Wyniki wyszukiwania - Biblioteka Nauki

1

The miraculous rise of the Fifth Dynasty – the story of Papyrus Westcar and historical evidence

100%

Verner M.

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2015

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nr 15

86-92

EN

The decline of the powerful Fourth Dynasty and the rise of a new royal line, the Fifth Dynasty, have for a long time been shrouded in mystery and have become the stuff of legends. These events are referred to in the tale of the miraculous rise of the first three kings of the Fifth Dynasty, recorded on the Papyrus Westcar. However, relevant historical sources relating to the ascension of the new dynasty have for a long time been only few and ambiguous. The mystery surrounding the ascension of the Fifth Dynasty has now been altered fundamentally by new archaeological discoveries, in particular in the course of the research of the pyramid field in Abusir. These discoveries and the role played by three royal mothers named Khentkaus in the events at the end of the Fourth and the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty, are discussed in the cited article.

2

Laserové skenování Duaptahovy skalní hrobky v jižním Abúsíru.

100%

Brůna V. , Brejcha M. , Bárta M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2014

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nr 13

31-37

EN

Laser scanning, one of the non-contact methods of aerial data collection, has recently been introduced to the field of archaeological documentation. Its advantages are, above all, speed, accuracy and the volume of acquired data – so called point clouds. The scanners can perform documentation of hardly accessible or dangerous places on site where traditional methods fail. The disadvantages of point clouds processing include the need for high-performance hardware and specialised software, as a great mass of data is usually processed. The article deals with the documentation of Duaptah’s rock-cut tomb at Abusir South by terrestrial laser scanner Faro Focus3D, the methodology of data collection in the field and its subsequent processing and practical outputs (creation of sections, tomb volume calculation, etc.). Such analyses require the presence of an archaeologist who knows the terrain and can define individual tasks during the data processing, for instance the number of horizontal and vertical sections to be carried out, the distance between sections, and the volume of separate parts of tombs (serdab).

3

Tomb of the chief physician Shepseskafankh

100%

Bárta M.

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2015

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nr 15

15-27

EN

Mastaba AS 39 was discovered during the course of the 2013 season in Abusir South. It is located in the northeastern part of the cemetery of officials dated to the Fifth Dynasty, spanning the reigns of Nyuserre through Djedkare (2402–2322 BC). Shepseskafankh was a person of elevated status at the royal court as indicated by the titles on his unique unfinished false door. These include, among others, the title of the chief physician of the king, property custodian of the king, chief of the physicians of Upper and Lower Egypt as well as two so far unattested titles of hem-netjer-priest of Khnum who is foremost of the House of Life and of the House of Protection and overseer of the healing substances of the Great House. These titles attest to his historically unique position. Shepseskafankh’s duties included supervision over the House of Life, which was a centre authority for storing and maintaining written documents. At the same time he was in charge of the House of Protection, which, most likely, was a facility where royal children were born. Based on archaeological and epigraphic evidence, it may be supposed that it is one of the earliest structures in the examined cemetery. Despite the fact that most of the burial facilities of the tomb owner and his family members were looted in antiquity, the tomb represents a unique testimony of the latter part of the Fifth Dynasty history on a microscale.

4

Hetepuni, kněz ze dvora princezny Šeretnebtej

88%

Dulíková V. , Arias Kytnarová K. , Cílek V.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2014

