Ägypten und Levante XXXIII / Egypt and the Levant XXXIII (2023)
Internationale Zeitschrift für ägyptische Archäologie und deren Nachbargebiete / International Journal for Egyptian Archaeology and Related Disciplines
No.:
XXXIII
Year of the volume:
2023
1. Auflage, 2024
Die internationale und interdisziplinär ausgerichtete Zeitschrift „Ägypten und Levante“, die einmal jährlich im Druck und online erscheint, wurde im Jahr 1990 von Manfred Bietak begründet, um den Forschungen zu den Kulturkontakten zwischen Ägypten und seinen Nachbarländern eine Publikationsplattform zu bieten. Das Themenfeld der Zeitschrift umfasst Berichte zu archäologischen Grabungen in Ägypten und dem gesamten Vorderen Orient mit dem Sudan, wie auch Artikel zu allen Aspekten der ägyptischen und nahöstlichen Archäologie, Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaft. Der Fokus liegt auf der pharaonischen Zeit, jedoch sind sowohl Beiträge zur Ur- und Frühgeschichte der genannten Regionen wie auch zur nachpharaonischen Antike möglich, ebenso zu naturwissenschaftlichen Themen.
Band 33 (2023) enthält drei Vorberichte zu aktuellen Grabungen in Tell el-Retaba (J. Hudec et al.), Abydos (C. Köhler et al.) und Wadi el-Nasib (M. Nour el-Din et al.). Weitere Studien stammen von I. Bogdanov über einen Architrav des AR, von F. Borrego Gallardo über personifizierte Darstellungen in Opferprozessionen, von E. Calomino und S. Lupo über „Pigeon-Pots“ der Spätzeit, von V. Verešova et al. über Reibsteine aus Tell el-Retaba, von L. Doutais über die Beteiligten an Herstellung und Verteilung des srm.t-Getränks, von M. Karlsson über hybride Namensformen in keilschriftlichen Quellen, von E. Khalifa über ein „Black-topped“-Gefäß im Maquarie University Museum, von I. de Magistris über ein 12. Fort am sog. Horusweg, und von M. Kaczanowicz über die Arbeiten von Ernest Mackay während des 1. Weltkriegs in Luxor. A. Sacco unterzieht verschiedene Materialgruppen aus Tell el-Dab’a einer Netzwerkanalyse. I. Finkelstein löst die Frage, welches Stratum in Megiddo der von Thutmosis III attackierten Stadt entspricht. D. Ilan untersucht den Keramiktyp der „Fenestrated domed vessels“, und I. Weissbein und S. Ganor stellen einen bronzezeitlichen Oberflächenfund aus Tell Jemmeh vor. Schließlich enthält der Band noch 2 Nachrufe auf Erich Winter (M. Bietak) und Edgar B. Pusch (M. Bietak und S. Prell).
Details
Abkürzungen/Abbreviations
Page 9 - 10
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Vorwort für das Herausgebergremium/ Preface on behalf of the Editorial Board
Page 11 - 14 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s11
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Abschied von unserem langjährigen Freund Erich Winter (1928–2022)
Page 15 - 17 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s15
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A Farewell to Our Friend Edgar B. Pusch (1946–2023)
Page 19 - 20 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s19
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Between Tombs and Defence Walls: Tell el-Retaba in Seasons 2019 and 2021
This article presents preliminary results from the 2019 and 2021 excavation seasons at Tell el-Retaba. In Area 4, the focus was on settlement activities spanning the Second Intermediate Period and the late New Kingdom. In Area 2, exploration delved into a settlement and defence structures of the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period. Area 4 underwent a change from a settlement at the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period to a cemetery of the same period used continuously into the early 18th Dynasty. It was only later during the 18th Dynasty, that the excavated area reverted to a settlement of mudbrick houses. A rich assemblage of small finds and a battery of ovens bear witness to the lively industrial activity or craftsmanship of its inhabitants, and their long-distance contacts. The discovery of a walkway, dating to Phase D4, adds an intriguing detail to 20th Dynasty military architecture. Isolated finds from the Third Intermediate Period (Phase C) demonstrate the spread of the settlement, known from previous excavations, further north on the tell. In 2021, work shifted to Area 2, separated from Area 4 by a ca. 20 m wide recent asphalt road. On the northern edge of the explored part of Area 2, two massive walls in partial supraposition were uncovered. The upper one exhibits construction similarities with the walls of the Ramesse III fortifications; however, the function and date of the lower wall have not been solidly established yet.
