This book is the first comprehensive monographic treatment of the New Kingdom (1539–1078 BCE) necropolis at Saqqara, the burial ground of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, and addresses... Show moreThis book is the first comprehensive monographic treatment of the New Kingdom (1539–1078 BCE) necropolis at Saqqara, the burial ground of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, and addresses questions fundamental to understanding the site’s development through time. For example, why were certain areas of the necropolis selected for burial in certain time periods; what were the tombs’ spatial relations to contemporaneous and older monuments; and what effect did earlier structures have on the positioning of tombs and structuring of the necropolis in later times? This study adopts landscape biography as a conceptual tool to study the long-time interaction between people and landscapes. Show less
In the 2019 season, the joint Leiden-Turin Expedition to Saqqara continued work in the area north of thetomb of Maya with the aim of lowering the terrain above the new tomb discovered during the... Show moreIn the 2019 season, the joint Leiden-Turin Expedition to Saqqara continued work in the area north of thetomb of Maya with the aim of lowering the terrain above the new tomb discovered during the 2018 season(V82.1) and to prepare the area for further exploration in 2020. Many layers of deposit situated immediatelyto the north of the new tomb were removed, and – although they mostly originated from previous excavationsin the 1980s and 1990s – systematically investigated. Several dumps of organic material such as linenand wood as well as numerous small finds and relief fragments were identified and recorded. In addition,existing storage facilities on site were renovated and upgraded. In this process, part of the undergroundstructures of the tombs of Horemheb and Meryneith were surveyed by the 3D Survey Group (Politecnico diMilano). Thanks to the cooperation with the same Milanese team, a new documentation method was testedduring the ongoing excavation work. Within a 3D model the different stages of excavation were recorded,allowing the digital reconstruction of the stratigraphy of the whole area and the documentation of all findsin their original contexts. A Digital Surface Model of the entire concession area was also produced, and 3Dmodels of some of the previously excavated monumental tombs were created. Lastly, since heavy rainfallshad damaged many of the earlier excavated monumental tombs open to the public, they were consolidatedand where necessary rebuilt. Show less
This article presents the Saqqara tomb of Ry, an army official who built his funerary monument in the immediate post-Amarna period (temp. Tutankhamun c. 1319–1310 BCE). The Leiden-Turin Expedition... Show moreThis article presents the Saqqara tomb of Ry, an army official who built his funerary monument in the immediate post-Amarna period (temp. Tutankhamun c. 1319–1310 BCE). The Leiden-Turin Expedition to Saqqara excavated this anonymous mud-brick tomb structure in 2013. Recent research revealed that various decorated limestone revetment blocks held in museum collections around the world derive from this tomb. They were removed by early excavators almost 200 years ago and formed part of the antiquities collections of prominent collectors such as Giuseppe Passalacqua and Henry Abbott. The dispersed tomb elements bearing texts and iconography are here contextualised and the funerary monument is analysed in the framework of the development of the Memphite New Kingdom necropolis. Show less
In addition to the formal reliefs and texts, the limestone revetment and columns in the superstructure of the tomb of Ptahemwia bear several dozen unofficial inscriptions and depictions, some... Show moreIn addition to the formal reliefs and texts, the limestone revetment and columns in the superstructure of the tomb of Ptahemwia bear several dozen unofficial inscriptions and depictions, some incised, some written in red ochre (dipinti). These graffiti warrant further analysis for two reasons. First, they provide strong, contextualised evidence about the various ways in which the tomb of Ptahemwia was used. Second, they have the potential to shed new light on a shadowy area of Egyptian religious history: the study of aspects of popular piety. Show less
Previous examinations of ancient Egyptian graffiti have focused on textual graffiti and developed interpretations specific to this class of evidence. In contrast, relatively few studies have... Show morePrevious examinations of ancient Egyptian graffiti have focused on textual graffiti and developed interpretations specific to this class of evidence. In contrast, relatively few studies have considered the communicative power and meaning of figural graffiti, presumably because of the inherent challenges that this data set presents to academic research. To counterbalance the current emphasis on textual graffiti, this contribution examines graffiti making in the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara using an integrated approach taking in both textual and figural material. In accordance with the imagistic principle of Egyptian magic, the authors propose that certain types of figural graffiti may be regarded as pictorial prayers in their own right, intended to ensure the permanent presence of the graffitist in the tomb, or to protect and beatify the deceased in the afterlife. Since literacy is not a prerequisite for drawing a picture, the important question is raised of whether the production of figural graffiti expanded throughout the social scale or, like textual graffiti, was restricted to the elite and sub-elite. Show less