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nr 13

38-48

EN

During the autumn excavation season of 2013, archaeological work in the tomb complex of princess Sheretnebty (AS 68) continued. A false door was found in the filling of shaft 8 in Sheretnebty’s courtyard. The limestone stela (75 × 49 × 11 cm) belonged to a certain Hetepuni, a hemnetjer- priest of Khentytjenenet, wab-priest of the two hundred of the pyramid Men-nefer-Meryre (Pepi I), great wab-priest and overseer of the department of tenant-landholders of the Great House. The entire decoration of the false door – the hieroglyphic inscriptions, figural representation, lines and a hint of a wooden door with a crossbar in the central niche – was painted in black. At first glance the execution of the hieroglyphs looks neat and calligraphic; a further examination has revealed a substitution of some similarly looking signs. Originally, the whole surface of the stela had been whitewashed. The white colour has the basic composition of pure gypsum, but parts containing powdered barite were found as well (Tab. 1). At least 15 layers of white coating, which indicate repeated whitewashing, were observed. The length of time this activity had been taking place can be estimated at 20 to 60 years. It is probable that the false door was originally placed above the shaft into which it was thrown. A man 40–60 years old was buried in a rectangular burial pit in the burial niche of this shaft. Whereas no remains of burial equipment were found in the burial niche, the filling of the shaft contained fragments of pottery vessels. The majority of analogies to particular vessels are associated with the Sixth Dynasty, especially with Pepi I, however some of them have survived until the reign of Pepi II. Following its analysis, Hetepuni’s false door, whose features date it to the late Sixth Dynasty or the First Inter - mediate Period, illustrates not only the development at the Abusir necropolis but also serves as a probe into one of the burial complexes at Abusir South, i.e. the tomb cluster called the complex of princess Sheretnebty.

5

Embalming deposit of Wahibremeryneit from Abusir – a preliminary report of the 2022 spring season

88%

Smoláriková K.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2023

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nr 30

7-28

EN

In the 2021 archaeological season at Abusir, the shaft of the tomb of Wahibremeryneit, containing the largest intact embalming deposit ever found in Egypt was excavated. From about 370 transport amphorae discovered in different states of preservation, more than 250 have been hitherto examined, including a fine assemblage of Greek transport amphorae. Aside from smaller or larger ceramic vessels which were put into amphorae, the other waste embalming material comprised a mixture of sand, lumps of clay/mud, chaff, straw, charcoal, myrrh, fragments of wood and a rather large quantity of decayed linen cloth impregnated with oil and other substances. This embalming deposit is very valuable as it contains all of the materials used by embalmers in the mummification of the body of commander of the troops of Greek mercenaries Wahibremeryneit.

6

Burial shafts and chambers of Nefer and Neferhathor in tomb AS 68d. A comparative evaluation of the ceramic finds

75%

Arias Kytnarová K.

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2015

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nr 15

3-14

EN

The aim of this paper is to compare two sets of ceramic finds from the two southernmost shafts uncovered in tomb AS 68d, namely Shaft 1, belonging to the main tomb owner named Nefer, and Shaft 2, which very likely belonged to his wife, Neferhathor. These shafts are interesting due to the fact that although both their burial chambers were robbed and thus the shafts must have been disturbed, a large number of typologically and metrically similar vessels and their fragments were uncovered in the fills. In both shafts, we were able to uncover a large amount of fragments belonging not only to certain ceramic classes (especially stands, platters and jars) but also to the same groups, such as the tall hour-glass stands or the low ring stands. Also, numerous examples from both shafts were able to be glued together to at least full profile, if not to full diameter. Thus it is possible to assume that these shafts were back-filled with either their original contents or at least an unknown fraction of it, and the ceramic finds uncovered in them were originally part of intentional burial shaft deposits.

7

Newly discovered officials of Sahura’s retinue

75%

Khaled M. I.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2020

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nr 25

82-89

EN

In 1994, the Egyptian mission discovered four limestone blocks with first class relief decoration in the area to the north side of the upper part of the causeway of the pyramid complex of King Sahura at Abusir. These blocks were published and briefly described by Zahi Hawass and Miroslav Verner in 1996. Afterwards, they were fully published in 2009 by Tarek El Awady. One of the blocks of the 1994 season designated as SC/north/1994/02 was discovered and published; however, its lower part was completely missing and was not found. In 2019, the work under the direction of the author focused on the north-east part of the already discovered blocks from 1994. A number of fine white limestone fragments were unearthed. Among those recently discovered blocks, there was the lower edge of block SC/north/1994/02. The present paper deals with new information about the discovered group of officials of Sahura’s royal court, as well as opens a new discussion and analysis of those non-royal individuals who served the king during his lifetime.

