Archaeology and Ancient Egypt

This publication discusses the pottery that was discovered by Zahi Hawass’s excavations at Giza, including the Cemetery of the Pyramid Builders, the Western Cemetery, and the settlement beneath the modern suburb of Nazlet el-Samman.

After the death of Rameses II, the Nineteenth Dynasty soon fell into decline and familial conflict, culminating in a final civil war that ended with the accession of a new dynasty. Sethy I and Rameses II’s promotion of a concept of a wider ‘royal family’ may have sown the seeds for the conflicts among their descendants. Aidan Dodson explores the mysteries of the origins of the usurper-king Amenmeses and the career of the ‘king-maker’ of the period, the chancellor Bay. Having helped to install at least one pharaoh on the throne, Bay’s life was ended by his abrupt execution, ordered by the woman with whom he had shared the regency of Egypt for the young and disabled King Siptah. Finally, the author considers how that woman—Tawosret—became the last true female pharaoh, and how she finally lost her throne to the founder of the Twentieth Dynasty, Sethnakhte.

This volume presents the results of recent archaeological and historical studies of the Ottoman fort of Quseir, which was Upper Egypt’s only direct outlet to the Red Sea at that time. Illustrated with over 100 maps, drawings, and photographs, this groundbreaking study examines a key example of Ottoman-era material culture in Egypt. With contributions from seven historians and archaeologists, Quseir traces the development and history of an important Ottoman fortress, built near an abandoned medieval port. Its establishment was part of a constant struggle by the Ottoman state to maintain control of the desert and the routes across it. Studies of the archaeological remains from the fort reveal the presence of reused stones from a Greco-Roman temple and emphasize its key role as a regional grain entrepôt and port of embarkation for Muslim pilgrims on the way to Mecca. Quseir is a portrait of a place at the boundary of two powerful cultural and economic systems. While serving as an outlet for the pilgrims and produce of Upper Egypt, Quseir also played a role in the distinctive maritime culture of the Red Sea. This study also reveals in detail for the first time the story of the struggle between the British and French for control of Quseir during the Napoleonic occupation of 1798–1801. American Research Center in Egypt Conservation Series 2

As today’s visitors tour Egypt, one pharaoh’s name and image appear nearly everywhere they go, from Cairo’s main railway station to the magnificent rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel: User-Ma’at-Re Setpenre Ra-mes-su, better known to us as Ramesses II or Ramesses the Great, who reigned for 67 years in the thirteenth century BC, at the height of Egypt’s influence and power. He left behind him the most extensive and visible monumental legacy of any of ancient Egypt’s kings, building and adding to temples all over Egypt (even far into what is now Sudan) and erecting new statues of himself in addition to usurping those of earlier rulers. This lavishly illustrated book brings Ramesses the Great alive as never before. Stunning photography of temples, friezes, statues, tombs, and treasures gives us an unparalleled visual appreciation of the pharaoh and his times. Leading authority T.G.H. James provides a vivid word picture of man and king, describing the background to his reign, the politics of the time, the clash with the Hittites, the Battle of Qadesh, the king as builder and image-maker, his wives and children, his officials, his people, and his legacy. A companion volume to The Treasures of the Egyptian Museum and Tutankhamun: The Eternal Splendor of the Boy Pharaoh, this extraordinary book belongs in the library of every lover of Egypt and its glorious heritage.

As today’s visitors tour Egypt, one pharaoh’s name and image appear nearly everywhere they go, from Cairo’s main railway station to the magnificent rock-cut temples of Abu Simbel: User-Ma’at-Re Setpenre Ra-mes-su, better known to us as Ramesses II or Ramesses the Great, who reigned for 67 years in the thirteenth century BC, at the height of Egypt’s influence and power. He left behind him the most extensive and visible monumental legacy of any of ancient Egypt’s kings, building and adding to temples all over Egypt (even far into what is now Sudan) and erecting new statues of himself in addition to usurping those of earlier rulers. This lavishly illustrated book brings Ramesses the Great alive as never before. Stunning photography of temples, friezes, statues, tombs, and treasures gives us an unparalleled visual appreciation of the pharaoh and his times. Leading authority T.G.H. James provides a vivid word picture of man and king, describing the background to his reign, the politics of the time, the clash with the Hittites, the Battle of Qadesh, the king as builder and image-maker, his wives and children, his officials, his people, and his legacy. A companion volume to The Treasures of the Egyptian Museum and Tutankhamun: The Eternal Splendor of the Boy Pharaoh, this extraordinary book belongs in the library of every lover of Egypt and its glorious heritage.

