The necropolis of Assiut : a case study of local Egyptian funerary culture from the Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom

Zitman, M.J.W.H. (2006)

Doctoral Thesis

Despite elaborate scholarly attention, the necropolis of Assiut, capital of the 13th Upper Egyptian Nome, has never been properly surveyed. Several of the major excavations, mainly undertaken in the first decades of the last century, still await publication or more detailed edition. These not only include the French excavations by Chassinat and Palanque (1903-1904), but also the work led by Hogarth for the British Museum (1906-1907), and the digs conducted by Schiaparelli (1905, 1908, 1910, 1911-1913). Whereas the historical significance of Assiut during the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom, and its distinct local style of coffin decoration have long been recognised, the basic requirements for a systematic study of this important site are still absent. The aim of this study is to generate a framework for the social, spatial and chronological development of the necropolis of Assiut, concentrating on the times from the Old Kingdom to the end of the Middle Kingdom. Mainly based on hitherto unpublished material, the available funerary remains are carefully scrutinised to establish a chronological ordering. The approach is multifaceted, among other things using tomb architecture, the morphology of pottery, stone vases, seals, coffin decoration (choice of decoration patterns, textual content, epigraphic and palaeographic features), and their spatial distribution. Their combined analysis results in four distinct (chronological) phases in the funerary culture at Assiut: Late Old Kingdom, First Intermediate Period, Early Middle Kingdom and Advanced - Late Middle Kingdom. The remains and features of each of these phases are discussed, and used as a means to put the history of Assiut into better perspective.A brief survey of contents:Chapter 1 - Introduction, Aims and methodsChapter 2 - Compiles a map of the Necropolis and the tombs of its mayors/nomarchs. With regard to the latter, 7 new candidates are put forward, resulting in a reconsideration of the chronology of the Siutian mayors and nomarchs.Chapter 3 - A full survey of the excavations conducted, their location(s) in the field, results, and problems in analysing the available material and reports.Chapter 4 - Survey of Late Old Kingdom burial grounds identified at AssiutChapter 5 - Survey of First Intermediate Period burial grounds identified at AssiutChapter 6 - Survey of Early Middle Kingdom burial grounds identified at Assiut (I)Chapter 7 - Survey of Early Middle Kingdom burial grounds identified at Assiut (II)Chapter 8 - Survey of Advanced - Late Middle Kingdom burial grounds identified at AssiutChapter 9 - Conclusions

• Assiut
• Necropolis
• Archaeological survey
• Funerary culture
• Old Kingdom
• First intermediate period
• Middle Kingdom
• Typology
• Coffin texts
• Pottery

• All authors: Zitman, M.J.W.H.
• Supervisor: Borghouts, J.F.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Faculty of Humanities, Leiden University
• Date: 2006-04-12
• Court: LEI Universiteit Leiden