Ancient history Books

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe second volume in the Petra Papyri series, the scholarly publication meticulously documenting, translating and interpreting the information recovered from approximately 140 carbonized papyrus scrolls found during ACOR's excavation of the Petra Church. The scrolls had been carbonised in a fire and were thus preserved, although many scrolls were in a destroyed condition and could not be read. Such discoveries are exceedingly rare. The Petra papyri texts are dated c. 537 to 594 thanks to the law promulgated by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian to place the date at the beginning and end of a document. The scrolls vary in size from a single sheet such as P. Petra 6 (L. 28 cm), a list of stolen goods, to the exceptionally long P. Petra 2 (L. 8.5 m), which is an agreement concerned with inherited property. These documents deal with real estate transactions, disputes, contracts, divisions of property, marriages, dowries, and inheritance. The central figures of the archive are Theodoros, son of Obodianos, who was deacon and later archdeacon in the church, and his extended family and peers. The language indicates that the people in Petra at this time were speaking an early form of Arabic. A team of papyrologists from Finland conserved these sixth century texts in 1994 and 1995 at ACOR in Amman as part of a major effort headed by Jaakko Frosen. The original fragments were placed on Japanese rice paper and sandwiched between glass plates so that they could be preserved and examined for study. Some scrolls are written on both sides (and they could not be mounted on paper) but most are single-sided. As noted, many texts have been translated and published in The Petra Papyri series (Amman: ACOR) by scholars from Finland and the University of Michigan. Some documents are exhibited at the Jordan Museum in Amman.

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Book SynopsisFacsimile edition of the 1974 reissue of Flinders Petrie’s 1921 corpus of prehistoric pottery and slate palettes from pre-dynastic, prehistoric Egypt. The pottery corpus was produced separately to accompany the catalogue of Egyptian artifacts in the volume Prehistoric Egypt and comprises hundreds of line drawings illustrating the shapes, forms and types of decoration. It was intended to be a ‘graveside’ aid for use during excavation, with the intent that it be used with record cards to classify and date pottery that could then be returned to the grave. The corpus of palettes updated Petrie’s original classification published Ballas and Naqada, to include many new finds and refine the typology and sequence.This series comprises facsimile re-issues of typological catalogues produced between 1898 and 1937 by W.M. Flinders Petrie, based on his vast collection of Egyptian artefacts which now reside in The Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, University College, London. Long out of print, the catalogues were re-issued in facsimile by publishers Aris & Phillips in the 1970s alongside newly-commissioned titles by contemporary experts. Petrie’s catalogues remain invaluable source material today. The Oxbow Classics in Egyptology series now makes a selection of these important resources available again in print for a new generation of students and scholars.Table of ContentsThe corpus of Prehistoric pottery The corpus of slate palettes The registers Plates

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Book SynopsisFlinders Petrie undertook excavation and survey of ancient Egyptian towns in the Faiyum oasis, south-west of Cairo, in 1888–90. The work included opening of a pyramid at Illahun and excavation of a nearby cemetery, excavation and planning of over 2000 chambers of the city of Kahun, excavation of a Ptolemaic cemetery at Gurob, and work at the temple site at Medinet Gurob. This facsimile volume presents brief descriptions of the work with a focus on the artifacts and inscriptions recovered and recorded with an attempt to establish a chronology of occupation in the oasis.The entrance to the pyramid at Illahun, its peculiar structure and exploration of its various internal passages and chambers are described, including the sepulchre containing the red granite sarcophagus of Usertesen II, accompanied by a table of offerings. A series of nearby tombs produced a wealth of artifacts associated with burials, wooden coffins and cartonnages, including glazed objects, amulets, scarabs, beads, silver cowries, carved and inscribed wooden objects and statuettes. At Kahun the complete surviving plan of the ancient town revealed a regular layout thought by Petrie to be the work of a single architect. He identified the acropolis, at least eight great houses, dwelling houses, rubbish heaps, and storerooms arranged along numerous narrow ‘workmen’s’ streets with drainage channels. Much evidence for construction materials and techniques and house fittings, wall plaster and paint was recovered. Portable objects included decorated pottery, some of it imported; pottery trays of offerings; stonework; wooden carvings; flint sickles and knives; inscribed stelae; a variety of copper tools; scarabs and clay seals; stone weights and many tools, including several workshop groups. A family tomb in the cellar beneath one house contained 12 coffins, each containing several bodies with grave offerings buried in succession, two baby boxes and a heap of offerings. At Gurob, the plan of the main temple and surrounding enclosures, within which were contained most of the houses, was established and an outline of its history determined. An unusual practice of burning personal belongings in pits beneath the houses was identified and the groups of objects and inscriptions discussed. The nearby cemetery was also investigated with pit-like tombs producing undecorated coffins but finely painted cartonnages, badly decomposed papyri and a few funerary objects. A discussion of the wider urban landscape concludes the narrative. There are specialist reports on the papyri and stone implements.This series comprises facsimile re-issues of typological catalogues produced between 1898 and 1937 by W.M. Flinders Petrie, and re-issued in facsimile by publishers Aris & Phillips in the 1970s alongside newly-commissioned titles by contemporary experts. Petrie’s catalogues remain invaluable source material today. The Oxbow Classics in Egyptology series now makes a selection of these important resources available again in print for a new generation of students and scholars.Table of ContentsIntroductory 1. Pyramids of Illahun 2. The town of Kahun 3. The antiquities of Kahun 4. Medinet Gurob 5. The tomb of Maket 6. Illahun in the XXII Dyn. 7. Ptolemic cemetery, Gurob 8. Ptolemais and late sites 9. The Greek papyri (by Prof. Sayce) 10. The hieratic papyri (by F.Ll. Griffith) 11. The stone implements (by F.C.J. Spurrell, F.G.S.) Plates

