Subsistence Strategies and Craft Production at the Ancient Egyptian Ramesside Fort of Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham

Subsistence Strategies and Craft Production at the Ancient Egyptian Ramesside Fort of Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham
Author: Nicky Nielsen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2023-12-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 1350327395

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Drawing on more than 20 years of archaeological study and investigation at Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham by a team from the University of Liverpool (led by Professor Steven Snape), this book paints a nuanced picture of daily life not only at this liminal military site, but also in Ramesside Egypt more broadly. Constructed during the reign of Ramesses II, the fortified settlement was situated 300 kilometres west of Alexandria and represents the furthest western outpost of the Egyptian New Kingdom empire. Excavations in Area K of the fortress have uncovered extensive evidence for the living arrangements, minor industries, food production and daily life of the fort's inhabitants. This previously unpublished material forms the bedrock of this volume, which focuses on analysing the various subsistence and craft production strategies that were conducted alongside each other in this area, from baking, brewing and butchery to lithics working, bone-carving and weaving. These traces of the activities of the soldiers and their families shed new light on what life was like at this military installation and for ordinary Egyptians more widely, shifting away from a focus on elite social groups. The archaeological evidence covered in this book prompts a re-evaluation of the realities of the relationship between Egyptians and Libyans at the close of the Late Bronze Age. The purpose of the fortress' construction was primarily defensive, however the surviving material points to co-operation by means of collaborative farming and trading, and provides a direct counterpoint to the more belligerent contemporary royal monumental inscriptions describing Egypto-Libyan relations.

Helmets and Body Armour in New Kingdom Egypt

Helmets and Body Armour in New Kingdom Egypt
Author: Alberto Maria Pollastrini
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 217
Release: 2024-06-13
Genre: History
ISBN: 1350323500

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This book examines the dynamics around the introduction and spread of helmets and body armour throughout Egypt during the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties. It argues that the word 'introduction' is the best term to define this phenomenon because these types of military equipment were not in fact Egyptian technological innovations, but initially appeared at the end of the Bronze Age following the Hurrian expansion in the Middle East before being dispersed throughout the surrounding territories. The analysis focuses particularly on a survey of iconographic, archaeological and lexicographic attestations from a wide range of surviving material evidence and literary sources. On the basis of the collated data, it provides as accurate a perspective as possible on how the helmet and the cuirass were introduced and propagated, their impact on warfare and their possible role in ideology across the chronological span of the New Kingdom. Pollastrini also draws productive comparisons between the Egyptian data and contemporary attestations from the Middle East and the Aegean region in order to underpin the 'international' dynamics at play. In doing so it both encourages a broader ancient-historical perspective that sets New Kingdom Egypt within its contemporary context, and sheds new light on developments in the military history and warfare of the period.

Tomb Robberies at the End of the New Kingdom

Tomb Robberies at the End of the New Kingdom
Author: Valentina Gasperini
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 340
Release: 2018-06-21
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0192550810

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At the end of the 19th century W.M.F. Petrie excavated a series of assemblages at the New Kingdom Fayum site of Gurob. These deposits, known in the Egyptological literature as 'Burnt Groups', were composed by several and varied materials (mainly Egyptian and imported pottery, faience, stone and wood vessels, jewellery), all deliberately burnt and buried in the harem palace area of the settlement. Since their discovery these deposits have been considered peculiar and unparalleled. Many scholars were challenged by them and different theories were formulated to explain these enigmatic 'Burnt Groups'. The materials excavated from these assemblages are now curated at several Museum collections across England: Ashmolean Museum, British Museum, Manchester Museum, and Petrie Museum. For the first time since their discovery, this book presents these materials all together. Gasperini has studied and visually analysed all the items. This research sheds new light on the chronology of deposition of these assemblages, additionally a new interpretation of their nature, primary deposition, and function is presented in the conclusive chapter. The current study also gives new information on the abandonment of the Gurob settlement and adds new social perspective on a crucial phase of the ancient Egyptian history: the transition between the late New Kingdom and the early Third Intermediate Period. Beside the traditional archaeological sources, literary evidence ('The Great Tomb Robberies Papyri') is taken into account to formulate a new theory on the deposition of these assemblages.