In Egyptological literature, Necropolis journals are considered as records written on papyri and ostraca concerning the activities of the workmen or artisan community of Deir el-Medina in... Show moreIn Egyptological literature, Necropolis journals are considered as records written on papyri and ostraca concerning the activities of the workmen or artisan community of Deir el-Medina in Thebes. In these notes, written by the scribes in hieratic, information about the gang of workmen employed in the construction of the royal tombs in the Valleys of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens throughout the Ramesside period is given (c. 1300-1100 BC): their payments, presence or absence, collective administration, private problems concerning individual crew members, internal perturbations, visits by officials and incursions from “foreigners”. They have been labelled ‘Necropolis journal” ever since the first publication of such documents from the late 20th Dynasty by Botti and Peet 1928 (“Il Giornale della Necropoli di Tebe”). Since then, the idea of “a journal” and notably “an events journal” developed amongst Egyptologists and it appeared in almost all publications about the Deir el-Medina community, without really saying what in fact this would mean in practice. The question has arisen as to whether indeed this was a specific genre of document. Is it correct to define such notes as journals? Would they be considered journals from an ancient Egyptian point of view? Show less
Saqqara, the prime necropolis site of Memphis in the New Kingdom, exists largely in museum collections around the world. The study of its dispersed blocks has enabled Nico Staring to unlock the... Show moreSaqqara, the prime necropolis site of Memphis in the New Kingdom, exists largely in museum collections around the world. The study of its dispersed blocks has enabled Nico Staring to unlock the identify of an anonymous tomb excavated in 2013. Show less
Del Vesco, P.; Greco, C.; Müller, M.; Staring, N.T.B.; Weiss, L.V.; Gasperini, V.; ... ; Warner, N. 2019
In 2015, the Museo Egizio in Turin joined the Leiden expedition to Saqqara, in the area south of the Unas causeway. This report presents the expedition’s new approach as well as some first results... Show moreIn 2015, the Museo Egizio in Turin joined the Leiden expedition to Saqqara, in the area south of the Unas causeway. This report presents the expedition’s new approach as well as some first results of this new cooperation. In the 2018 season, the Leiden-Turin expedition worked in the northern sector of its concession, covering an area of ca. 250 sqm just north of the tomb of Maya. Here Late Antique layers overlie a windblown deposit containing some simple burials and numerous “embalmers’ caches”, some of which yielded marl clay cups with hieratic labels. An overview of both the pottery and the human remains found during this season is provided in the present report. Below the wind-blown deposit is a level with Ramesside funerary chapels and shafts. One of them has a remarkable decoration including six small-format figures carved in high relief in the middle of its back wall. The shaft of another chapel was also excavated, revealing several plundered chambers which yielded only scanty finds. A large mud-brick wall exposed during the previous season turned out to belong to the outer wall and pylon entrance of a monumental tomb, whose owner’s name has not been found yet.A photogrammetric survey by a team of the Politecnico di Milano yielded a 3D model of the dig (included in the web version of this report), as well as several 3D models of the monumental tombs (completed or in the making). During the season, conservation work was carried out on several tombs and on the newly discovered Ramesside chapel. Show less
This contribution takes as its point of departure the observation that the relationship between individual tombs in the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara is still poorly understood and that no... Show moreThis contribution takes as its point of departure the observation that the relationship between individual tombs in the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara is still poorly understood and that no coherent internal patterns have been established. The organisation of this vast elite necropolis and the spatial distribution of tombs therein are here studied by analysing the prosopographical data of 448 individuals: the tomb owners. After introducing the prosopographical method and its challenges, in particular as concerning the case study of Saqqara, its research potential will be demonstrated. The distribution of tombs according to the titles (occupational, rank, and honorific) of their owners and the observable changing patterns through time provide a first, tentative indication for the rationale of their distribution. Since the location of amajority of New Kingdom tombs is today lost, knowledge of the rationale underlying tomb placement is pivotal to allow for making statements about the original appearance and development of this necropolis. This research potential is illustrated with selected case studies. Show less
