The Society is currently looking for a highly motivated and experienced individual with a proven track record of generating sustainable income to join the team in London as Fundraising Manager.
The full job description is available here.
Applicants should include a letter of application, a C.V. and the names, addresses and e-mail contact details of two referees, one of whom, if applicable, must be a current employer. The closing date for applications is Monday 22nd February 2010 (5pm).
A list of letters and papers relating to Amelia Edwards and her colleagues and kept in the Society's Lucy Gura Archive is now available online here.
The writer, artist, traveller and Egyptologist, Amelia Edwards, who founded the Society (then as the Egypt Exploration Fund) in 1882.
For further information about the Lucy Gura Archive and the current campaign to raise funds to ensure the preservation of the material for the future, please see here.
A clay model of cattle dating to the Predynastic Period (Naqada I) discovered by the Society at El-Amrah in 1900-1901 was recently featured in the BBC Radio 4 series ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’. The programme is written and presented by Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, where the object is now kept.
The Society’s excavations at El-Amrah, six miles to the South-East of Petrie’s Royal Tombs at Abydos, were led by David Randall-MacIver and Anthony Wilkin, and published in a special extra publication of the EEF: El-Amrah and Abydos 1899-1901. The site had already been extensively worked a few years earlier by Jacques de Morgan and Émile Amélineau. The EEF team however “hoped, that the site would prove to be less exhausted than it first appeared; and it soon became evident that these hopes were to be more than justified.”
The EEF house at el Amrah which was purpose built at the beginning of the season and demolished at the end. "In spite of the not unnatural objections of the local authorities, who fail to understand that explorers prefer a new house built on clean desert sand to the insanitary filth of a native village, the building was successfully completed in six days." - David Randall-MacIver writing in the Introduction to El-Amrah and Abydos 1899-1901
Fortunately for Randall-MacIver and Wilkin, whose object was to uncover tombs of the Pre- and Early Dynastic, the tombs which had been plundered were largely those of the Middle and New Kingdoms. The earlier burials were very “closely ... packed together, generally within only a space of a few inches between each. In just under a month beginning on 22 December 1900, the excavators had recorded over two hundred graves at the extreme west of the site, along with many more that had already been plundered. They estimated that there were over six hundred burials in total in this area.
The model cattle were discovered here, in a tomb labelled ‘a 23’, which the excavators described as an “exceptionally rich tomb for the very early period ... The man who was buried in it was lying on his right side wrapped in a reed mat, and close beside his right side was the clay staff painted with red stripes ... Next to the handle of the staff was a clay platter, to which were affixed three clay models of cows, while a fourth had broken off and was found in the rubbish. This was the first instance at El Amrah of the occurrence of such clay animals, though a considerable number were brought to light from graves subsequently opened.”
A sketch by Mrs A A Quibell of tomb 'a 23' at the time of its opening. The cattle model is clearly visible in front of the remains of the tomb-owner.
The model was divided to the EEF by the Cairo Museum authorities and it was subsequently brought back to London where it was first displayed at the Fund’s annual exhibition at University College. It was later given to the British Museum, along with the clay staff and a pottery box which also came from the same burial. The model cattle are now on display in the Early Egypt rooms in the Museum, whose website provides further information (here).
The catalogue for the EEF exhibition in 1901 (at left), and a page from the handwritten distribution list, now kept in the Society's Lucy Gura Archive, recording the division of several objects, including the cattle model (here labelled 'Stand of 4 mud kine'), to the British Museum.
If you are in the UK you can listen to the Radio 4 programme on BBC iPlayer; alternatively you can also read a transcript of the programme, and further information is available here.
The Society's fundraising campaign for 2009-10 focusses on raising money to preserve the material in the Archive. For further information or to make a contribution please see here.
For the second season running, during March 2010, Dr Patricia Spencer, the Society’s Director, will be posting regular updates from the Northern Delta, Egypt via SMS from her mobile phone, and, for longer updates, by e-mail via colleagues in the London office.