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Book SynopsisHailed as a sumptuously produced and finely illustrated outstanding contribution to ancient Egyptian studies, this facsimile reprint of Patrick Houlihan’s 1986 comprehensive study makes a welcome return in the Oxbow Classics in Egyptology series.Animals of all kinds are amply illustrated in Egyptian art, none more so than birds, in both secular and religious contexts and in hieroglyphic scripts. A great variety of bird species has for millennia made twice yearly migrations passing over Egypt, which is also an important overwintering area for many. These migrant birds, together with indigenous species were an abundant and easily exploited source of food for ancient Egyptians, for domestication and status display. Tomb scenes displaying birds provided as food for the deceased are abundant, as are procession scenes of offering with bearers bringing gifts of fowl. Many birds also had religious associations. Houlihan provides a systematic and unparalleled survey of all the bird life depicted by the ancient Egyptians in art and hieroglyphic writing face=Calibri>– some 72 species (plus bats) – with a list of known mummified species, discussions on their religious and secular associations, and many illustrations. Their present-day distributions are compared with that known from the time of the Pharoahs. A checklist of the birds of modern Egypt is provided by Steven Goodman.Table of ContentsSources of the figures Map of Ancient Egypt Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations and references cited The catalogue Appendix I The mummified birds Appendix II A preliminary checklist to the Birds of Egypt, by Steven M. Goodman Notes to the catalogue and checklist Chronological table Index

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1979, this facsimile edition of Jeffrey Spencer’s comprehensive study provides a detailed account of the brick architecture of ancient Egypt. Part I provides introductory information on brick manufacture, early use of brick in Egypt and explains the corpus of brick bonding systems. Part II provides an account of the surviving brick buildings, discussed by type, with special reference to technical and structural matter. Part III presents an examination of the constructional techniques employed at different periods for various purposes. A discussion of the kinds of bricks used, their sizes, and bonding is included.This series comprises facsimile re-issues of typological catalogues produced between 1898 and 1937 by W.M. Flinders Petrie, based on his vast collection of Egyptian artefacts which now reside in The Petrie Museum of Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology, University College, London. Long out of print, the catalogues were re-issued in facsimile by publishers Aris & Phillips in the 1970s alongside newly-commissioned titles by contemporary experts – of which Brick Architecture in Ancient Egypt is one. The Oxbow Classics in Egyptology series makes a selection of these important resources – which remain invaluable source material – available again in print for a new generation of students and scholars.Table of ContentsAbbreviations Preface Introduction Part I 1. Brick manufacture 2. The earliest use of brick in Egypt 3. The bonding corpus Part II 4. Funerary architecture 5. Religious architecture 6. Administrative and official buildings 7. Domestic architecture 8. Fortresses and defensive town walls Part III 9. Brick walls 10. Floors and foundations 11. Arches, vaults, domes and corbels 12. Solid brick construction in mastabas and pyramids 13. Supplementary materials in brick construction 14. Bonding 15. Special bricks 16. Brick sizes Appendix I: Metrology of Egyptian brickwork Indexes Plates