Keywords: Second Intermediate Period, New Kingdom, Third Intermediate Period, cemetary, burial customs, settlement, street, defence wall
Jozef Hudec - Lucia Hulková - Veronika Verešová - Alena Šefčáková - Anna Wodzińska - Květa Smoláriková - Miroslav Černý
Page 21 - 74 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s21
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A Preliminary Report of New Archaeological Fieldwork at the Tomb of Queen Meret-Neith of the 1st Dynasty at Abydos, Umm el-Qaab
Following its original discovery by Flinders Petrie in 1899/1900, the tomb of the 1st Dynasty queen, Meret-Neith at Abydos is currently the focus of a new interdisciplinary project. The project aims to establish Meret-Neith’s chronological position and role within the 1st Dynasty and to better understand, visualise, and archive her monumental tomb complex and associated artefacts. The complex comprises a main central part as well as exterior rows of subsidiary tombs, all built of mudbrick. Archaeological excavation of the central part as well as 27 (out of 41) subsidiary chambers of the complex was completed during the spring 2023 season, yielding a wide range of new results that will contribute to a better understanding of the historical significance of this queen.
Keywords: Royal Tombs, Abydos, First Dynasty, queen Meret-Neith, photogrammetry, archaeological science
Eva Christiana Köhler - Peter Ferschin - Amber Hood - Friederike Junge - Bálint Istvan Kovács - Mathilde Minotti
Page 75 - 144 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s75
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Preliminary Report of the Egyptian Excavation Mission in Wadi El-Nasib, Season 2021
Wadi El-Nasib is one of the most important Egyptian mining sites situated in southwestern Sinai. In October 2021, the first excavation mission at the site was conducted by an Egyptian team. The mission conducted an archaeological survey in the valley followed by excavations in three areas. The excavation in Area 1 revealed copper smelting workshops. Additionally, the mission discovered a malachite mine in Area 3. In Area 2, the mission unearthed a huge stone building measuring approximately 225 square meters. This structure is believed to have served as the headquarters for mining expeditions in Sinai during the Old and Middle Kingdoms. In the New Kingdom, the building was used as a workshop for smelting copper and refining turquoise. Internal modifications included the addition of walls and a northern entrance. Notable discoveries include copper smelting furnaces and processing areas. Four copper cakes, each weighing between 1200 to 1300 grams, and quantity of about 10 kg of crumbled copper were also found.
Keywords: Sinai, Wadi el-Nasib, Archaeometallurgy, copper, New Kingdom
Mustafa Nour el-Din - El-Sayed el-Badawy - Hend M. Ramadan - Eslam Samy - Fatma el-Zhraa Omer - Eslam Saleh
Page 145 - 158 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s145
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A New Fragment of the Architrave from Kom el-Akhdar (Busiris, Late Old Kingdom). Part I
This article is a study of a new fragment of the architrave from Kom el-Akhdar, dating from the late Sixth to the Eighth Dynasty. H.G. Fischer previously published the right section of this architrave in 1976, while the left section ended up in the Rupert Wace gallery. The high-ranking official who owned the architrave was named nj -nDm=j -Xnmw. The monument is particularly interesting as a historical source for understanding the Old Kingdom administration in the Delta and the relationships between Egyptians and neighboring Semitic tribes. The left section of the architrave contains the ending of the main inscription, accompanied by images of the deceased seated on a chair, his son approaching with birds in hand as an offering, his second wife (or daughter) standing behind him, and a dwarf under the chair. The first part of this study includes a transcription and translation of all the inscriptions, as well as a grammatical commentary on the conversation between the butchers in the scene depicting the slaughtering of an ox. The second part of the study will predominantly include a commentary on anthroponyms and notes on various titles. Special attention is paid to the grammatical structure of names with the nisba nj as the predicate: nj-nDm=j -Xnmw and nj-sw-xw=j. It is important to note that this article is a revised version of the original paper in Russian (Bogdanov 2022).