The updates are available here.http://deltasurvey.tumblr.com/
Further information on the Society's Delta survey is available here:http://www.deltasurvey.ees.ac.uk/ds-home.html
Announcing a series of new events for Spring and Summer 2010 including a study day on 'Histories of Egyptology', seminars on 'Navigating the Egyptian Nile' and 'Ptolemaic Memphis and Roman Oxyrhynchus in papyrus texts', a free lecture on Frederic Cailliaud by Andrew Bednarski, a joint EES / British Egyptian Society summer party and lecture by Sandro Vannini, and further details of BEC3 and the keynote lecture to be given at that event by Dr Mark Lehner.
See here for further details or to book tickets.
We hope to see you soon!
Updates from the 2010 season of the Minufiyeh Expedition are now being posted by the project director, Dr Joanne Rowland: http://minufiyeh.tumblr.com/
The Minufiyeh Archaeological Survey forms part of the Egypt Exploration Society’s Delta Survey and was begun in 2005 with the purpose of investigating the chronological and spatial distribution of prehistoric and Pharaonic sites across this central Delta province. The project has conducted a program of drill coring and geophysical survey at selected sites in addition to a series of test trenches for archaeological evaluation at the SCA registered site of Quesna.
Thus far, the project has visited 50 potential archaeological sites over five seasons and has located archaeological material ranging in date from the Palaeolithic to the Ottoman periods. The most commonly found material dates to the Late Period, Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The spatial distribution of sites suggests they were located along ancient river branches, a hypothesis which is being tested through geological analysis of drill core samples taken from across the region.
During the current season Dr Rowland and her team will be working in the Quesna archaeological area (including Kufur Raml, Minshat Damallu, Sharanis (Markaz Quesna)), at Kom el-Ahmar (Markaz Minuf), and in the region directly alongside the Rosetta branch of the Nile from Kafr Dawud in the north to el-Khatatbah in the south. Dr Rowland will also continue the ground survey in Minufiyeh province.
The expedition intends:
1) To continue the examination into the use of the site of Quesna a) through test trenches in the cemetery and sacred falcon necropolis, b) by cleaning and mapping the area of the falcon gallery excavated in the 1990s, and c) by gathering additional evidence for the location of settlements on the low ground around the gezira (using test pits, geophysical survey and drill coring).
2) To further investigations into the location of a possible sanctuary at Kom el-Ahmar (Markaz Minuf) by geophysical survey and drill coring.
This seasons work builds on the 2009 season which was partly funded by the Amelia Edwards Group (see under 'Gebel Ramla'). The results of the 2008 and 2009 seasons were published in the most recent volume of the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology: Rowland, J et al, ‘The Delta Survey: Minufiyeh Province, 2008-9’ JEA 95 (2009), 35-49.
The following article on the Quesna cemetery was published in the Society’s colour magazine, Egyptian Archaeology:
Rowland J and Zakrzewski, S, ‘Quesna: The Ptolemaic and Roman cemetery’ EA 32 (2008), 15-17.
The 2010 season is supported by the EES, the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies and The John Fell (OUP) Fund.
A fascinating article on Amice Calverley, who worked for the Society in the temple of Sety I at Abydos, has just appeared on the Heritage Key website here (see also the comment by Chris Naunton beneath the main piece).
The project to record the decoration in the temple remains one the Society's most significant contributions to Egyptology and its genesis is summarized in the introduction to the first of the published volumes, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos. Vol I. The Chapels of Osiris, Isis and Horus (London and Chicago, 1933):
“In the season of 1925-6 the Egypt Exploration Society, after excavating for some years exclusively at El-Amarna, decided to transfer its activities to Abydos, where the uncovering of the Osireion, interrupted by the war, urgently demanded completion. For this task the Committee engaged the services of Mr. Herbert Felton, who to many years' experience as a practical engineer added the further qualification of being a photographer of high standing.”
