B. Andelkovic | University of Belgrade (original) (raw)

Papers by B. Andelkovic

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology

An anthropoid wooden coffin with human mummy was purchased in Luxor in February 1888 by the Serbi... more An anthropoid wooden coffin with human mummy was purchased in Luxor in February 1888 by the Serbian mécène and world traveler Pavle Riđički (1805‒1893). Due to historical, political and cultural circumstances the first studies of the mummy did not start until May 1993. The ancient ‘patient’ ‒ Nesmin, stolist-priest of Akhmim, son of Djedhor (son of Wennefer, son of Djedhor) born to Chay-Hathor-Imw/Tjay-Hathor-imw ‒ who became known as the Belgrade mummy ‒ underwent a CT scan at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology Center. The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan. At the time of death (350‒325 B.C.) Belgrade Nesmin was between 35 and 40 years old. A proper bioanthropological study is presented. The mummification features are discussed. The distribution of funerary amulets on the mummy has been established. The mummy’s cultural biography is specified. A museum superstition phenomenon is noted.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology

In July 2009 the National Museum in Belgrade received – as a donation – two elements of a funerar... more In July 2009 the National Museum in Belgrade received – as a donation – two elements of a funerary assemblage: a fragmented mask and a conjoined collar-breast covering. Although heavily damaged, those ancient Egyptian mummy trappings furnish modern analysts with valuable information about their fabrication and ritual employment. The mask is of helmet-type, made of gessoed linen which had been decorated with paint and gilded upon the face. The front of the mask is in relatively fair condition, but the top and rear have suffered considerably, being reduced to small fragments whose original position is difficult to determine. The mask is heavily affected by staining caused by deliberately over-poured resin, i.e. the traces of a ritual unguent pouring. The collar-breast covering is a conjoined type forming a single rectangular or rather slightly trapezoidal plaque. The collar design consists of a system of schematized floral decoration arranged in seven semicircular bands around a singl...

published until May 31, 2023

Book, 2018, 396 pages, 24 cm, in Serbian, ISBN 978-86-523-0263-5. Belgrade: Arhipelag.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology (Belgrade) 17/3, 2022

Archaeological research would make little substantial progress without transcending on occasion t... more Archaeological research would make little substantial progress without transcending on occasion the obvious limits of its 'technical' routine for the greatest common factor: the genuinely interdisciplinary and all-inclusive domain of palaeopolitics. Mortuary consolidation backed by the powerful 'ideology of an afterlife' paved the way for the political consolidation of the Naqada culture. The ever-larger Upper Egyptian proto-state was spearheaded by the ultimate politico-religious leader: the divine king, the god on earth, incarnated Horus, accompanied by an increasing number of followers/believers. Every religion has its respective birthplace, i.e. an absolute geographic location (Nekhen for instance) to which its roots can be traced. The iconography of coercion, along with so-called powerfacts, is firmly established in southern Upper Egypt. Holy war in direct connection with state-building is a well-known narrative, a historical and modern phenomenon.

Andelkovic 2014: Ideological ‘patterns of continuity’, archaeologically perceivable as early as N... more Andelkovic 2014: Ideological ‘patterns of continuity’, archaeologically perceivable as early as Naqada I, that constitute the most distinctive hallmarks of nascent Egyptian civilization, are, to a great extent, defined by the concept of Divine Ruler, as a charismatic amalgam of sacral authority, ideological values, economic and military power. Divine Kingship, ‘presiding over everything’, seems to be a key ideological issue in the rapid political transformation of Predynastic Egypt.

Andelkovic 2011. Pp. 25-32 in Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, ed. Emil... more Andelkovic 2011. Pp. 25-32 in Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, ed. Emily Teeter. Oriental Institute Museum Publications 33. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Andelkovic 2002; see also: (1995 book) The Relations between Early Bronze Age I Canaanites and Up... more Andelkovic 2002; see also: (1995 book) The Relations between Early Bronze Age I Canaanites and Upper Egyptians ; (2012 paper) Hegemony for Beginners: Egyptian Activity in the Southern Levant during the Second Half of the Fourth Millennium B.C.

Andelkovic 2008 full text (pp. 1039-1056)

Andelkovic 2004 paper: To understand the state formation process, one should be able to organize ... more Andelkovic 2004 paper: To understand the state formation process, one should be able to organize the events of the past in their correct order, by a specific “state seriation”, so that the observed changes potentially reflect chronological order. Along with the most important features we considered in relation to the Naqada culture that mark the presence of the state, such as monopoly of the means of violence, territoriality, sovereignty, bureaucracy, authority and legitimacy, a subject’s “citizenship” and taxation, the basic setting for identifying the state is also distinguished by a different territorial extent (i.e., separate Upper Egyptian polities; unified Upper Egypt; expansion of Upper Egypt into Lower Egypt; expansion into Lower Nubia and Southern Canaan) and the accompanying social, political and chronological implications.