8

Abusir 3D survey 2015

75%

Kawae Y. , Yasumuro Y. , Kanaya I. , Dan H. , Chiba F.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2016

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nr 17

3-11

EN

In 2015, in collaboration with the Czech Institute of Egyptology, we, a Japanese consortium, initiated the Abusir 3D Survey (A-3DS) for the 3D documentation of the site’s pyramids, which have not been updated since the time of the architectural investigations of Vito Maragioglio and Celeste Rinaldi in the 1960s to the 1970s. The first season of our project focused on the exterior of Neferirkare’s pyramid, the largest pyramid at Abusir. By developing a strategic mathematical 3D survey plan, step-by-step 3D documentation to suit specific archaeological needs, and producing a new display method for the 3D data, we successfully measured the dimensions of the pyramid in a cost-effective way.

9

Sixth Dynasty shaft deposit from tomb AS 84b

75%

Arias K.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2021

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nr 26

7-22

EN

The aim of this paper is to discuss a single context from a small mud brick tomb, AS 84b, built immediately south of large wooden boat (AS 80) at Abusir South. This context is exceptional due to the fact that the rela tively small Shaft 2 contained a very large number of fully preserved vessels found in situ at diverse depths of the shaft, as well as hundreds of additional fragments in the general fill. The vast majority of the pottery belonged to a single type, namely beer jars with a tall slender body with a sharp pointed base (Abusir J-1c). Among them, at least half of the examples exhibited an intentional hole made in the base of the jar. This paper also offers a short typological and morphometric study of these beer jars and an interpretation of the deposit as a whole within our current knowledge of diverse funerary contexts.

10

Pottery from the tomb of Kairsu (AC 33) – a preliminary analysis

75%

Arias K.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2020

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nr 25

59-81

EN

This paper presents a preliminary report on the most significant ceramic contexts from the tomb of official Kairsu, excavated at Abusir Centre in the autumn of 2018. Based on the pottery finds, the activities in the tomb can be divided roughly into three main time frames. During the middle to late Fifth Dynasty, the tomb was constructed and four main burial shafts and apartments were equipped. The preliminary analysis shows that Kairsu was buried at a slightly earlier date than the owners of Shafts 2, 3 and 4, although all the pottery belongs to the span of the middle to late Fifth Dynasty. The area east of the tomb is characterized by secondary activities – in the course of the late Fifth and early Sixth Dynasty, two small additional shafts were built; one in the corridor of AC 33 (Shaft 6) and another in the corner north of the so-called entrance rooms (Shaft 5), the second one very likely serving as an embalming deposit for an (at this point) unknown burial. The so-far analysed destruction and refuse layers in and around Entrance Rooms 1 and 2 can be dated to the Sixth Dynasty, with some contexts associated with pottery characteristic of the first half of the dynasty (within a time span of Pepy I to Merenre) and one cluster containing vessels typical of the second half of the Sixth Dynasty.