A selection of photographs taken in 1925 during the final clearance of the Osireion, under the direction of Henri Frankfort. The enigmatic structure had been discovered by Petrie while working for the EEF in 1901-2 but the monument’s situation beneath ground level meant that sliding sand and water seepage had prevented its complete excavation until almost a quarter of a century later, when the problem was finally solved with the aid of a gravity railway pulled by water buffalos, and a steam engine pump.
“The presence of Mr. Felton at Abydos afforded a welcome opportunity for recording the admirable sculptures of the temple of Sethos I, and his negatives provided the nucleus of what was at that time intended to become merely a photographic survey.’’
Photograph taken during the 1925-6 season at the temple of Sety I. The image shows a partially preserved relief scene of the chariot of Ramesses II, followed by the chariots of his sons (shown at a much smaller scale), from the first court of the temple. Note also the presence of the photographer's assistant holding a scale against the wall.
“Between this first season and the next, however, thoughts of a complete publication crystallized, and Mr. R. O. Faulkner was sent out to begin a systematic collation of the inscriptions. ... It soon became apparent that a purely photographic publication of the temple was not practicable, and a modified plan was now conceived, whereby line-plates of a schematic character should be prepared at home on the basis of the photographs. It was thought that by this means an inexpensive, but fairly adequate, edition of all the scenes and inscriptions could be obtained, and Dr. A. M. Blackman, who had contributed several valuable memoirs to our Society's Archaeological Survey, kindly promised his assistance and, with the help of Miss Calverley, started upon the preparation of experimental Plates. In January 1928 Miss Calverley, who had been working under Dr. Blackman's direction since the previous August, was sent to Abydos to collate the drawings on the spot, as well as to supplement the photographs made by Mr. Felton.”
Photograph from the 1928-9 season showing a part of the well-known kinglist.
“Meanwhile doubts had arisen as to the adequacy of the plan that had been adopted. The high standard of draughtsmanship attained by Miss Calverley in rendering the sculptures suggested that the addition of the hieroglyphic inscriptions in purely schematic form would give a very incongruous effect, and little by little the project evolved into the far more ambitious scheme of which the first fruits are offered in the present volume. The development of a technique of reproduction such as is now being used must obviously be a long affair, and progress was hampered by the doubts felt by all concerned as to whether our resources would permit us to carry through a task of this magnitude. ... In the winter of 1928-9 Miss Calverley returned to Abydos, and was continuing the work, both drawing and photography, single-handed, when the visit of Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Junior, in the company of Professor Breasted, led to that munificent grant which has completely transformed our enterprise.
Deeply impressed by the beauty of the painted reliefs, as well as by the excellence of Miss Calverley's results, Mr. Rockefeller evinced the desire to see included in our volumes as many coloured Plates as possible, and made it evident that, under stated conditions, he would be ready to finance the undertaking. Professor Breasted carried on the negotiations with Dr. Gardiner, who chanced to be in Egypt at the time, and before the latter returned to England he was able to announce to the Committee that funds would be forthcoming to publish the entire temple in the most magnificent form.”
Coloured copy by Amice Calverley of a relief showing Sety (Sethos) I offering incense to the sacred barks of Amun-Ra, Khonsu and Mut. The copy was published as The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Vol. II, pl. 11; the original is now kept in the Society's Lucy Gura Archive.
“It was decided that the work should be a joint-undertaking of the Egypt Exploration Society and the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, and Miss Calverley remained, as hitherto, in direction of the work. We were now fortunate enough to secure the additional services of Miss Broome, whose artistic skill is not inferior even to that of Miss Calverley, and henceforth these two ladies have borne practically the whole brunt of the work...”
John Baines, who continued the Society's work at the temple during the 1970s and 80s, described the challenges faced by Calverley and Broome in recording the superb modelling and brilliant colours of the decoration in his 1990 article, 'Recording the Temple of Sethos I at Abydos in Egypt' (Bulletin of The Ancient Orient Museum XI (1990), 65-95). The combination of Calverley and Broome's innovation and skill, and Rockerfeller's recognition of the importance of the Society's task and subsequent investment in the project, resulted in some of the most lavish volumes ever produced in Egyptology, and one of the Society's proudest achievements. In Professor Baines' estimation, “The remarkable resulting plates in Volumes I-IV include a high proportion of the completed painted reliefs of Sethos I in the temple. ...it is doubtful whether they could be improved upon significantly as records of the decorated walls.” (BAOM XI (1990), 72).