The royal mummies in the Cairo Museum are an important source of information about the lives of the ancient Egyptians. The remains of these pharaohs and queens can inform us about their age at death and medical conditions from which they may have suffered, as well as the mummification process and objects placed within the wrappings. Using the latest technology, including Multi-Detector Computed Tomography and DNA analysis, co-authors Zahi Hawass and Sahar Saleem present the results of the examination of royal mummies of the Eighteenth to Twentieth Dynasties. New imaging techniques not only reveal a wealth of information about each mummy, but render amazingly lifelike and detailed images of the remains. In addition, utilizing 3D images, the anatomy of each face has been discerned for a more accurate interpretation of a mummy’s facial features. This latest research has uncovered some surprising results about the genealogy of, and familial relationships between, these ancient individuals, as well as some unexpected medical finds. Historical information is provided to place the royal mummies in context, and the book with its many illustrations will appeal to Egyptologists, paleopathologists, and non-specialists alike, as the authors seek to uncover the secrets of these most fascinating members of the New Kingdom royal families.

In the Greco-Roman catacombs of Alexandria, uniquely decorated tombs from the time when religious boundaries blurred and syncretistic beliefs flourished have long been known. But it was only in 1993 that researchers discovered faint traces of paintings on walls previously thought to be blank, or underneath other painted scenes: the hidden scenes could be partly made out and photographed using ultraviolet light. Then in 2012, new computer technology was used to reveal the lost images—and colors—even more clearly. Here the team present, examine, and interpret what they found, teasing meaning and intent from the alternating scenes of Greek and Egyptian mythology, as employed by the citizens of a multicultural Alexandria at the beginning of the second century CE, in pursuit of a happy afterlife.

Zahi Hawass, familiar to millions from his many television appearances, provides stirring descriptions of his life’s work accompanied by many previously unpublished photographs. He takes us from the famous monuments at Giza, where he supervised the restoration of the Sphinx and the Great Pyramid and excavated the cemetery of the pyramid builders, to the Valley of the Golden Mummies in Bahariya Oasis. A storyteller par excellence, Dr. Hawass speculates about life in ancient Egypt based on a scientific analysis of excavations conducted by himself or under his supervision. He also spins tales of tomb robbers, explains how he negotiates with local Egyptians whose houses may lie directly above important sites, and describes in exciting detail the experience of entering an ancient tomb for the first time after thousands of years.

The coastal acropolis of Taposiris Magna, 45 km west of Alexandria on Egypt’s north coast, was founded by Ptolemy Philadelphos II in the early third century BC. Between 1998 and 2004, Hungarian excavations, led by charismatic archaeologist Gyozo Vörös, revealed many of the hidden secrets of the history of this important site. Within the Egyptian-style pylons and enclosure walls, the team discovered the foundations of a Greek-style sanctuary—the only Greek temple so far found in Egypt. That sanctuary was carefully and deliberately dismantled in the Roman period in order to turn the whole temple into a garrisoned fortress: columns from the sanctuary were used to heighten the enclosure walls. Later, at the end of the fourth century, a Christian basilica was constructed inside the fortress complex, and the temple became a monastery. This fully illustrated book reveals all the discoveries of the Hungarian excavations at this remarkably protean site, including plans and reconstructions of the Greek sanctuary and the Byzantine basilica, as well as a series of stunning finds: a beautiful basalt statue of Isis, a cache of Roman bronze cultic paraphernalia, and a hoard of Byzantine gold coins and jewelry.

Despite the prominence of ancient temples in the landscape of Egypt, books about them are surprisingly rare. This new and essential publication from a prominent Czech scholar answers the need for a study that goes beyond temple architecture to examine the spiritual, economic, and political aspects of these institutions and the dominant roles they played. Miroslav Verner presents a deeper and more complex study of major ancient Egyptian religious centers, their principal temples, their rise and decline, their religious doctrines, cults, rituals, feasts, and mysteries. Also discussed are the various categories of priests, the organization of the priesthood, and its daily services and customs. Each chapter offers the reader essential and up-to-date information about temple complexes and the history of their archaeological exploration, in the context of the spiritual dimension and cultural legacy of ancient Egypt.

This book presents an important survey of ancient Egyptian temples and the rituals associated with their use. It covers the entire pharaonic era, from the Old Kingdom to the Roman period, and offers a fresh perspective on ritual and its cultural significance, demonstrating the role of temples as loci for the creative interplay of sacred space and sacred time. Temples of Ancient Egypt challenges the traditional division of temples into the categories of either ‘mortuary’ or ‘divine,’ showing that their functions and symbolic representations were, at once, too varied and too intertwined. Contributors: Dieter Arnold, Lanny Bell, Ragnhild Bjerre Finnestad, Gerhard Haeny, and Byron E. Shafer. “New books occasionally appear which cause genuine excitement amongst their target audience . . . the Shafer volume has already become required reading at my own and other Universities.”—Susanna Thomas, Antiquity Magazine