The anthropoid wooden coffin with plinth (L. 183.5 cm), datable to the mid-4th century B.C. (30th... more The anthropoid wooden coffin with plinth (L. 183.5 cm), datable to the mid-4th century B.C. (30th Dynasty), names Nefer-renepet, a dancer of Min from Akhmim. This object represents one of the artistically and technically superior coffins produced by Late Period Egyptian coffin workshops. It was formerly part of the Amherst collection, and was purchased by Ernest Brummer at a Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge auction in London in 1921, then donated the same year to the National Museum in Belgrade. The interior of the lid is distinguished by a remarkable ‘gliding Nut motif with upward streaming hair’ (an extremely important iconographic element) while the interior of the trough is dominated by a line drawing of Imentet wearing a diagonally-veined maat-feather on her head. The interior decoration includes inscriptions written on the side facets. Written hastily in whitish-yellow line on a rough ground of thick black pigment (in contrast to the fine outer decoration of the coffin) these barely legible Stundenwachen texts, are nonetheless significant, and are to be identified as abbreviated texts derived from the Book of Day and Book of Night. They are a manifestation of Late Period magical symbolism stemming from New Kingdom funerary compositions. Their presence on the coffin, however hurried, was intended to ease Nefer-renepet’s passage through the netherworld. Since 1992 the coffin of Nefer-renepet is kept in the Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.

A Delta-man in Yebu, Jan 1, 2003

“The Djed-Ptah-iw-ef-ʿankh shabti figurine from the National Museum of Belgrade.” Published in _A... more “The Djed-Ptah-iw-ef-ʿankh shabti figurine from the National Museum of Belgrade.” Published in _A Delta-man in Yebu_, edited by Aayko K. Eyma and Christopher J. Bennett. Occasional Volume of the Egyptologists’ Electronic Forum 1. [Parkland]: Universal Publishers. (2003). 76–80. Available from http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=158112564X.

The ancient Egyptian collection of the National Museum in Belgrade contains, in addition to the Belgrade mummy (Anđelković 1997) and coffin of Nefer-renepet (Panić-Štorh 1997), a number of bronze statuettes, various amulets, scarabs, and shabti figurines, one of which is of particular interest.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology 18/4, 2023

Considering a mummy merely as an objectified human ‘artifact’ is a common misconception that stan... more Considering a mummy merely as an objectified human ‘artifact’ is a common misconception that stands in sharp contrast to the proper perception of the mummy as the culturally modified preserved body of a deceased person, an individual, a real human being who was once alive. The National Museum of Serbia holds the mummified remains of a stolist-priest Nesmin (‘The-one-who-belongs-to-Min’), resident in Akhmim around mid-fourth century B.C. Continuous research efforts have resulted in a reconceptualization of the display and presentation of this embalmed ancient Egyptian person, encompassing both scientific and humanizing elements. A number of the Belgrade Nesmin’s disarticulated bones as well as detached fragments of linen bandages covered with a resinous coating are discussed. Some new family members have been added to his genealogy. The name Nesmin was frequent in Akhmim, hence there are several other mummified Nesmin(s) of Akhmim kept in various world museums.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology n. s. 16/3: 761–794, 2021

The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan of stolist-priest of Akhmim... more The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan of stolist-priest of Akhmim, Nesmin son of Djedhor (son of Wennefer, son of Djedhor), born to Chay-Hathor-Imw. At the time of death (350‒325 B.C.) Belgrade Nesmin (also known as the Belgrade Mummy) was between 35 and 40 years old. A proper bioanthropological study is presented. The mummification features are discussed. The distribution of funerary amulets on the mummy has been established. A densely rolled papyrus scroll (Book of the Dead, ca. 9 m long), located between the body and the outer bandages near the left upper arm, is confirmed. The mummy’s cultural biography is specified. A museum superstition phenomenon is noted.

A History of Research into Ancient Egyptian Culture Conducted in Southeast Europe, Archaeopress Egyptology 8, 2015

The main corpus of the Ancient Egyptian objects present in Serbia was purchased in Egypt during t... more The main corpus of the Ancient Egyptian objects present in Serbia was purchased in Egypt during the second half of the 19th century and donated to the particular museums. Ancient Egyptian collections are today present in four different museums: two in Belgrade and one in Vršac and Sombor respectively. The chronological span of the objects ranges from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period. The mummy of Nesmin from Akhmim, also known as the ‘Belgrade mummy’ is the principal Egyptian item in Serbia. The only Egyptian object found in situ in Serbia is a scarab from a local Iron Age ruler’s grave mound. The factors that might affect the interest in Egyptian antiquities and their distribution in the Balkans are considered.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology

An anthropoid wooden coffin with human mummy was purchased in Luxor in February 1888 by the Serbi... more An anthropoid wooden coffin with human mummy was purchased in Luxor in February 1888 by the Serbian mécène and world traveler Pavle Riđički (1805‒1893). Due to historical, political and cultural circumstances the first studies of the mummy did not start until May 1993. The ancient ‘patient’ ‒ Nesmin, stolist-priest of Akhmim, son of Djedhor (son of Wennefer, son of Djedhor) born to Chay-Hathor-Imw/Tjay-Hathor-imw ‒ who became known as the Belgrade mummy ‒ underwent a CT scan at the University of Belgrade, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Diagnostic Radiology Center. The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan. At the time of death (350‒325 B.C.) Belgrade Nesmin was between 35 and 40 years old. A proper bioanthropological study is presented. The mummification features are discussed. The distribution of funerary amulets on the mummy has been established. The mummy’s cultural biography is specified. A museum superstition phenomenon is noted.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology

In July 2009 the National Museum in Belgrade received – as a donation – two elements of a funerar... more In July 2009 the National Museum in Belgrade received – as a donation – two elements of a funerary assemblage: a fragmented mask and a conjoined collar-breast covering. Although heavily damaged, those ancient Egyptian mummy trappings furnish modern analysts with valuable information about their fabrication and ritual employment. The mask is of helmet-type, made of gessoed linen which had been decorated with paint and gilded upon the face. The front of the mask is in relatively fair condition, but the top and rear have suffered considerably, being reduced to small fragments whose original position is difficult to determine. The mask is heavily affected by staining caused by deliberately over-poured resin, i.e. the traces of a ritual unguent pouring. The collar-breast covering is a conjoined type forming a single rectangular or rather slightly trapezoidal plaque. The collar design consists of a system of schematized floral decoration arranged in seven semicircular bands around a singl...

published until May 31, 2023

Book, 2018, 396 pages, 24 cm, in Serbian, ISBN 978-86-523-0263-5. Belgrade: Arhipelag.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology (Belgrade) 17/3, 2022

Archaeological research would make little substantial progress without transcending on occasion t... more Archaeological research would make little substantial progress without transcending on occasion the obvious limits of its 'technical' routine for the greatest common factor: the genuinely interdisciplinary and all-inclusive domain of palaeopolitics. Mortuary consolidation backed by the powerful 'ideology of an afterlife' paved the way for the political consolidation of the Naqada culture. The ever-larger Upper Egyptian proto-state was spearheaded by the ultimate politico-religious leader: the divine king, the god on earth, incarnated Horus, accompanied by an increasing number of followers/believers. Every religion has its respective birthplace, i.e. an absolute geographic location (Nekhen for instance) to which its roots can be traced. The iconography of coercion, along with so-called powerfacts, is firmly established in southern Upper Egypt. Holy war in direct connection with state-building is a well-known narrative, a historical and modern phenomenon.

Andelkovic 2014: Ideological ‘patterns of continuity’, archaeologically perceivable as early as N... more Andelkovic 2014: Ideological ‘patterns of continuity’, archaeologically perceivable as early as Naqada I, that constitute the most distinctive hallmarks of nascent Egyptian civilization, are, to a great extent, defined by the concept of Divine Ruler, as a charismatic amalgam of sacral authority, ideological values, economic and military power. Divine Kingship, ‘presiding over everything’, seems to be a key ideological issue in the rapid political transformation of Predynastic Egypt.

Andelkovic 2011. Pp. 25-32 in Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, ed. Emil... more Andelkovic 2011. Pp. 25-32 in Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization, ed. Emily Teeter. Oriental Institute Museum Publications 33. Chicago: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Andelkovic 2002; see also: (1995 book) The Relations between Early Bronze Age I Canaanites and Up... more Andelkovic 2002; see also: (1995 book) The Relations between Early Bronze Age I Canaanites and Upper Egyptians ; (2012 paper) Hegemony for Beginners: Egyptian Activity in the Southern Levant during the Second Half of the Fourth Millennium B.C.

Andelkovic 2008 full text (pp. 1039-1056)

Andelkovic 2004 paper: To understand the state formation process, one should be able to organize ... more Andelkovic 2004 paper: To understand the state formation process, one should be able to organize the events of the past in their correct order, by a specific “state seriation”, so that the observed changes potentially reflect chronological order. Along with the most important features we considered in relation to the Naqada culture that mark the presence of the state, such as monopoly of the means of violence, territoriality, sovereignty, bureaucracy, authority and legitimacy, a subject’s “citizenship” and taxation, the basic setting for identifying the state is also distinguished by a different territorial extent (i.e., separate Upper Egyptian polities; unified Upper Egypt; expansion of Upper Egypt into Lower Egypt; expansion into Lower Nubia and Southern Canaan) and the accompanying social, political and chronological implications.

The anthropoid wooden coffin with plinth (L. 183.5 cm), datable to the mid-4th century B.C. (30th... more The anthropoid wooden coffin with plinth (L. 183.5 cm), datable to the mid-4th century B.C. (30th Dynasty), names Nefer-renepet, a dancer of Min from Akhmim. This object represents one of the artistically and technically superior coffins produced by Late Period Egyptian coffin workshops. It was formerly part of the Amherst collection, and was purchased by Ernest Brummer at a Sotheby, Wilkinson & Hodge auction in London in 1921, then donated the same year to the National Museum in Belgrade. The interior of the lid is distinguished by a remarkable ‘gliding Nut motif with upward streaming hair’ (an extremely important iconographic element) while the interior of the trough is dominated by a line drawing of Imentet wearing a diagonally-veined maat-feather on her head. The interior decoration includes inscriptions written on the side facets. Written hastily in whitish-yellow line on a rough ground of thick black pigment (in contrast to the fine outer decoration of the coffin) these barely legible Stundenwachen texts, are nonetheless significant, and are to be identified as abbreviated texts derived from the Book of Day and Book of Night. They are a manifestation of Late Period magical symbolism stemming from New Kingdom funerary compositions. Their presence on the coffin, however hurried, was intended to ease Nefer-renepet’s passage through the netherworld. Since 1992 the coffin of Nefer-renepet is kept in the Archaeological Collection of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade.

A Delta-man in Yebu, Jan 1, 2003

“The Djed-Ptah-iw-ef-ʿankh shabti figurine from the National Museum of Belgrade.” Published in _A... more “The Djed-Ptah-iw-ef-ʿankh shabti figurine from the National Museum of Belgrade.” Published in _A Delta-man in Yebu_, edited by Aayko K. Eyma and Christopher J. Bennett. Occasional Volume of the Egyptologists’ Electronic Forum 1. [Parkland]: Universal Publishers. (2003). 76–80. Available from http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=158112564X.

The ancient Egyptian collection of the National Museum in Belgrade contains, in addition to the Belgrade mummy (Anđelković 1997) and coffin of Nefer-renepet (Panić-Štorh 1997), a number of bronze statuettes, various amulets, scarabs, and shabti figurines, one of which is of particular interest.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology 18/4, 2023

Considering a mummy merely as an objectified human ‘artifact’ is a common misconception that stan... more Considering a mummy merely as an objectified human ‘artifact’ is a common misconception that stands in sharp contrast to the proper perception of the mummy as the culturally modified preserved body of a deceased person, an individual, a real human being who was once alive. The National Museum of Serbia holds the mummified remains of a stolist-priest Nesmin (‘The-one-who-belongs-to-Min’), resident in Akhmim around mid-fourth century B.C. Continuous research efforts have resulted in a reconceptualization of the display and presentation of this embalmed ancient Egyptian person, encompassing both scientific and humanizing elements. A number of the Belgrade Nesmin’s disarticulated bones as well as detached fragments of linen bandages covered with a resinous coating are discussed. Some new family members have been added to his genealogy. The name Nesmin was frequent in Akhmim, hence there are several other mummified Nesmin(s) of Akhmim kept in various world museums.

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology n. s. 16/3: 761–794, 2021

The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan of stolist-priest of Akhmim... more The present paper provides the first complete analysis of the CT scan of stolist-priest of Akhmim, Nesmin son of Djedhor (son of Wennefer, son of Djedhor), born to Chay-Hathor-Imw. At the time of death (350‒325 B.C.) Belgrade Nesmin (also known as the Belgrade Mummy) was between 35 and 40 years old. A proper bioanthropological study is presented. The mummification features are discussed. The distribution of funerary amulets on the mummy has been established. A densely rolled papyrus scroll (Book of the Dead, ca. 9 m long), located between the body and the outer bandages near the left upper arm, is confirmed. The mummy’s cultural biography is specified. A museum superstition phenomenon is noted.

A History of Research into Ancient Egyptian Culture Conducted in Southeast Europe, Archaeopress Egyptology 8, 2015

The main corpus of the Ancient Egyptian objects present in Serbia was purchased in Egypt during t... more The main corpus of the Ancient Egyptian objects present in Serbia was purchased in Egypt during the second half of the 19th century and donated to the particular museums. Ancient Egyptian collections are today present in four different museums: two in Belgrade and one in Vršac and Sombor respectively. The chronological span of the objects ranges from the Old Kingdom to the Roman Period. The mummy of Nesmin from Akhmim, also known as the ‘Belgrade mummy’ is the principal Egyptian item in Serbia. The only Egyptian object found in situ in Serbia is a scarab from a local Iron Age ruler’s grave mound. The factors that might affect the interest in Egyptian antiquities and their distribution in the Balkans are considered.