Colour plate from The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos Volume IV.
Embossed detail of the titulary of Sety I from the volume's hardboard cover.
The photographs taken by Felton and Calverley, and a selection of Calverley and Broome's coloured copies are now kept in the Society's Lucy Gura Archive. In 2009-10 the Society is appealing for funds to help preserve the Archive in the long term. For further information or to make a donation please see here. The four published volumes are available for consultation in the Society's Caminos Library.
EA 36 (Spring 2010) has now been published and distributed to members. A list of the contents, some of which can be downloaded, can be found here. The wonderful cover photograph (reproduced courtesy of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London) shows Flinders Petrie with his pin-hole camera on site during EES excavations at Abydos and introduces the first three articles in this issue which are about research into the history of Egyptology and relate to the Society's current fund-raising campaign for the Lucy Gura Archive.
EA 37 (Autumn 2010) will be published in September/October and will include articles on fieldwork at Tell Basta, Moalla, Dahshur, Memphis and Tell el-Daba, in addition to reports on research and exhibitions in major museums, EES news and reviews of recent Egyptological books.
All full members of the Society receive EA (two issues a year) as part of their subscription. To ensure you don't miss any issues, join the Society now!
Public events have always been an important part of the Society’s activities, as this notice discovered by chance during some research in the archives on material relating to the Society’s work at Atfih in the Faiyum shows:
click image to enlarge
The notice was discovered in the EES Lucy Gura Archive among papers relating to the distribution of objects from the Society's work at Atfih in the Faiyum in 1911-12. This is one of two copies of the same handwritten notice which seem to have been recycled as note paper for recording the destinations to which objects from Atfih were divided. The Annual Report for 1911-12 includes brief mention of the Atfih work and also reports that the Society would be redoubling its efforts to recruit new subscribers by arranging a new series of lectures. The lectures advertised here were probably those given by Peet in the rooms of the Royal Society as part of this effort.
The campaign to raise money for the Lucy Gura Archive is still in full swing. Numerous little treasures have emerged from various drawers and cabinets at Doughty Mews as we have been sorting through the collection in preparation for installing new storage facilities, and we have tried to bring as much of this fascinating material to your attention as possible through short news items, the latest of which, on the EES’ work at the Sety temple and Osireion, is now available here.
Details of two newly arranged events to be held at Doughty Mews have now been announced:
Dr Jean-Pierre Patznick, The Seals from the Old Kingdom Town at Buhen: work in progress
6.30 pm, Thursday 22 April 2010 at The EES, 3 Doughty Mews, London WC1N 2PG.
Dr Kei Yamamoto, Late Old Kingdom Abydos and Ayrton's Cemetery F
6.30 pm, Thursday 27 May 2010 at The EES, 3 Doughty Mews, London WC1N 2PG.
In both cases entry is free of charge but numbers are limited to 30 so application for tickets as normal is required.
For further information or to book your place please visit http://www.ees.ac.uk/events/index/39.html (Buhen) and http://www.ees.ac.uk/events/index/41.html (Abydos)
William Carruthers is currently in Cairo to undertake research into archival sources for the history of Egyptology. Will’s trip has been made possible by a grant from the EES Centenary Fund, and he has recently visited the grave of the one of the Society’s great excavators, Walter Bryan Emery (1903-1971). Will writes:
“Much of the archival material I am interested in relates, in some way, to Emery; during an MRes in Archaeology undertaken at UCL from 2008-2009, I spent much of the year researching the material relating to him held by the EES in the Lucy Gura Archive. Emery died at Saqqara, near Cairo, whilst undertaking excavations for the Society, and I was therefore keen to visit his grave whilst I had the chance.
