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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 Lucía Díaz-Iglesias Llanos, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain Xavier Droux, Hierakonpolis Expedition, Oxford, England Stéphane Fetler, Université 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 Matjaž Kačičnik, 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 Müller, University of Basel, Switzerland Julianna K. Paksi, University of Basel and École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, France Erico Peintner, Cairo, Egypt Matthew A. Perras, York University, Toronto, Canada Lukas Richner, canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Frank Rühli, University of Zurich, Switzerland Marina Sartori, University of Basel, Switzerland Nadine Schönhütte, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS), Cologne, Germany Roger Seiler, University of Zurich, Switzerland Stephan M. Unter, University of Basel, Switzerland André J. Veldmeijer, American University in Cairo, Egypt Noémi 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
"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 français d’archéologie 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
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