A thorough transdisciplinary archaeological study of the ancient Egyptian Theban rock-cut tombs at Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna
In recent years, archeological research has undergone major changes. The material turn in archaeology and related disciplines prompted the adoption of sophisticated scientific, digital, and technical approaches and methods often conducted on a micro level, enhancing our understanding of depositional processes and of the creation and life of an archeological object.
This volume reflects seven seasons of transdisciplinary archaeological research at a cluster of rock-cut tombs in Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna, an ancient Egyptian hillside cemetery and part of the much larger Theban Necropolis. Organized in twelve main chapters, Life Histories of Theban Tombs presents current investigations in landscape archaeology (including recent excavations at a large debris hill previously covering a tomb), geo- and bioarcheology, the archaeology of tomb construction, burial practices, and domestic uses as well as various epigraphical, visual, and material studies. The last two sections provide additional insight into the applied recording, surveying, and visualization methods and techniques and the database system used for data recording and organization.
Contributors' Affiliations:
Martina Aeschlimann-Langer, Basel, Switzerland Zulema Barahona-Mendieta, University of Basel, Switzerland Susanne Bickel, University of Basel, Switzerland Oliver Bruderer, Zurich, SwitzerlandRachael Colldeweih, Nagra, Wettingen, Switzerland Lucia Diaz-Iglesias Llanos, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain Xavier Droux, Hierakonpolis Expedition, Oxford, England Stephane Fetler, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Zan Gojcic, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Charlotte Hunkeler, University of Basel, Switzerland Mahmoud Ibrahim, University of Cairo, Egypt Matjaz Kacicnik, Cairo, Egypt Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, University of Manchester, England Lara Selina Kurmann, University of Basel, Switzerland Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs, University of Basel, Switzerland Sabrina Meyer, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Matthias Mueller, University of Basel, Switzerland Julianna K. Paksi, University of Basel and Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France Erico Peintner, Cairo, Egypt Matthew A. Perras, York University, Toronto, Canada Lukas Richner, canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Frank Ruehli, University of Zurich, Switzerland Marina Sartori, University of Basel, Switzerland Nadine Schoenhuette, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS), Cologne, Germany Roger Seiler, University of Zurich, Switzerland Stephan M. Unter, University of Basel, Switzerland Andre J. Veldmeijer, American University in Cairo, Egypt Noemi Villars, University of Basel, Switzerland Andreas Wieser, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Andrea Wolter, ETH Engineering Geology Group, Zurich, Switzerland Martin Ziegler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland
By:
Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs
Imprint: American University in Cairo Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 279mm,
Width: 216mm,
ISBN: 9781617979910
ISBN 10: 1617979910
Series: AUC Press Archaeological Reports
Pages: 200
Publication Date: 31 August 2021
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
List of Illustrations Foreword Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs and Susanne Bickel Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Chapter 1 The Project Life Histories of Theban Tombs and the Investigated Site Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs Chapter 2 Geological Investigations at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna Martin Ziegler, Andrea Wolter, Rachael Colldeweih, and Matthew Perras Chapter 3 Archeological Investigations at K85, AU1000, and K555 Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs, Zulema Barahona-Mendieta, Lara Kurmann, Matthias Müller, Lukas Richner, and Noémi Villars 3.1 The Identification of Papyrus Fragments from the Debris Accumulation AU1010 Lucía Díaz-Iglesias 3.2 The Coptic Ostraca from K85 and Surroundings Matthias Müller 3.3 ‘M. Emmery’s’ Hotel Bill from 1929 Noémi Villars Chapter 4 Landscape and Tomb Construction Analyses at Central Sheikh ‘Abd el-Qurna Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs 4.1 Virtual Reconstruction of Building Elements Found at the Tomb Complex TT84-K453 Oliver Bruderer Chapter 5 Epigraphic Studies in TT84 and TT95 Julianna Kitti Paksi and Susanne Bickel Chapter 6 Visual Studies in TT84 Marina Sartori Chapter 7 Conservation in TT84 and TT95 and Analyses of Painting Practices Erico Peintner Chapter 8 Processing of Finds from Funerary and Domestic Occupation Phases at TT95 Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs and Noémi Villars 8.1 Funerary Pottery and Objects from TT95 Zulema Barahona-Mendieta and Noémi Villars 8.2 Analysis of Textiles from TT95 Nadine Schönhütte 8.3 Leather Items from Various Use Phases at TT95 André J. Veldmeijer 8.4 Documents and Objects from Recent Domestic Uses of TT95 and K90 Mahmoud Ibrahim Chapter 9 Funerary Envelopes, Chests, and Jackal Figurines from TT95 Charlotte Hunkeler and Stéphane Fetler Chapter 10 Bioarcheological Studies of Human Remains from TT95 Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, Sabrina Meyer, Roger Seiler, and Frank Rühli Chapter 11 Computer-Assisted Survey and Documentation Methods at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna Zan Gojcic, Matjaž Kačičnik, Lukas Richner, and Andreas Wieser Chapter 12 The Life Histories of Theban Tombs Database System and Data Structures Stephan M. Unter and Noémi Villars Appendix Publications of the LHTT Project Notes
Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs is a research associate at the University of Basel and a Principal Researcher for the Life Histories of Theban Tombs project.
Reviews for Life Histories of Theban Tombs: Transdisciplinary Investigations of a Cluster of Rock-cut Tombs at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna
It is rare to find a volume that moves the standards of the field forward in this way: Life Histories of Theban Tombs represents a new development in how Egyptian tombs are published. It provides, in addition to traditional archaeology, philology, and art historical studies, analyses of geology, landscape, and human remains, among other subjects, all of which allow for a holistic interpretation of the sites and their context. User-friendly and lavishly illustrated, this book will have something of interest for every Egyptologist, while the many bibliographical references serve as a perfect starting point for anyone wishing to delve into the individual subjects discussed. --Fredrik Norland Hagen, University of Copenhagen This set of studies gives an exemplary picture of what is the very spirit of modern archaeology: reconstructing the complete history of monuments in their environment over the long term. Through the detailed reports of a large number of researchers and engineers from all disciplines, a group of pharaonic tombs on the west bank of Thebes reveals the different stages of their long existence, from their creation in the Theban mountains to the visits of twentieth-century archaeologists. --Laurent Coulon, Institut francais d'archeologie orientale This volume provides a genuinely transdisciplinary approach to the complex archaeology of the burial landscape of Western Thebes. By bringing together specialists from a range of disciplines, with varying technical and methodological approaches, it makes a unique and innovative contribution to the state of the field of Egyptian archaeology, one that will have lasting impact for years to come. --Gerald Moers, University of Vienna Theban tombs are theaters of memory where local and global identities are defined and where different visions of the past and present meet the future. This volume is a wonderful journey through an archaeological landscape and the outcome of true multidisciplinary research. It lays out the process of interpreting the past and its careful study, thereby defining a collective memory capable of providing answers to the questions that arise in society over time. --Christian Greco, Egyptian Museum of Turin