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Book SynopsisFollowing its appearance, arguably in Orkney in the 32nd century cal BC, Grooved Ware soon became widespread across Britain and Ireland, seemingly replacing earlier pottery styles and being deposited in contexts as varied as simple pits, passage tombs, ceremonial timber circles and henge monuments. As a result, Grooved Ware lies at the heart of many ongoing debates concerning social and economic developments at the end of the 4th and during the first half of the 3rd millennia cal BC.Stemming from the 2022 Neolithic Studies Group autumn conference, and following on from Cleal and MacSween’s 1999 NSG volume on Grooved Ware, this book presents a series of papers from researchers specializing in Grooved Ware pottery and the British and Irish Neolithic, offering both regional and thematic perspectives on this important ceramic tradition. Chapters cover the development of Grooved Ware in Orkney as well as the timing and nature of its appearance, development, and subsequent demise in different regions of Britain and Ireland. In addition, thematic papers consider what Grooved Ware can contribute to understandings of inter-regional interactions during the earlier 3rd millennium cal BC, the possible meaning of Grooved Ware’s decorative motifs, and the thorny issue of the validity and significance of the various Grooved Ware sub-styles.The book will be of great value not only to archaeologists and students with a specific interest in Grooved Ware pottery but also to those with a more general interest in the development of the Neolithic of Britain and Ireland.Table of ContentsForeword List of contributors 1. Introduction: connected Grooved Ware worlds Mike Copper and Alasdair Whittle 2. Grooved Ware in Orkney Alison Sheridan 3. Skara Brae: the significance of the Grooved Ware assemblages Ann MacSween and David V. Clarke 4. Scottish Grooved Ware beyond Orkney Mike Copper 5. Grooved Ware in northern England since 2000 Sarah Botfield and Gill Hey 6. Grooved Ware from Wales Francis Lynch 7. Land of milk and honey? Grooved Ware use in Neolithic Wales Lilly Olet, Richard Evershed and Jessica Smyth 8. Grooved Ware in Ireland Eoin Grogan and Helen Roche 9. Niche bunching and the Inland Sea: Grooved Ware settlement at Over, Cambridgeshire, and River Great Ouse distributions Chris Evan, Joshua Pollard and Jonathan Tabor 10. The only way isn’t Essex, but it may be one of them…: Grooved Ware, Beakers and long-distance connections in southern Britain Joshua Pollard and Rosamund Cleal 11. Between Essex and Wessex Alistair Barclay 12. Recent Grooved Ware discoveries from Bulford and other sites in southern Wiltshire Elina Brook 13. Grooved Ware in south-east England: social geographies, chronology and interpretation Paul Garwood 14. Grooved Ware in the south-west peninsula Andy M. Jones and Henrietta Quinnell 15. Comments on Grooved Ware from a bemused sceptic: questions of classification and terminology, dating and interpretation David V. Clarke 16. Grooved Ware in Britain and Ireland, 2023: retrospect and prospect Alison Sheridan

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Book SynopsisExplanations in Iconography: Ancient American Indian Art, Symbol, and Meaning is a significant contribution to archaeology and to- iconography studies – a discipline that has gradually been coming into its own. Iconography is a rich and fascinating field when applied to the complex and enigmatic imagery on many ancient Pre-Columbian artifacts. When viewed through the lens of early ethnographic records and American Indian oral traditions – as well as information from knowledgeable American Indian elders – it opens a world of understanding and clarity until recently unknown in the field of anthropological archaeology. It brings us closer to the people who created the artifacts and offers a glimpse into the symbols and beliefs that were important to them. Chapters cover a wide variety of artifacts and imagery from several ancient American Indian cultures, drawn from a variety of regions, mainly in the Midwest and Eastern United States. These artifacts include petroglyphs and pictographs (rock art), mounds, engraved shell cups and gorgets, burial architecture and grave furniture, pottery, copper repoussé, and other media. Ancient graphics, engravings, mounds, and all were created to deliver a message to the viewer – many of which are finally coming to light. This volume encourages the reader to look more deeply into the meaning behind ancient imagery and arts, and give the past a chance to be known.Table of ContentsContributors Preface 1. I Thoughts and ideas on how iconography works – a basic primer on how to do iconography Carol Diaz-Granados 2. SON OF THE SUN: Iconography in rock art and artifacts that reveals important associations between symbolism associated with Dhegiha religion, celestial bodies and Western Mississippian Ideology James R. Duncan and Carol Diaz-Granados Vestiges of the Birdman at Etowah Vestiges of the First Man Lineage at Etowah (Georgia) Adam King 4. The House Between Life and Death: Interpretations About the Organization of Mound 3 at the Lake Jackson Site J. Grant Stauffer 5. Effigy mounds and rock art of midcontinental North America: Shared iconography, shared stories Bradley T. Lepper, Robert F. Boszhardt, James R. Duncan, and Carol Diaz-Granados (reprint from North American Archaeologist, with permission) 6. “Paired Figures Confronting a Forked Pole:” So What’s Up with the Forked Pole? George Sabo III and Alex W. Barker 7. The Hero Twins in the Lower Mississippi Valley David H. Dye 8. Arguments for the Age of Serpent Mound Bradley T. Lepper, James R. Duncan, Carol Diaz-Granados, Tod Frolking (reprint from Cambridge Archaeological Journal, with permission) 9. Contextualizing Mississippian Statuary from the Mississippi/Ohio River Confluence Steven L. Boles 10. The Great Importance of the Great Serpent James R. Duncan Index

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