11

Největší z lékařů : Hrobka Šepseskafancha, lékaře Horního a Dolního Egypta

75%

Bárta M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2014

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nr 12

3-10

EN

In September 2013 the Czech Institute of Egyptology started its fall excavation season in Abusir South. The Institute resumed work in the area in the immediate vicinity of the tombs of princess Sheretnebty and Nefer which have become famous, among other things, owing to the large numbers of unique stone statuary and the stela of Nefer, discovered and publicised world-wide only last year. In order to understand the complete history of this particular family cemetery which originated sometime during the reign of Niuserre and continued into the reign of Djedkare, the excavation moved to the northeast area where the entrance to the whole complex was uncovered. One of the oldest tombs discovered in this area of the cemetery so far belongs to the chief physician of Upper and Lower Egypt, Shepseskafankh. He had a rather impressive tomb built, of about 22 × 11.50 m in size, with limestone walls preserved to a height of about 3 m. A long corridor chapel with a unique monumental false door built of several blocks of limestone is located in the eastern part of the superstructure. The importance of the discovery lies in the fact that Shepseskafankh was one of very few, so far known, top-ranking physicians of the pharaohs of the third millennium BC Egypt. His titles detail Shepseskafankh as a friends of the House, chief physician of Upper and Lower Egypt, priest of Ra in the sun temple of Userkaf, Neferirkare and Niuserre, priest of Khnum “in front of Both Mansions of Life”, a priest of Magic, priest of Hathor in all her places, wab-priest of the king, keeper of secrets of His Lord, physician of the Great House, overseer of the foodofferings of the Great House, priest of Horus of Shenwet, Anubis, foremost of Sepa(-district), priest of the Red crown, priest of Khnum, foremost of the House of Life and the House of Protection – a designation which indicates his knowledge and the extraordinary position and respect he enjoyed at the royal court. Unfortunately, all burial chambers of the complex were heavily robbed and provided but a meagre amount of human remains. The historical importance of this discovery lies in the fact that Shepseskafankh belonged to a very few highest ranking physicians known from the era of the Old Kingdom pyramid builders who had a very close relationship with the ruling king. At the same time, his is already the third physician tomb discovered at the same cemetery in Abusir.

CS

Zájemci o starý Egypt a archeologické výzkumy v Egyptě a Súdánu se často ptají, jak dlouho trvá učinit archeo - logický „objev“. Tento článek se bude zabývat jedním z takových „objevů“, a to hrobkou lékaře a kněze Šep - seskafancha. Rok 2013 byl v mnoha ohledech přímým pokračováním archeologických aktivit v jižním Abúsíru z roku 2012. Archeologické práce se soustředily i nadále na komplex kněze Neferinpua a princezny Šeretnebtej z poloviny 5. dynastie. Tento soubor hrobek (kombinace skalních hrobek a klasických mastab), postavený ve třech výškových úrovních, představuje i nadále, přes veškeré naše dosavadní úsilí, oblast, jejíž poznávání není ani zdaleka ukončeno, a archeologická překvapení se vynořují jedno za druhým. Na úvod je třeba ještě uvést, že než jsme se k této hrobce dopracovali, uplynulo od počátku výzkumu v těchto místech lokality více než deset let.