Keywords: Old Kingdom Egypt, 6th Dynasty, 8th Dynasty, Ancient Egyptian monumental inscriptions, Egyptian Delta in antiquity, Old Egyptian language
Ivan V. Bogdanov
Page 159 - 178 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s159
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Offering the Country: The Ideology and Semantics of the Processions of Offering Personifications in the Royal Funerary Complexes of Old Kingdom Egypt
Royal funerary complexes in Old Kingdom Egypt are multifaceted, meaning-laden spaces where, from the early Fourth Dynasty, large areas of wall reliefs were devoted to scenes featuring rows of personifications representing estates, provinces, regions, and elements of the Egyptian landscape, offering food and other items to the deceased king. While a widespread interpretation sees these scenes as a collective contribution from the entire country to sustain the monarch in the afterlife, it proves too general and warrants a more detailed explanation. Considering the polysemy of these spaces, two complementary meanings emerge. One is political, revealing the king’s dominion over the territory through the imposition of administrative organization and its appropriation via taxation in kind. The other is funerary, guaranteeing the king’s royal status postmortem, affirming his control of the ordered world, and securing the supply of offerings for his afterlife existence. Further evidence from the Third Millennium BCE supports this interpretation, illustrating the appropriation, anthropization and personification of the Egyptian landscape. This deliberate control and ordering of the environment facilitate the transformation of nature into habitat and nourishment, and nourishment into taxes and offerings perpetually owned and consumed by the deceased king.
Keywords: Ancient Egypt, Old Kingdom, royal funerary complexes, offering, landscape, personification
Francisco L. Borrego Gallardo
Page 179 - 199 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s179
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The ‘Pigeon Pots’ of Tell el-Ghaba in the Eastern Delta of Egypt during the Third Intermediate Period: Typology and Contexts
Tell el-Ghaba is located on the Eastern Nile Delta/North Sinai, Egypt, near the extinct Pelusiac branch of the Nile. It is an urban settlement that was occupied between the beginning of the Third Intermediate Period and the Early Saite Period (from the mid-10th century BC to the end of the 7th century BC). This paper delves into the study of a particular ceramic type within the group of objects found and analysed at Tell el-Ghaba: containers known as ‘pigeon pots’. First, we will describe these objects, emphasising their morphology and composition; we will situate them temporally and spatially based on their discovery in other archaeological sites of ancient Egypt. Next, we will summarise the various problems associated with their recognition and study. Finally, we examine the Tell el-Ghaba pigeon pots to establish their typology, the contexts in which they were found, and compare them with those from other contemporary sites, such as Tell el-Retaba, Tanis, Kom Firin, among others, from the Third Intermediate Period. Through this approach, we aim to contribute additional information to the ongoing ceramic studies on pigeon pots in various Egyptian sites.