After a Catholic funeral mass attended by numerous dignitaries at the Church of St Joseph in ez-Zamalek, a well-heeled island in the centre of the city, Emery was buried the British cemetery in Old Cairo, near the el-Malek es-Saleh Metro station. The cemetery is under the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and as the photos here attest, Emery’s grave is still in immaculate condition, no doubt thanks to the extremely attentive caretaker, who told me that he had spent over 30 years looking after the cemetery. Those connected to Emery will doubtless be pleased.”
The British Cemetery in Cairo
Headstone marking the burial place of W. B. Emery
For further information on Will’s work, please see his article, ‘A means to an end: seeking Bryan Emery in archives’, in the most recent issue of Egyptian Archaeology (issue 36 – see here for further information).
Doughty Mews is as busy as ever and this morning we were pleasantly surprised by a series of visitors, so we took the opportunity to take a few photos, such as this one:
L-R: Morris Bierbrier, Geoffrey Martin, Patricia Spencer, Cary Martin and Christopher Davey.
For more photos please see here.
William Carruthers, whose research trip to Cairo is supported by the Society's Centenary Fund, has recently come across some interesting source material for the history of Egyptology. Will writes:
"Serendipity often comes to the aid of researchers. Whilst in Cairo looking for archival sources relating to the history of Egyptology, I have also spent much time in libraries and bookshops. The city also possesses a second hand book market (by the Ezbekkiya Gardens) which, although currently somewhat curtailed in size due to the construction of Line 3 of the Cairo Metro, stocks a wide variety of both books and magazines, many of considerable vintage."
Cairo's second hand book market, near the Ezbekkiya Gardens
"Part of my research, as members may be aware, deals with the British archaeologist Walter Bryan Emery (1903-1971), who was once the Egypt Exploration Society’s Director of Excavations. Before my current trip to Cairo, I was aware that Emery’s death made headlines in Egypt - it was on the front page of the daily newspaper al-Ahram, for example.
I also wondered if it had been covered by any other publications, and therefore had a look through some of those for sale at the book market dating from the era in which Emery’s death took place. Luckily enough, I found some magazines dating from the week that Emery died and, in one copy of Akher Saa magazine - which featured news of the death of the Coptic Orthodox Pope Cyril VI on its cover - found a lengthy article about Emery’s death, including the publication of the last photos of him alive."
Article on W. B. Emery published in Akher Saa Magazine at the time of his death
Front cover of an issue of Akher Saa magazine from 1971, reporting the death of the Coptic Orthodox Pope Cyril VI
"There is clearly more to learn from the Arabic language press."
We are very sorry to report that the seminar which was to be given by Dr John Cooper, on Navigating the Egyptian Nile (see here), has been postponed. Dr Cooper has had to rearrange a field season in Saudi Arabia due to the recent closure of European airspace brought about the cloud of volcanic ash, and will now be out of the UK on 29 May. We are currently trying to reschedule the seminar - details will be posted here in due course, and anyone who had booked for the seminar will be contacted directly.
The following lecture
Dr Jean-Pierre Patznick, The Seals from the Old Kingdom Town at Buhen: work in progress
...which had earlier been postponed when the speaker's visit to London was cancelled due to the recent closure of European airspace, will now take place on Thursday 20 May at 6.30 pm in the Committee Room at the EES, 3 Doughty Mews London WC1N 2PG.
Entry is free of charge but numbers are limited to 30 so application for tickets as normal is required. To book your place please click here.
A letter from Edward Ayrton to the Secretary of the Egypt Exploration Fund, Emily Paterson, recently came to light in the Society’s Lucy Gura Archive. The letter is dated ‘Dec. 3. 1907.’ and was written from ‘Biban el Moluk. Luxor’, which is better known today as the Valley of the Kings.
Letter from Edward Ayrton to Emily Paterson, Secretary of the EEF.
