This volume publishes a selection of nine papers from the 2001 CRE conference held in Liverpool. Written with the aim of fostering the exchange of ideas and presenting new research, the multi-disciplinary papers discuss: the use of the double and triple uraeus in royal iconography (Sally-Ann Ashton); the organisation and mobilisation of Old Kingdom quarry labour forces at Chephren's quarry (Geber el-Asr) Lower Nubia (Elisabeth Bloxham); excavations at Theban tomb KV 39 (Ian Buckley); an Old Kingdom town at Zawiet Sultan (Zawiet Meitin) in Middle Egypt (Nadine Moeller); Egypt and Mycenaean Greece (Georgina Muskett); the age of the Sphinx and the development of the Giza necropolis (Colin Reader); the transition to state society in Egypt (Joanne Rowland); single mother goddesses and divine kingship (Geoffrey Tassie); morphological variations in Egyptian crania (Sonia Zakrzewski) .

Until comparatively recently, there has been little attempt to produce a detailed study of the architectural make-up of multi-roomed mastaba tombs and the implications of these observations for understanding the ways in which this type of tomb was really used. No thorough and comprehensive investigation has ever been dedicated to the building techniques, materials and design of mastabas or, indeed, who built them. The Architecture of Mastaba Tombs considers the architectural components of tomb design that made an ideal burial and explores different aspects of the design and construction of mastabas in the late Old Kingdom (c. 2375 - 2181 BC). It focuses on a group of multi-roomed mastabas in the Unas Cemetery at Saqqara that can be characterised by their complex design and large size. This includes an appraisal of tombs within this cemetery and examines the layout and development of the cemetery from the reign of King Unas, at the end of the 5th Dynasty. Specific attention is paid to the techniques that were used to build tombs via the recording of masonry and examination of specific architectural elements within different monuments. Features such as doorways and the security of the tomb and other aspects, for example the provision of storage space for the maintenance of the mortuary cult, are all considered. The study utilises published sources and survey work carried out by the author. Finally, this study addresses the imbalance of data collection within the recording of Old Kingdom mastabas.

Until comparatively recently, there has been little attempt to produce a detailed study of the architectural make-up of multi-roomed mastaba tombs and the implications of these observations for understanding the ways in which this type of tomb was really used. No thorough and comprehensive investigation has ever been dedicated to the building techniques, materials and design of mastabas or, indeed, who built them. The Architecture of Mastaba Tombs considers the architectural components of tomb design that made an ideal burial and explores different aspects of the design and construction of mastabas in the late Old Kingdom (c. 2375 – 2181 BC). It focuses on a group of multi-roomed mastabas in the Unas Cemetery at Saqqara that can be characterised by their complex design and large size. This includes an appraisal of tombs within this cemetery and examines the layout and development of the cemetery from the reign of King Unas, at the end of the 5th Dynasty. Specific attention is paid to the techniques that were used to build tombs via the recording of masonry and examination of specific architectural elements within different monuments. Features such as doorways and the security of the tomb and other aspects, for example the provision of storage space for the maintenance of the mortuary cult, are all considered. The study utilises published sources and survey work carried out by the author. Finally, this study addresses the imbalance of data collection within the recording of Old Kingdom mastabas.