Keywords: Tell el-Ghaba, Pigeon Pots, Eastern Delta, Third Intermediate Period
Eva A. Calomino - Silvia Lupo
Page 201 - 216 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s201
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Egyptians and Foreigners Involved in srm.t-Beverage Production and Trade in the Theban Region during the Mid-Eighteenth Dynasty: A Study of Foreign Anthroponyms from the Writing Board BM EA 29558
This article presents an onomastic study of a writing board housed in the British Museum, London. The accounting document shows the production and distribution circuit of the srm.tbeverage within the Theban region (Dautais, Gabolde, and Birin 2022). Onomastics supports the date range suggested by paleographic analysis, i.e., a mid-18th Dynasty date and, specifically between the beginning of Thutmose III’s personal reign and the onset of Amenhotep II’s reign. Some individuals with anthroponyms of West Semitic origin (e. g., Benia) or based on Levantine deities (Aper-Reshep, Bensharima/Ben-Shalim, Kafykebeb/Kafy-Kubaba, and Hererima/Her-rem) and Levantine (Qadjana and Qedemy), Aegean (Pakeftiu), and perhaps Oasian (Pentawahyt) toponyms play an active part in this circuit. This data highlights the robust cosmopolitan nature of the Theban region during the second half of the 15th century BCE. Furthermore, I argue that the numerical importance of people of Levantine origin (constituting almost a third of the anthroponyms listed) in the chaîne opératoire of this beverage would imply a particular know-how possibly imported—as a knowledge transfer—from the Near East.
Keywords: Writing board, hieratic, accounting document, 18th Dynasty, srm.t, Anthroponomy, Egypt, Ancient Near East, Crete, knowledge transfer
Louis Dautais
Page 217 - 233 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s217
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The Forgotten One: A Reassessment of the So-Called Ways of Horus in Light of the Existence of a Twelfth Fortress in the Karnak Reliefs
Alan Gardiner was the first to reconstruct and review the written sources regarding the so-called “Ways of Horus”, a chain of fortresses established in North Sinai during the New Kingdom. To this day, his 1920 article “The Ancient Military Road between Egypt and Palestine” is the stepping stone and the starting point for every discussion on the argument. The article’s enduring importance is connected not only to the fact that Gardiner convincingly connected the 12-forts description contained in Papyrus Anastasi I with the depiction present in the Karnak Reliefs of Seti I; and that he reconstructed the deteriorated (and deteriorating) reliefs on the base of copies made during the 19th-century. His 11-forts reconstruction of the reliefs has been used by virtually every scholar ever since. However, reconciling the discrepancies between the two documents, particularly regarding the number of forts, has proven to be an unsolvable problem. This article demonstrates that a twelfth fort – originally present in the Karnak Reliefs – went unnoticed by Gardiner. It shows that Ippolito Rosellini depicted it in a copy of the Reliefs made in 1829, and that he described it in his notes. It highlights that the University of Chicago’s Epigraphic Survey of the Reliefs found traces of the name of the fort’s accompanying well. It finally reassesses the subject of the so-called “Ways of Horus” and, by recognizing the existence of this “ forgotten fort”, supports Alan Gardiner’s century old argument that the description in Papyrus Anastasi I aligns with the depiction in the Karnak Reliefs.
Keywords: Ways of Horus, Karnak reliefs, Papyrus Anastasi I, North Sinai, Gardiner
Francesco Ignazio De Magistris
Page 235 - 254 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s235
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Megiddo and Thutmose III: An Update
Current work at Megiddo has resolved the two main problems that have haunted research in regard to Thutmose III’s campaign at the site. The work shows that it was the city of Stratum IX of LB I that confronted the pharaoh. And, contrary to conventional wisdom, it also demonstrates that in the Stratum IX era, Megiddo was better protected than it was in the Middle Bronze Age, as the old brick wall was still in use, and houses that created a continuous outer stone wall were constructed on top of it.
