Egyptologische Uitgaven - Egyptological Publications – serie

The Tale of Sinuhe is the best-known text from ancient Egypt, and equally the one about which the most has been written. And yet its depths have not been fully fathomed, in respect neither to its cultural and literary value, nor to its grammar and lexicon. The present volume originates in a conference held at Leiden University which took as its starting point two passages from the famous story: one from the beginning of the Tale, and one from the end. The idea was that the text could be opened up through them, from the inside out. The ten essays of this volume discuss the Tale from many different viewpoints, bringing new insights to its grammar, its literary ambition, and its cultural setting.

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.

‘Imaging and Imagining the Memphite Necropolis’ is a mixture of archaeological, literary and iconographic studies, all relating to the representation, visualization and reconstruction of the material culture and art of the ancient Egyptian burial grounds of the city of Memphis through time. This Liber Amicorum is offered to René van Walsem on the occasion of his retirement. He has been lecturer in Egyptology at Leiden University since 1979 and was joint field director of the Dutch archaeological mission at Saqqara from 1999 until 2007. The volume contains twenty-four articles written by academics from around the world, all of whom have been part of, and have been influenced by, René van Walsem’s extensive professional career. The contributions are divided into five themes: Material Culture – Finds at the Necropolis, relating amongst others to the (Anglo-)Dutch excavations of the New Kingdom tombs of Horemheb, Maya & Merit, Meryneith, and others, at Saqqara; Epigraphy – Texts and History, highlighting some surprising textual material connected to Saqqara; Theoretics – Religion and Theory of Egyptology, dealing with the material culture of ancient Egypt in particular, art history in general, and the scientific methodology applicable to both fields; Mastabas – Scenes of Daily Life, revolving around the interpretation of iconographic programmes in Old Kingdom elite tombs of the Memphite Area, including the necropoleis of Giza, Abusir, Saqqara, Dashur and Meidum; Funerary Equipment – Coffins and Stolas, focussing on coffins and specific iconographic details. Touching upon the different subjects to which René has made important contributions, the authors imagine new interpretations, and offer images of the Memphite necropolis in various epochs.

The proceedings of this symposium offer contributions by leading experts working on the ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts, i.e., the texts written on coffins of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1750 B.C.). The volume provides a cross-section of current research activities in this field of study. Apart from progress reports on lexicographical and other projects, the volume contains presentations of 'new' material (e.g. from Lisht or Qâw al-Kabîr), typological assessments of coffin material, text-critical studies of groups of spells, grammatical studies, and discussions of theological and ritual aspects of the texts. The volume is of interest to Egyptologists and historians of religion.