The dissertation examines the functional and historical context of the corpus of ostraca from the Theban necropolis - hitherto largely unpublished - that are inscribed with identity marks. The... Show moreThe dissertation examines the functional and historical context of the corpus of ostraca from the Theban necropolis - hitherto largely unpublished - that are inscribed with identity marks. The feature that sets the usage of marks in Deir el-Medina apart from other systems in ancient Egypt is their application in the creation of documentary records. Analysing the 18th Dynasty ostraca, the study provides insight into the organisation and administration of the royal necropolis workmen of that period. The ostraca from the 19th and 20th Dynasty are occasionally concerned with supplies and tools for the construction of the tomb, but more often they record the delivery and distribution of commodities, goods and rations, and attendance at the worksite. In the 20th Dynasty more than in the 19th Dynasty ostraca can be recognised that pertain not to the collective necropolis administration, but that are private accounts. The subject of such records is also exclusively of a material nature. They include what seem to be inventories of private property and records of transactions. The majority of ostraca with identity marks were created by workmen without formal scribal training, although some were evidently composed by scribes or draftsmen. Show less
This article presents three hitherto unpublished objects in the collection of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin. The faience stela ÄM 19718 and the pyramid panels ÄM 1631–1632... Show moreThis article presents three hitherto unpublished objects in the collection of the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung in Berlin. The faience stela ÄM 19718 and the pyramid panels ÄM 1631–1632 derive from the Saqqara tomb of the early Nineteenth Dynasty Mayor of Memphis, Ptahmose. This paper also explores the way in which the objects came to Berlin and how the stela was subsequently lost – and found. A careful study of the objects provides new insights into the architectural development of monumental tombs at Saqqara, and revealssomething about the identity of the craftsman who was responsible for the tombs’ decoration. Show less
This study is presented in the form of a ‘thesis by publication’ comprising published journal articles and conference proceedings. The articles are thematically linked to the New Kingdom... Show moreThis study is presented in the form of a ‘thesis by publication’ comprising published journal articles and conference proceedings. The articles are thematically linked to the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara and grouped in three interrelated sections. This thesis sets as its main aim the study of the tombs, tomb owners and the use of sacred space in the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara by examining, as a point of departure, the sources pertaining to the early exploration of the necropolis. In the first section, unpublished archival material pertaining to the early, mid-Nineteenth Century exploration of the necropolis is studied. This includes the photographs taken by Théodule Devéria at Saqqara in 1859 capturing monuments that are today “lost”. Investigations into the collection histories of the individual objects enable a reconstruction of the history of dismantling the tombs. The second section examines the inscriptional sources that offer biographical information about the early Nineteenth Dynasty tomb owners. The officials’ titles constitute the main data of research in this section. The rationale of the tombs’ spatial distribution is analysed by combining information pertaining to groups of officials covering a longer period of time and extending over the whole necropolis. The titles are also used to study aspects of the administration of the city, Memphis, and its temples. The final section examines the actual use of the necropolis and the tombs therein. Due to the activities of the early explorers, few archaeological traces pertaining to past activities have remained for us to study in situ. The figural and textual graffiti that were left on the tombs’ stone elements offer the main data for research. Show less
This study is presented in the form of a ‘thesis by publication’ comprising published journal articles and conference proceedings. The articles are thematically linked to the New Kingdom necropolis... Show moreThis study is presented in the form of a ‘thesis by publication’ comprising published journal articles and conference proceedings. The articles are thematically linked to the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara and grouped in three interrelated sections. This thesis sets as its main aim the study of the tombs, tomb owners and the use of sacred space in the New Kingdom necropolis at Saqqara by examining, as a point of departure, the sources pertaining to the early exploration of the necropolis. In the first section, unpublished archival material pertaining to the early, mid-Nineteenth Century exploration of the necropolis is studied. This includes the photographs taken by Théodule Devéria at Saqqara in 1859 capturing monuments that are today “lost”. Investigations into the collection histories of the individual objects enable a reconstruction of the history of dismantling the tombs. The second section examines the inscriptional sources that offer biographical information about the early Nineteenth Dynasty tomb owners. The officials’ titles constitute the main data of research in this section. The rationale of the tombs’ spatial distribution is analysed by combining information pertaining to groups of officials covering a longer period of time and extending over the whole necropolis. The titles are also used to study aspects of the administration of the city, Memphis, and its temples. The final section examines the actual use of the necropolis and the tombs therein. Due to the activities of the early explorers, few archaeological traces pertaining to past activities have remained for us to study in situ. The figural and textual graffiti that were left on the tombs’ stone elements offer the main data for research. Show less