Keywords: Megiddo, fortifications, city-wall, Thutmose III
Israel Finkelstein
Page 255 - 262 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s255
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Portable Silo Shrines of the Grain Deity in the Second Millennium BCE Levant
Fenestrated domed vessels have been found in Bronze and Iron Age contexts at a number of sites in the central and eastern Mediterranean, western Asia, and Egypt. In the Levant, they have been interpreted as “snake houses” and house models, but more often as model sanctuaries or portable shrines. In this presentation, I reexamine their attributes and find-spot contexts and propose that they represent grain silos—modeled on the original Egyptian conception. Referencing mythological and ritual texts from ancient Western Asia and from Ugarit in particular, it is proposed that the model silos were an attribute of the grain god – Ba’al-Hadad or Dagan – and housed figurines of that deity. The model silos would have been considered instrumental in communicating with the deity to encourage agrarian fecundity. They might also have been a vehicle of communication with ancestors.
Keywords: portable shrines, model sanctuaries, snake houses, Ba’al, Hadad, Dagan, Dagon, model silos, fertility rituals, grain deity
David Ilan
Page 264 - 284 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s264
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Some Further Details of Ernest Mackay’s Work in the Theban Necropolis
This article continues the exploration of Ernest J. H. Mackay’s (1880–1943) archaeological research in the Theban necropolis between 1913 and 1916, building on the author’s previous paper. It focuses on the description of works conducted in the Theban tombs, summarized in the collection of Mackay’s notes, housed at the Griffith Institute, University of Oxford (part of the Gardiner MSS).
Keywords: Theban necropolis, Theban tombs, Ernest Mackay, Dorothy Mackay
Marta Kaczanowicz
Page 285 - 301 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s285
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Egyptian Hybrid Names in Cuneiform Texts from the First Millennium BCE
This article focuses on Egyptian hybrid names, specifically on personal names in cuneiform texts from the first millennium BCE that consist of one Egyptian element (generally the name of an Egyptian deity) and a non-Egyptian element (generally a Semitic phrase). The absence or presence of Egyptian contexts, such as Egyptian ethnonyms and fully Egyptian personal names, is evaluated to determine whether these hybrid names indicate the diffusion of Egyptian cults abroad or the partial integration of Egyptians living in Western Asia. After identifying and presenting 27 attestations from Neo-Assyrian to Parthian times, it is concluded that the name-bearers in question likely consisted of both foreigners who had adopted Egyptian cults and ethnic Egyptians.
Keywords: Egypt, Mesopotamia, cuneiform, onomastics
Mattias Karlsson
Page 303 - 310 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s303
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Authenticity, Provenance, and Chronology of an Unpublished Black-topped Pot (MU5060) from Macquarie University History Museum, Sydney, Australia
This paper examines an unpublished Egyptian black-topped pot lacking a clear context to prove its legitimacy, authenticity, acquisition process, and date. These objectives were achieved by conducting a brief technological analysis of the firing techniques and explaining the complex nature of black-topped pottery production inside and outside of Egypt using experimental archaeology. This was done in addition to checking the dealer’s background and explaining the circumstances of its acquisition. The pot was also dated through a morphological comparison with other dated parallel examples. Based on its form, this article dates the museum piece to Naqada IC-Naqada IIA. To present the pot within its broader social context, the article also offers an overview of the period to which it belongs. The general final discussion explains that the pot’s features—specifically the lack of polishing and slipping on the surface—can be linked to a Nubian connection. The article also explains that trade, as outlined in the text, contributes to innovation and the development of craft specialization. Hence, this piece sheds light on craft specialization and cultural transmission during NIC˗NIIA in Egypt, while also showing the limitations of applying knowledge transfer theories to museum objects. During this period, Upper Egyptian elites relied on surplus accumulated luxury items, including black-topped pottery. Recent studies, however, show that black-topped pottery was not only a luxury item but was also used to serve beer in ceremonies organized by the emerging elite. The pot’s restricted form is interpreted as evidence of the shift toward trade, aligning with previous arguments for the same period that draw on similar forms of black-topped pottery at Abydos. In other words, this type of pottery was valued for both its aesthetic beauty and its functional utility.