All Things Ancient Egypt [2 volumes]

All Things Ancient Egypt [2 volumes]
Author: Lisa K. Sabbahy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 673
Release: 2019-04-24
Genre: History
ISBN: 1440855137

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Written by specialists in the field of Egyptology, this book is a readable introduction to ancient Egypt, covering all anticipated subjects and stressing the monuments and material culture of this remarkable ancient civilization. The rich natural resources of ancient Egypt provided a wealth of raw material for its structures, sculptures, and art, while its geographic isolation helped to ensure the survival of its rich culture for centuries. While other references focus on the people and battles central to Egyptian history, this reference explores the material culture and social institutions of ancient Egypt. The book focuses on pharaonic Egypt, covering the period from roughly 5000 BCE to the beginning of the Greco-Roman Period in 320 BCE. At the front of the work, a timeline provides a quick look at the major events in Egyptian history, and an introduction surveys ancient Egypt's physical geography and history. Alphabetically arranged reference entries written by expert contributors then provide fundamental information about the buildings, jewelry, social practices, and other topics related to the material culture and institutions that made up the Egyptian world. Excerpts from primary source historical documents provide evidence for what we know about ancient Egyptian culture, and suggestions for further reading direct users to additional sources of information.

Zawiyet Umm El-Rakham: The temple and chapels

Zawiyet Umm El-Rakham: The temple and chapels
Author: Steven R. Snape
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2007
Genre: Egypt
ISBN: 9780954762247

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"The site of Zawiyet Umm el-Rakham, on Egypt's Mediterranean coast 300 km west of Alexandria, was one of the largest and most important of the fortresses built by Ramesses II. It was constructed in order to protect Egypt's trade links in the Eastern Mediterranean and to guard Egypt itself from the invasions of Libyan tribesmen. The site was briefly investigated by the archaeologist Labib Habachi in the 1950s and, since 1994, has been the subject of a major archaeological project under the auspices of the University of Liverpool, led by Dr. Steven Snape"--Author's website.

Ancient Egyptian Technology and Innovation

Ancient Egyptian Technology and Innovation
Author: Ian Shaw
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2015-03-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 1472519590

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This book examines the fundamental evidence for many different aspects of change and evolution in ancient Egyptian technology. It includes discussion of the wider cognitive and social contexts, such as the Egyptian propensity for mental creativity and innovation, and the pace of change in Egypt in comparison with other African, Mediterranean and Near Eastern states. This book draws not only on traditional archaeological and textual sources but also on the results of scientific analyses of ancient materials and on experimental and ethno-archaeological information. Case-studies analyse those aspects of Egyptian society that made it either predisposed or actively opposed to certain types of conservatism or innovation in material culture, such as the techniques of stone-working, medicine, mummification and monumental construction. The book also includes detailed discussion of the ways in which the practice and development of Egyptian technology interrelated with Late Bronze Age urban society as a whole, using the city at Amarna as a case-study.

Ancient Foodways

Ancient Foodways
Author: C. Margaret Scarry
Publisher: University Press of Florida
Total Pages: 372
Release: 2022-12-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0813070244

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How archaeology can shed light on past foodways and social worlds Through various case studies, Ancient Foodways illustrates how archaeologists can use bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, architecture, and other evidence to understand how food acquisition, preparation, and consumption intersect with economics, politics, and ritual. Spanning four continents and several millennia of human history, this volume is a comprehensive and contemporary survey of how archaeological data can be used to interpret past foodways and reconstruct past social worlds.  This volume is organized around four major themes: feasting and politics; sacrifice, ritual, and ancestors; diet, landscape, and health; and integrative methods. Contributors weave together multiple threads of evidence relating to plants, animals, craft production, and human health and reconnect the material remnants with behaviors, practices, and meanings. The case studies show the varied and creative ways that multiple sources of evidence can be used to shed light on past foodways.  Ancient Foodways demonstrates how environmental and cultural factors shaped past subsistence strategies and cooking practices and reveals the role food played in shaping cultural identity and exchange networks, while also examining how food production methods can lead to environmental destruction and the detrimental role of dietary constraints on human health. 

The Tentmakers of Cairo

The Tentmakers of Cairo
Author: Seif El Rashidi
Publisher: American University in Cairo Press
Total Pages: 371
Release: 2018-10-16
Genre: Art
ISBN: 1617979023

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"An expansive and captivating history of an often overlooked traditional art"—Egyptian Streets In the crowded center of Historic Cairo lies a covered market lined with wonderful textiles sewn by hand in brilliant colors and intricate patterns. This is the Street of the Tentmakers, the home of the Egyptian appliqué art known as khayamiya. The Tentmakers of Cairo brings together the stories of the tentmakers and their extraordinary tents—from the huge tent pavilions, or suradeq, of the streets of Egypt, to the souvenirs of the First World War and textile artworks celebrated by quilters around the world. It traces the origins and aesthetics of the khayamiya textiles that enlivened the ceremonial tents of the Fatimid, Mamluk, and Ottoman dynasties, exploring the ways in which they challenged conventions under new patrons and technologies, inspired the paper cut-outs of Henri Matisse, and continue to preserve a legacy of skilled handcraft in an age of relentless mass production. Drawing on historical literature, interviews with tentmakers, and analysis of khayamiya from around the world, the authors reveal the stories of this unique and spectacular Egyptian textile art.