976. This handsome volume provides a complete publication of the complex and includes an architectural study, finds, and a discussion of the role of Khentkaus and typology of her tomb in comparison to other queens of the Egyptian Old Kingdom.

This beautifully illustrated book is the first to include translations of over 200 of the texts recovered from the workmen's village of Deir el-Medina, a uniquely rich source of information about daily life in Ancient Egypt. Each translation is introduced by a commentary that provides the context and explains the contribution the text makes to the understanding of Egyptian society in 1539-1075 BC.

This final report on an Iron Age site in southern Jordan, the biblical kingdom of Edom, is the first ever to be published and sheds light on an important aspect of biblical history.

The story of the destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho--three cities situated along a major fault line extending 1,100 kilometers from the Red Sea to Turkey--is the oldest such description in human history. In this book, noted geologists K.O. Emery and David Neev have revisited that story to shed light on what happened there some 4,350 years ago. With all the benefits of modern geological and forensic science techniques at their disposal, the authors explore an area where earthquakes, volcanic activity, variations in the Dead Sea's level, and oscillations between arid and wet climates have affected life there for over 10,000 years. In reviewing the geology, biblical paleogeography, and limnology of the region, the authors have produced fascinating insights into the tectonic and climatic changes that have occurred in the region over the last 6,000 years and how those changes have affected cultural life in the Middle East. The Destruction of Sodom, Gomorrah, and Jericho is the first book to combine modern science and biblical archaeology to produce an authoritative account of the of these three great cities. It will fascinate students and researchers in geology, geophysics, and archaeology alike.

The biblical image of Eve has powerfully influenced ideas about women for the past two millennia. Yet, as Carol Meyers argues in Discovering Eve, the image of the first of women as subservient and dependent does not represent some irreducible historical truth. Rather, it represents the androcentric constructions of a group of urban elite males (including, most notably, the Apostle Paul and Rabbi Yohannan) who had a decisive effect on the founding of Judaeo-Christian traditions. Meyers produces convincing evidence, archaeological, scriptural, and sociological, that ancient Israelite woman fulfilled a role very different from that of the biblical Eve. The real Eve, she demonstrates, was a figure of some social substance, a strong and important figure in the social and familial milieux.

The Chicago Assyrian Dictionary was conceived to provide more than lexical information alone, more than a one-to-one equivalent between Akkadian and English words. By presenting each word in a meaningful context, often with a full and idiomatic translation, it recreates the cultural milieu and in many ways assumes the function of an encyclopedia.

The naos AM 107 of the Museum of Antiquities of Leiden was built by king Amasis in the VIth century BC, a period that saw an intense production of monolithic shrines. Despite its not impressive dimensions, however, the naos of Leiden stands out for its originality. What is particularly interesting about this monument is that its distinctiveness is strictly connected to the nature of its recipient. Amasis dedicated the naos to Osiris Hemag, one of the most important and enigmatic Osirian forms of the first millennium BC. Osiris Hemag represents Osiris in a crucial moment of his existence, his reawakening. It was precisely this aspect of the god that strongly influenced both the shape and the decoration of the naos, creating a unique effect: indeed, this is the only Egyptian naos showing on his surfaces groups of guardian-deities who had the task to protect the body of Osiris and to assist him in his rebirth and rejuvenation. This naos is not only a shrine housing a statue of Osiris Hemag, but it is also a monument conveying a new definition of the god and ideas concerning his rebirth.

The Ancient Egyptian Footwear Project (AEFP) is a multidisciplinary, ongoing research of footwear in ancient Egypt from the Predynastic through the Ottoman Periods. It consists of the study of actual examples of footwear, augmented by pictorial and textual evidence. This volume evaluates, summarises and discusses the results of the study of footwear carried out by the AEFP for the last 10 years (which includes the objects in the major collections in the world, such as the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the British Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, as well as from various excavations, such as Amarna, Elephantine and Dra Abu el-Naga). All published material is depicted and some previously unpublished material is added here. The work on physical examples of footwear has brought to light exciting new insights into ancient Egyptian technology and craftsmanship (including its development but also in the relationships of various footwear categories and their origin), establishing and refining the dating of technologies and styles of footwear, the diversity of footwear, provided a means of identification of provenance for unprovenanced examples, and the relationship between footwear and socio-economic status. The archaeometrical research has lead to the reinterpretation of ancient Egyptian words for various vegetal materials, such as papyrus.

Since long, footwear has been neglected, but the Ancient Egyptian Footwear Project (AEFP), which started 10 years ago, filled in this gap in the knowledge on day-to-day ancient Egypt by studying the archaeological record as well as the imagery and textual evidence.

This volume focuses on J.H. Insinger (1854/1918) as a collector of Ancient Egyptian art and maecenas of the Leiden Museum of Antiquities.

Chariots, the racing cars of the ancient world, first appeared in Egypt about 1600 BC, and quickly became not only the preferred mode of transport for royalty and the elite, but also revolutionised military tactics and warfare. Remains of chariots have been found in Egyptian tombs -Tutankhamun's tomb contained six chariots, which tripled the number of ancient Egyptian chariots known before the discovery of his tomb. However, none of the chariots was complete, as all lacked their leather casings, which were only known from images on tomb and temple walls. In 2008, the Ancient Egyptian Leatherwork Project (AELP) working in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, found a cache of several trays of red and green leather containing some 60 large leather fragments. Some of these had been noted before, but the find had been largely ignored and buried in the depths of the museum. This remarkable object entered the museum in 1932, a purchase from the Tano family, reputable dealers at that time, hence the nick-name 'Tano Chariot'. The Tano leather all came from a single chariot, including portions of the bow-case, the body's casing and the horse housing. The leather is elaborately decorated in appliqued green and red or beige leather. Parallels for some of these fragments are found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the AEgyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin, many of which, until their appearance in this volume, are unpublished. This includes the chariot leather from the tombs of Amenhotep II, III, Tuthmose IV and Tutankhamun. This book presents the Tano material with fully illustrated, detailed descriptions. Chariot related texts and technological analyses - together with detailed comparisons with other chariots and associated leather remains - help provide possible dates for it. The find is put into context with chapters on relevant hieroglyphic texts, and a study of representations of chariots that help identify the various parts, and highlight the role of the chariot in Egyptian religion, propaganda, and culture. The Tano Chariot leather, despite being unprovenanced, is a unique find, which reveals a great deal about ancient Egyptian leatherwork technologies, warfare, weapons, and chariotry.

Papyrus Leiden I 343 + 345 is one of the most extraordinary manuscripts providing a deeper insight into magic and medicine in Ancient Egypt. The main part of the papyrus deals with the ancient Near Eastern disease demon Samanu, who is well known from Sumerian and Akkadian incantations and medical texts. In addition, a broad range of other conjurations and spells against any pain and feet swelling are included. The papyrus also contains two curious spells dealing with 'falling water from the sky'. Eight out of fourteen incantations against the demon Samanu were incorporated twice in this papyrus. The texts are not only presented as parallel text edition but also with photographs of the papyrus. This re-edition of papyrus Leiden I 343 + 345 is a revised transliteration, transcription, translation and up-to-date commentary.