Keywords: Black-topped pottery, Predynastic Pottery, Naqada - Pottery Studies, Ancient Egypt, Macquarie University History Museum
Eman Khalifa
Page 311 - 322 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s311
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The Changing Role of Tell el-Dab‘a in the Middle Bronze Age: A New Perspective from Network Analysis
The Second Intermediate Period (ca. 1725–1550 BC)2 was a time of change in Egypt. Not only was the country divided into several political units, but one of these, in the north-eastern Nile Delta, was ruled by a dynasty of Levantine origins – the Fifteenth (also referred to as the Hyksos).3 This dynasty had its capital at Avaris (modern Tell el-Dab‘a), but the site had already been occupied during the (later) Middle Kingdom. 4 Differences between the Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period, especially the increasing size of the site and the growing social stratification of its population, have been noted in earlier archaeological studies.5 The present article shows how these differences can be related to the changing role of Tell el-Dab‘a in the circulation of object types during the Late Middle Kingdom and the Second Intermediate Period. Using network analysis, his study investigates Tell el-Dab‘a’s interactions with other sites in Egypt and Tell el-Dab‘a’s role in the created networks based on material culture.
Keywords: Tell el-Dab‘a, Late Middle Kingdom, Second Intermediate Period, network analysis, Networks of material culture
Arianna Sacco
Page 323 - 356 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s323
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Grinding Through the Ages: Grinding Tools from the Second Intermediate Period and New Kingdom at Tell el-Retaba
Stone grinding tools, although abundant in the settlements of ancient Egypt, have in the past been neglected by archaeologists. However, modern excavations increasingly explore this valuable source of information on ancient societies and the analytical possibilities they provide. This study analyses the assemblage of grinding tools from the Second Intermediate Period and New Kingdom at Tell el-Retaba in the eastern Nile Delta. It introduces the types of grinding tools, the materials from which they were made, and their find-contexts throughout the studied time periods. A comparison with similar assemblages from contemporary sites across Egypt is also presented. The analysis clearly shows that, despite their apparent uniformity, grinding tools underwent slight changes with the passage of time. More importantly, it shows the range of activities conducted by the inhabitants of Tell el-Retaba, their access to resources, and sheds light on the site’s position and significance within the broader context of the ancient Egyptian empire.
Keywords: stone tools, grinding tools, household archaeology, Settlement archaeology, Tell el- Retaba, Ancient Egypt, Second Intermediate Period, New Kingdom
Veronika Verešová - Lucia Hulková - Angieszka Ryś-Jarmużek
Page 357 - 381 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s357
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A Symbol of Power: Seal Impression with a Soldier and a Bound Captive from Tell Jemmeh
In April 2020, a small square-shaped clay object, possibly a docket, was found on the surface of Tell Jemmeh. The object bears an image of a soldier leading a bound naked captive, a rare motif in the iconography of the Southern Levant. By comparing and contrasting ancient Near Eastern parallels, this study suggests a Late Bronze Age date for the object, thus placing it in the geopolitical reality of that period.
Keywords: Tell Jemmeh, Seal Impression, Canaanite Iconography
Itamar Weissbein - Saar Ganor
Page 383 - 397 | doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/AEundL33s383
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Veröffentlichungen der Zweigstelle Kairo des Österreichischen Archäologischen Instituts / Contributions to the Archaeology of Egypt, Nubia, and the Levant / Denkschriften der Gesamtakademie - Sonderbände / Contributions to the Chronology of the Eastern Mediterranean / Berichte des Österreichischen Nationalkomitees der UNESCO-Aktion für die Rettung der Nubischen Altertümer
Page 399 - 404
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Edition:
978-3-7001-9561-0, Journal, softcover, 04.04.2024
Edition:
978-3-7001-9562-7, eJournal, PDF, limited accessibility , 15.03.2024
Edition:
1. Auflage
Pages:
397 Pages
Format:
29,7x21cm
Images:
numerous colour and b/w images
Language:
German
DOI (Link to Online Edition):