12

Objev pohřební komory hodnostáře Nefera

75%

Bárta M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2014

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nr 13

3-6

EN

During the spring season of 2014 in Abusir, the Czech mission focused on further archaeological exploration of the tomb complex of Nefer, dating to the second half of the Fifth Dynasty. Working inside his rock-cut chapel, two more shafts (out of four) were explored. Shaft 1, located in the southernmost part of the room, belonged to Nefer himself. The shaft opening corresponds with the principal false door of the room, that of Nefer. The shaft is 6 m deep, with a buri - al chamber opening to the south. The room was entered from the north. The entrance was originally blocked by a wall built of smaller and larger limestone chips, limestone blocks and mud bricks joined with mud mortar. The wall was broken by ancient tomb robbers in the eastern part. The burial chamber was found with the ceiling largely collapsed. Thus it was impossible to work inside the chamber but for a few hours. Therefore only very few measurements could be taken. The room measures roughly 3.67 × 2.25 m in ground plan. Most of the room was occupied by a large limestone sarcophagus (its chest mea - suring 2.25 × 1.05 × 0.75 m). Inside the sarcophagus, a completely destroyed burial was found, pushed to the south part of the sarcophagus (380/AS68/2014). It belonged to amale person of about 40–60 years of age. From the buri - al equipment, only a group of miniature model vessels made of limestone was found, consisting of 70 plates and 16 cups. Shaft 4, which is 4.5 m deep, is located close to the entrance into the chapel. The east wall of the shaft was shaped into a “manoeuvring recess” across the last 1.90 m of its length and so cut away the corner of the west wall of the shaft above the entrance into the burial chamber. The burial chamber is located to the west of the shaft and was found sealed with an intact stone wall. The burial chamber itself measures 2.96 × 2.14 × 0.80 m and it is orientated in the north-south direction. Most of the space was taken up by a limestone sarcophagus which is 2.50 m long, 1.10 m wide and 0.80 m high (chest). Remains of very limited intact burial equipment were discovered during the course of archaeological documentation inside the chamber. It consisted of four canopic vessels originally placed on the southern end of the sarcophagus lid (388/AS68/2014). These were originally placed in a wooden box which was found completely decayed. Due to post-depositional processes, one canopic vessel and two lids were found in the fill on the south side of the sarcophagus. Apart from this, only one beer jar was found lying on the floor of the chamber, in the southwest corner, and some small fragments of miniature copper vessels originating from the fill of the chamber could be documented. Since the sarcophagus was found sealed, it was officially opened in collaboration with the representatives of the Saqqara Inspectorate of Antiquities, the director Mr. Allah Shehata and chief inspector Mr. Sabri, on March 19. After the lid was pushed aside, a well preserved skeleton (not a mummy) (389/AS68/2014) was discovered inside. It belonged to an anonymous official of 40–60 years of age. He was lying in an outstretched position, head to the north. Along his eastern side a decayed wooden stick could be seen. Otherwise only small faience amulets and tiny pieces of golden foil were found. The faience amulets were found on the ankles and wrists of the deceased and included three different shapes, very close to the hieroglyphic signs “n”, “r” and “nb”.

13

Tomb of Kairsu discovered in Abusir (AC 33)

75%

Bárta M. , Jirásková L. , Krejčí J. , Odler M. , Brůna V. , Brunker Havelková P. , Sůvová Z.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2020

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nr 25

35-58

EN

The tomb of Kairsu is located north of the pyramid of Neferirkare and is part of a so far unexplored cemetery dating to the reign of Neferirkare – Nyuserre. The mastaba features several highly unusual characteristics. Basalt blocks had been used for the pavement in front of the façade and in the chapel. To date, it is the only attestation of such a practice in a non-royal tomb in the Old Kingdom. Some of the titles of Kairsu show that he was a high ranking official. Kairsu was overseer of all royal works of the king and foremost of the House of Life. There was a very close link established between this institution, which was in fact a centre of knowledge and wisdom in the Old Kingdom, and the god of creation Khnum. It is also important that the House of Life appears from the reign of Nyuserre when Osiris is attested for the first time. Another important feature of the tomb is the fact that the statue of the tomb owner was placed in front of the sarcophagus. This only confirms the previous assumption that ancient Egyptians were placing statues not only in different areas of tombs’ superstructures but also in the burial chambers. There is a strong possibility that the owner of the tomb may be identical to the famous sage of Egyptian history, who, according to a much later tradition, was author of the Loyalist teaching, Teaching for Kagemni and Teaching of Kairsu and also father of the early Sixth Dynasty vizier Kagemni.

14

K výzdobnému programu Sahureova zádušního chrámu

71%

Verner M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2014

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nr 13

68-71

EN

One of the long-standing problems of Egyptology, due to the shortage of original evidence, is the interpretation of the decoration programme of the Old Kingdom pyramid complexes and, consequently, the meaning of individual rooms of these monuments. However, the extant remains of the decoration of the columned court of Sahure’s mortuary temple represent a rare exception which makes such an interpretation possible.

15

Nové mýty o starých bozích. Ze stěn pohřební komory kněze Iufay

71%

Landgráfová R. , Míčková D.