Ayrton had trained with Petrie during the Fund’s work at Abydos in 1902-4, and subsequently also worked for the EEF on the excavations of the XIth Dynasty temple at Deir el Bahri, under the direction of Edouard Naville. Ayrton was then given the job of continuing the excavations of the wealthy American Theodor M Davis in the Valley of the Kings, in succession to Howard Carter, James Quibell and Arthur Weigall. Davis’ excavations had already led to a series of spectacular discoveries, most notably the near-intact burial of Yuya and Thuya, parents of Amenhotep III’s queen, Tiye, and Ayrton himself would play an important part in the uncovering of the tombs in the Valley during his three seasons of work there.
Photograph from the Ayrton series now kept in the Lucy Gura Archive (see Reeves, MDAIK 40 (1984), 227-35, pls. 24-36) showing "Early plunderer's houses outside the tomb of Rameses IV"
By the time of his letter to Miss Paterson, Ayrton was in the middle of his third season workng for Davis, and had already discovered the tomb of the nineteenth dynasty female pharaoh Siptah (KV 47), a series of smaller tombs, and the controversial and enigmatic tomb KV 55 which contained the jumbled remains of the funerary equipment of at least one Amarna Period royal, a deposit which has provided a source of enduring fascination and speculation ever since.
Ayrton was perhaps entitled to high expectations by this point and the final line of his letter to Miss Paterson suggests he was somewhat disappointed with the results achieved to this point in the season: “We have found nothing here yet.”
He would not have to wait long however. Exactly a month later, on 3 January 1908, he would discover a deposit of materials naming Tutankhamun, which we now understand to have been connected with the embalming of that king’s body (see the new exhibition of this material in New York). The best was yet to come however: a few weeks later on 22 February Ayrton discovered the tomb of Horemheb, the military commander who became the last king of the 18th Dynasty.
Photograph from the Ayrton series showing a part of the burial chamber of the tomb of Horemheb shortly after discovery.
Despite these successes, Ayrton resigned his post with Davis after the end this season, and returned to work for the EEF, as it seems had been his intention by the time his letter was written. Thus for the 1908-9 season Ayrton, in collaboration with W. L. S. Loat excavated the 6th Dynasty cemetery ‘F’ at Abydos and the Predynastic cemetery of El-Mahasna.
Abydos, Clearing of large tomb, Cemetery F.
Cemetery F remains one of the few known lower status burial grounds of the Old Kingdom but has remained largely unpublished despite its significance and Ayrton and Loat having recorded their work at the site in meticulous detail.
Tomb card for tomb number 78 of Cemetery F (front and back). The card, which was completed and signed by Ayrton, records the date of its excavation, 26 November 1908, the name of the excavator, Shahat Huseyn, and the objects recorded, with a sketch and notes on the reverse as to their placement relative to the remains of the deceased. Ayrton writes, "The shaft and chamber caved in repeatedly and the burial had to be moved as quickly as possible. No photo was possible. In the box were two alabasters and a comb. The small box was very fragile and broke at the touch. The mirror had no handle and lay on the face - the stone pillow lay on its side under the skull. Neither the pots nor the alabasters contained anything."
Fortunately, our understanding of this part of the Abydos necropolis is now improving thanks to the work of Dr Kei Yamamoto of the University of Toronto. Numerous objects from the excavations were divided by the Society to the University and are now kept in the Royal Ontario Museum where Kei has been able to study them in detail, and he has now travelled to London with the support of an EES Centenary Award, to consult the excavation records which are kept in the Society’s Lucy Gura Archive. Kei has already made several interesting discoveries as a result and will be giving a talk on his work at Doughty Mews on Thursday 27 May.
Kei Yamamoto studying the Cemetery F tomb cards in the Lucy Gura Archive at Doughty Mews.
Entry is free of charge but numbers are limited to 30 so application for tickets as normal is required. To book your place please click here.
Four new EES Excavation Memoirs have appeared recently and are now available to buy. Please note that EES members receive 15% off the price of all the Society’s memoirs. All orders should be directed to Steve Partridge in the London office as follows:
Steve Partridge, Sales and Marketing, The EES, 3 Doughty Mews, London WC1N 2PG
Tel. +44 (0)20 7242 2266, Fax +44 (0)20 7404 6118, Email steve.partridge@ees.ac.uk.
