This book presents the latest archaeological evidence that makes a case for Egypt as an early urban society. It traces the emergence of urban features during the Predynastic Period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (ca. 3500-1650 BC).

In this book, Richard Bussmann presents a fresh overview of ancient Egyptian society and culture in the age of the pyramids. He addresses key themes in the comparative research of early complex societies, including urbanism, funerary culture, temple ritual, kingship, and the state, and explores how ideas and practices were exchanged between ruling elites and local communities in provincial Egypt. Unlike other studies of ancient Egypt, this book adopts an anthropological approach that places people at the centre of the analysis. Bussmann covers a range of important themes in cross-cultural debates, such as materiality, gender, non-elite culture, and the body. He also offers new perspectives on social diversity and cultural cohesion, based on recent discoveries. His study vividly illustrates how our understanding of ancient Egyptian society benefits from the application of theoretical concepts in archaeology and anthropology to the interpretation of the evidence.

The Encyclopedia opens with a general map of the region and a chronology of periods and dynasties, providing a context for the entries. The first section of the volume then comprises 14 overviews which explore the history and significance of each period. The main body of the text offers more than 300 alphabetically organized entries, written by some of the most eminent scholars in this field. Areas covered include: artefacts - glass, jewellery, sculpture archaeological practices - dating techniques, representational evidence, textual sources biographies - Howard Carter, Gertrude Caton Thompson, Gaston Maspero buildings - cult temples, private tombs, pyramid complexes geographical features - agriculture, climate, irrigation sites - Abydos, Dakhla Oasis, Thebes social organization - kingship, law, taxation The text is extensively illustrated with over 120 images. Each entry is followed by a selected further reading section which includes foreign language sources to supplement the available works in English.

A complete geographical and thematic overview of the village in an antiquity and its role in the rise of Christianity. The volume begins with a “state-of-question” introduction by Thomas Robinson, assessing the interrelation of the village and city with the rise of early Christianity. Alan Cadwallader then articulates a methodology for future New Testament studies on this topic, employing a series of case studies to illustrate the methodological issues raised. From there contributors explore three areas of village life in different geographical areas, by means of a series of studies, written by experts in each discipline. They discuss the ancient near east (Egypt and Israel), mainland and Isthmian Greece, Asia Minor, and the Italian Peninsula. This geographic focus sheds light upon the villages associated with the biblical cities (Israel; Corinth; Galatia; Ephesus; Philippi; Thessalonica; Rome), including potential insights into the rural nature of the churches located there. A final section of thematic studies explores central issues of local village life (indigenous and imperial cults, funerary culture, and agricultural and economic life).

This student-friendly introduction to the archaeology of ancient Egypt guides readers from the Paleolithic to the Greco-Roman periods, and has now been updated to include recent discoveries and new illustrations. • Superbly illustrated with photographs, maps, and site plans, with additional illustrations in this new edition • Organized into 11 chapters, covering: the history of Egyptology and Egyptian archaeology; prehistoric and pharaonic chronology and the ancient Egyptian language; geography, resources, and environment; and seven chapters organized chronologically and devoted to specific archaeological sites and evidence • Includes sections on salient topics such as the constructing the Great Pyramid at Giza and the process of mummification

The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology offers a comprehensive survey of the entire study of ancient Egypt, from prehistory through to the end of the Roman period. Authoritative yet accessible, and covering a wide range of topics, it is an invaluable resource for scholars, students, and general readers alike.

Inhalt: Martina Aprile: A study on the procurement of offerings system for the funerary complex of Senwosret II at el-Lahun Alessio Delli Castelli: The Definition of Art and Sculpture Concerning Kai Widmaier's Bilderwelten Abraham I. Fernández Pichel, David Klotz: Fundamental Texts of Latopolitan Theology. The Bandeau Inscriptions from the Soubassements of the Ptolemaic Façade (Esna II, 16 and 30) Brendan Hainline: Markers of Non-Royal Ritual Utterances in the Pyramid Texts Sabine Herrmann: "Cette pyramide est bâtie en forme de pavillon". Zur Entdeckungsgeschichte der Pyramiden von Dahshur in Mittelalter und Früher Neuzeit Jochem Kahl, Mohamed Abdelrahiem, Anna Arpaia, Andrea Kilian, Chiori Kitagawa, Jan Moje, Philipp Scharfenberger: The Asyut Project: Sixteenth Season of Fieldwork (2022) Florence Langermann: Seven Fragments of a Healing Statue from Heliopolis/Matareya Bieke Mahieu: The Identification and Sequence of the Hyksos Kings in Dynasty 15 Mostafa Hassan Nour, John M. Iskander, Sameh Hashem: The Stela of King Apries from El-Qantara Gharb. A Royal Journey to the Eastern Borders Anthony Spalinger: Chariot Wheels

This groundbreaking, five-volume series offers a comprehensive, fully illustrated history of Egypt and Western Asia (the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran), from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander the Great. Written by a highly diverse, international team of leading scholars, whose expertise brings to life the people, places, and times of the remote past, the volumes in this series focus firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities of the ancient Near East. Individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, paying particular attention to the most recent archaeological finds and their impact on our historical understanding of the periods surveyed. Commencing with the domestication of plants and animals, and the foundation of the first permanent settlements in the region, Volume I contains ten chapters that provide a masterful survey of the earliest dynasties and territorial states in the ancient Near East, concluding with the rise of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and the Dynasty of Akkad in Mesopotamia. Politics, ideology, religion, art, crafts, economy, military developments, and the built environment are all examined. Uniquely, emphasis is placed upon elucidating both the internal dynamics of these states and communities, as well as their external relationships with their neighbors in the wider region. The result is a thoughtful, critical, and robust survey of the populations that laid the foundation for all future developments in the ancient Near East.

The richness of more than 3000 years of Egyptian civilization comes alive in the pages of this book. From the geology of the land, the first cities, social structure, religion, mummification and burial practices, languages, temple and house architecture and art, Egypt and the Egyptians is a comprehensive treatment of ancient Egypt. The illustrations, many appearing here for the first time, and extensive quotes from ancient letters, hymns, funerary texts and law codes, enliven the text. The result is a rare combination of up-to-date Egyptological and anthropological research, giving the reader the most current and expansive examination of Egypt. It is written for students, and for the general reader interested in this ancient land and its people. The extensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and glossary, make this book an excellent resource for exploring any aspect of ancient Egypt.

Janet Richards considers social stratification in Middle Kingdom Egypt, exploring the assumption that a 'middle class' arose during this period. By focusing on the entire range of mortuary behavior, she shows how Middle Kingdom Egyptian practices and landscapes relating to death reveal information about the living society.