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2018

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nr 20

57-70

EN

The study focuses on four hitherto unknown mythological texts that accompany the text of the Royal purification ritual on the northern wall of the burial chamber of the shaft tomb of Iufaa at Abusir. These include a text describing the appearance and functions of the Hayshesh sea serpents, a cosmogony involving the uroboros, a myth of the glorifier of the Nun and an aetiological myth of the origin of divine awe. These texts further illustrate the nature of the sacred “library” that Iufaa accumulated in his tomb and elucidate the meaning of the originally royal purification ritual that adorns the northern and part of the eastern wall of Iufaa’s burial chamber.

16

Jedinečnost Abúsíru v kontextu Egypta: českoslovenští egyptologové a egyptské památky

63%

Navratilova H. , Podhorný R.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2020

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nr 24

96-114

EN

In 2020, the Czechoslovak and Czech excavations at Abusir celebrate their 60th anniversary. A presentation of Egyptological activities in temporary exhibitions and museum displays has become an essential follow-up of archaeological work. However, artefacts located in former Czechoslovakia and present Czech Republic have travelled from Egypt in several groups, being only in part directly connected to the excavation work. Nonetheless, all the artefacts have become a part of the public presentation of Egyptology and have a role in a more generalised interest in Egypt. The complex history of travelling artefacts is almost always intertwined with cultural, political, and social histories, and the Egyptian artefacts in Central Europe are no exception. Although the history of Egyptology is not limited and should not be reduced to its political aspect, artefacts have often played the role of being accessories to diplomacy, alongside their cultural message, aesthetic impact and prestige connected to their ownership. This paper outlines the complex corpus of Egyptian artefacts in the historical Czech lands, the history of exhibitions, and the role of excavations at Abusir in the long history of presenting Egypt to Czech audiences.

CS

V roce 2020 si česká i mezinárodní egyptologická veřejnost připomíná 60. výročí zahájení výkopových prací Českého (tehdy Československého) egyptologického ústavu Filozofické fakulty Univerzity Karlovy na lokalitě Abúsír. Nedílnou součástí práce několika generací českých egyptologů není jen výzkum lokality jako takové a vyhodnocení získaných poznatků, ale také prezentace a popularizace výzkumu v Abúsíru jakožto zásadního příspěvku pro studium starého Egypta širší veřejnosti jak doma, tak i ve světě v rámci vědecké spolupráce. Součástí této prezentace jsou výstavy staroegyptských památek, jimž je věnován tento příspěvek. Seznamování člověka s minulostí prostřednictvím artefaktů je dlouhodobě významným historickým fenoménem, a to nejen pro svůj studijní nebo estetický potenciál. Možnost setkat se s autentickými historickými předměty je výjimečná a nelze ji ničím nahradit, ačkoli výstavní metody a nové technologie ji dokážou například vhodným vizuálním doprovodem obohatit a ovlivnit tak prožitek návštěvníků. Pokud jde o cestující památky, které našly svůj domov v českých zemích, všechny jsou spojeny s kulturními, hospodářskými i politickými dějinami Egypta a Evropy. Existují dvě velké skupiny egyptských artefaktů: ty, které předcházejí, a ty, které následují český/československý vstup mezi archeologické expedice působící v Egyptě. V jejich rámci se setkáváme se sbírkami kosmopolitních mecenášů i se sbírkami, které se dostaly na české území jako výsledek jednání kulturní diplomacie. S ní souvisí i dohody o archeologické činnosti na území Egypta, v nichž hraje Abúsír nezastupitelnou roli. Celé spektrum je zde představeno v kontextu sběratelství, kulturní politiky i okouzlení Egyptem.

17

Glossing the past: the Fifth Dynasty sun temples, Abu Ghurab and the satellite imagery

63%

Nuzzolo M. , Zanfagna P.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2017

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nr 19

110-123

EN

The sites of Abusir and Abu Ghurab, with their unique mingling of funerary and religious architecture, and the incredible heritage of written papyrus documents, represent a crucial area for the understanding of the historical, architectural and religious evolution of Old Kingdom Egypt. However, many of their topographical and archaeological features remain unclear, especially as regards the identification of the four missing sun temples, which are documented in textual sources of the time but have been never located. The present article wishes to further our knowledge of the sacred landscape of the area during the Fifth Dynasty thanks to the combined analysis of archaeological data, the historical cartography of the area, and new remote sensed imagery.