The new volumes are as follows:
William Y Adams, Qasr Ibrim. The Earlier Medieval Period. With a chapter by Nettie K Adams
EES Excavation Memoir 89. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-85698-191-3. Price: £65. EES members’ price: £55. ORDER NOW
Throughout its long history Qasr Ibrim was the most important settlement in Egyptian Nubia. During the Middle Ages it was both an administrative capital and a centre of Christian worship. As an archaeological site it has produced an unprecedented wealth of material, including objects of wood, leather, and textile that are rarely preserved archaeologically. Also preserved are hundreds of specimens of written material in many different languages. This volume describes and illustrates in detail the architectural, artifactual, and textual finds from the earlier medieval period, from about AD 550 to 1200. An earlier volume in the same series (Qasr Ibrim. The Later Medieval Period) describes the remains from the succeeding period.
Barry Kemp and Anna Stevens, Busy Lives at Amarna: Excavations in the Main City (Grid 12 and the House of Ranefer, N49.18).
Volume I: The Excavations, Architecture and Environmental Remains.
With Contributions by Paul Buckland, Alan Clapham, Rainer Gerisch, Anthony Legge, Eva Panagiotakopulu and Chris Stevens.
EES Excavation Memoir 90. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-85698-195-1. Price: £65. EES members’ price: £55. ORDER NOW
Volume II: The Objects.
With contributions by Mark Eccleston, Marc Gabolde and André Veldmeijer
EES Excavation Memoir 90. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-85698-197-5. Price: £65. EES members’ price: £55. ORDER NOW
Between 2002 and 2006 the Egypt Exploration Society’s expedition to Amarna made a detailed study of the house of the chariot-officer Ranefer, first excavated in 1921. Particular attention was paid to the remains of an underlying earlier and smaller house that had been largely demolished to make way for Ranefer’s own. At the same time a group of smaller houses for the ordinary people of the city were excavated for the first time, in an adjacent part of the site called Grid 12. Together they represent a cross-section of residential life at Amarna. The results are presented in two complementary volumes, the first devoted to the excavation, architecture and environmental remains, and the second to the objects. They lead on to reflections on domestic living and manufacture at Amarna, and on social dividing lines within the city.
David A Aston and Barbara G Aston, Late Period Pottery from the New Kingdom Necropolis at Saqqara.
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EES Excavation Memoir 92. 2010. ISBN: 978-0-85698-189-0. Price: £65. EES members’ price: £55. ORDER NOW
This book contains a detailed description of the pottery from a number of Late Period embalmers’ caches and Late Period tombs discovered between 1975 and 1995. Through a series of reasoned arguments it is dated to the period ca. 550-400 BC., and is thus co-eval with the Persian Period. Archaeologically the Persian Period is but little known, hence the material presented in this book will go a long way to aid our understanding of the material culture of this fascinating period. In addition, this book also includes discussions of the funerary practices of these times as well as a general survey of where this ceramic material fits within the northern Late Period pottery tradition.
*Please note all prices are exclusive of shipping charges – please contact Steve for further information and rates.
All orders should be sent to Steve (details above) and anyone wishing to look at or buy the new titles in person, or to browse our back catalogue of publications, would be very welcome to do so at the London office – opening hours are Tuesday to Friday, 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
The Egypt Exploration Society will be launching EES North in October this year. EES North will run Society events in the north of England at various venues, beginning with a study day and reception in Manchester. The study day will present a series of talks by EES field directors on their recent field work, articulating one of the Society's research areas, landscape development and climate change in Egypt.
For further information or to book tickets please see here.
The programme and abstracts for the forthcoming British Egyptology Congress (BEC3) are now available online:
Programme: http://www.ees.ac.uk/userfiles/file/BEC3Programme01.pdf
Abstracts: http://www.ees.ac.uk/userfiles/file/BEC3Abstracts01.pdf
For further information or to book your place at the Congress please see here.
The Society's new online bookshop, selling all EES titles still in print is now open for business:
