R. van Walsem – författare

The Leiden Mastaba Project (LMP) concerns an integral and analytic study of the secular or 'daily life' scenes and their accompanying texts in the elite tombs of the Memphite area in the Old Kingdom (c. 2600-2150 B.C.). The project has the aim to get insight in the developments of number, size, internal organization and shape of the various (sub)themes, their location in the tomb, their wall position (upper/middle/lower level), and their orientation (north/east/south/west) on the walls. This reflects the dynamics of Old Kingdom funerary culture in general aspects (collective) and in specific cases (individual). Simultaneously it reveals possible local variations, mainly among the large necropoleis of Saqqara and Giza. The data are digitalized in a database called MastaBase, published on this cd-rom. Thanks to the standardisation of the material offered in the MastaBase, with this cd-rom it is now possible to gain quick oversights into various different aspects of these tombs and their decoration via extensive selection procedures. Minimum system requirements: - IBM compatible PC - Pentium 4 processor or better - Minimum 256 Mb RAM memory - Windows 98SE / 2000 / XP or higher - 16-bit (millions) color display or higher - CD-ROM drive 12-speed or better - 45 Mb hard disk space

This book contains twenty-two papers collected in honour of Robert J. Demarée by his friends and colleagues. Because of his expertise in the area of Western Thebes and ostraca of the village of Deir el-Medina in particular, the contributors have sought to address these topics in particular. Central theme of the Festschrift is the community of workmen of Deir el-Medina, which is investigated from many different angles. The papers discuss the documentary texts from the village, either written in graffiti, on papyri or on ostraca, but also aspects of the work in the Valley of the Kings, the workmen's use of oil, birthing beds, coffins, stelae as well as their religious beliefs and behaviour. The volume thus sheds new light on the workmen's community, as well as on the area of Western Thebes in more general terms. This volume is a token of gratitude from the Leiden University department of Egyptology for Rob's much appreciated contribution to its teaching programme, as well as a tribute by colleagues worldwide who have worked with him, also in fieldwork projects in Egypt.