18

Anthropological evaluation of Old Kingdom human burials from the pyramid field of Abusir

63%

Brukner Havelková P. , Dulíková V. , Bejdová Š. , Velemínský P. , Bárta M.

Pražské egyptologické studie (Prague Egyptological Studies)

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2022

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nr 28

28-51

EN

Anthropological research has been going on at the archaeological concession of the Czech Institute of Egyptology in Abusir for nearly 60 years. The first burials dated to the Old Kingdom, more specifically to the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties (2510–2365 BC), were found in 1976. Nevertheless, it has taken almost to the present time to gather more than two hundred skeletons needed to carry out a comprehensive study of the Abusir skeletal sample. This task was preceded by the creation of the AnuBase, an extensive and detailed database of anthropological data, and by the acquisition of a suitable depository space where the human skeletal remains are stored. The present study focuses mainly on the paleodemographic profile of the individuals buried in Abusir cemeteries and the metric analysis of the skeletons dating to the Old Kingdom. The results revealed a lower number of buried females compared to males and very few subadults. Very pronounced sexual dimorphism was noted between the male and female skeletons in both skulls and the infra cranial skeleton. Male crania are longer but lower than female crania, while females were characterized by higher faces. Although male long bones were longer and more robust than female ones, they do not differ in the proportionality of the upper and lower extremities. High sexual dimorphism in body height is consistent with the presumption of the higher status of individuals buried in Abusir. The results of both anthropological and paleodemographic analyses show a connection with the social status of the individuals in question. The low number of females buried in the cemeteries of Abusir and the almost missing subadults could indicate specific burial strategies in the area governed by strict rules. Future research should address these issues in detail.

19

In mud forgotten: Old Kingdom palaeoecological evidence from Abusir

63%

Bárta M.

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2013

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tom Vol. 30, Nr 2

75--82

EN

The present study aims to summarise the major evidence on the climate development in the pyramid fields based on the Abusir data and dating to the Old Kingdom (2700-2200 BCE). The interpretation of the latest evidence presented in the article is based on the identification and evaluation of molluscs, beetles, Lake of Abusir sediments, small vertebrae and archaeological evidence documented during the research of several Old Kingdom tomb complexes and the seasonal Lake of Abusir. The study shows that this climate change was of a long-term nature and its origins may be dated to at least the latter half of the Fifth Dynasty.

20

A burial with a stamp seal depicting a Bes-like figure from Abusir

63%

Dulíková V. , Odler M. , Březinová H. , Havelková P.

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2015

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nr 15

69-75

EN

In the autumn of 2010, a humble intact burial in a reed coffin was found during the excavation of the Old Kingdom stone mastaba of the chief physician Neferherptah (AS 65) at Abusir South. The burial was positioned directly on the superstructure of Neferherptah’s tomb. The body of a more than fifty-year-old woman had been wrapped in linen, as indicated by eight fragments of fabric. The only burial equipment of the deceased consisted of a mud brick used as a headrest and a pyramidal stamp seal with a Bes-shaped figure on its base found on the breastbone. This latest addition to the corpus of stamp seals represents the first amulet of its type to come from a documented primary archaeological context at the Memphite necropolis. Although this tiny find is small in size, it is of particular importance for the study of the burial customs and beliefs of the lower social strata in the Memphite necropolis. The seal most probably provides one of the earliest examples of iconographical evidence for the archetype of the god later known as Bes. Some of the archaeological material from the excavations was destroyed during the Egyptian revolution in 2011. The remaining material is examined in this paper, together with an anthropological and textile report.