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Papers by Max Johann Beiersdorf

Gebauter Raum: Architektur – Landschaft – Mensch

During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs througho... more During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs throughout the country that is unprecedented in size and form. In past research, the form of these wave-shaped walls has been interpreted both technically and symbolically. However, a homogeneous concept in the evaluation of this novel construction technique is still absent.

The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud bric... more The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud brick walls of different date, measuring about 1100 m east-west and 900 m north-south. Approximately 100 m of this outer enclosure wall are rather well preserved to a height of 3 m. The architectural survey finished the documentation of 60 m and pursued a section on top of the outer enclosure wall to investigate the junction of two segments. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the structural analysis of the walls allows to assume, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits.

Engineering History and Heritage Structures -Viewpoints and Approaches, 2017

e-Forschungsberichte, 2016

The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud bric... more The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud brick walls of different date, measuring about 1100 m east-west and 900 m north-south. Approximately 100 m of this outer enclosure wall are rather well preserved to a height of 3 m. The architectural survey finished the documentation of 60 m and pursued a section on top of the outer enclosure wall to investigate the junction of two segments. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the structural analysis of the walls allows to assume, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits.

Groß Bauen: Großbaustellen als kulturgeschichtliches Phänomen, 2018

Gebauter Raum: Architektur - Landschaft - Mensch. Beiträge des fünften Münchner Arbeitskreieses Junge Ägyptologie (MAJA 5), 2016

During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs througho... more During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs throughout the country that is unprecedented in size and form. In past research, the form of these wave-shaped walls has been interpreted both technically and symbolically. However, a homogeneous concept in the evaluation of this novel construction technique is still absent.

Egyptian Archaeology: the Bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society, 2015

Aiman Ashmawy, Max Beiersdorf and Dietrich Raue report on the spring season at Heliopolis, focusi... more Aiman Ashmawy, Max Beiersdorf and Dietrich Raue report on the spring season at Heliopolis, focusing on the enclosure walls of what was, in pharaonic times, one of the largest temple precincts in existence.

Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Construction History, Chicago, June 3-7, 2015

The undulating mud brick walls from the 7 th –4 th Century BC are among the largest buildings in ... more The undulating mud brick walls from the 7 th –4 th Century BC are among the largest buildings in the ancient Egyptian culture, apart from the famous pyramids of the Old Kingdom. While the monumental temples of this period have continuously been the subjects of research, the exterior walls built with mud bricks have only rarely been the focus of scientific studies. In terms of an architectural semantics, Egyptologists' research has so far mainly focussed on the ancient perception of the buildings and in doing so has assumed the existence of a link between the characteristic appearance of the walls and the ancient Egyptian mythology. Aspects in terms of historical building research as well as the structural analysis were, in contrast, much less examined and mostly only studied on the basis of isolated findings. As part of the project, numerous undulating walls were studied and documented during several fieldwork campaigns in cooperation with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) since 2011. In the course of this work, the enclosure walls of Heliopolis and Elephantine could be examined in greater detail. This provided insights into the relationship between design and technological advantages. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the sequence of construction could be accelerated by raising the concave panels first. The structural analysis of the walls allows the assumption, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits. The paper presents the archaeological fieldwork and illuminates the architecture and construction history of the individual buildings in more detail. Based on observations made from the enclosure wall of the temple of Atum-Re at Heliopolis, which was the largest temple complex in Ancient Egypt, the paper focuses on the organisation of construction work.

Bericht über die 48. Tagung für Ausgrabungswissenschaft und Bauforschung,vom 28. Mai bis 01. Juni 2014 in Erfurt, 2015

Martin BachMann, istanBul ulriKe wulf-rheidt, Berlin hansGeorG BanKel, München andreas schwartinG... more Martin BachMann, istanBul ulriKe wulf-rheidt, Berlin hansGeorG BanKel, München andreas schwartinG, Konstanz S o N D e r D ru C k Bericht üBer die 48. taGunG für ausGraBunGswissenschaft und BauforschunG VoM 28. Mai Bis 1. Juni 2014 in erfurt Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.ddb.de> abrufbar.

Talks by Max Johann Beiersdorf

The undulating mud brick walls of Ancient Egypt date from times between the fourth century BC and... more The undulating mud brick walls of Ancient Egypt date from times between the fourth century BC and the years of Roman rule. They were built to protect the country's most important temples, and their constructional features and enormous dimensions make them an exception among ancient mud brick wall constructions. They differ from conventional mud brick walls in that they have sections with concave and convex brick courses (fig. 1) and do not employ any mortar within the walls, except the outer facade.

In der pharaonischen Spätzeit Ägyptens wurden nahezu alle bedeutenden Tempel des Landes mit neuen... more In der pharaonischen Spätzeit Ägyptens wurden nahezu alle bedeutenden
Tempel des Landes mit neuen Umfassungsmauern in undulierender
Bauweise ausgestattet. Im Gegensatz zur vorherrschenden Lehrmeinung,
diese Mauern seien als Abbild des Urozeans zu verstehen, bot diese
Bauweise in erster Linie statische und bauprozessorische Vorteile. Die
Monumentalisierung und bautechnische Optimierung der
Umfassungsmauern der Spätzeit ist dabei möglicherweise als Antwort
auf die politischen Wirren dieser Periode zu verstehen.

In der Spätzeit des Alten Ägypten, der Zeit der letzten einheimischen Pharaonen vom 7. bis 4. Jah... more In der Spätzeit des Alten Ägypten, der Zeit der letzten einheimischen Pharaonen vom 7. bis 4. Jahrhun-dert v. Chr., kommt es in vielerlei Hinsicht zu einem erneuten Erblühen der altägyptischen Kultur: neue Tempel entstehen, Wirtschaft und Handel prosperieren, die Zahl der Bevölkerung wächst. Doch dieser kulturelle Aufschwung ist einer permanenten Gefahr durch die Perser und anderer Völker ausgesetzt. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden in einem großangelegten Bauprogramm viele Tempel Ägyptens mit Umfassungsmauern enormen Ausmaßes geschützt – manche sind bis zu 18 Meter dick und über 20 Meter hoch. Die Umsetzung dieses ehrgeizigen Bauvorhabens bedurfte einer innovativen Lösung, die eine Beschleunigung des Bauprozesses ermöglichte. Die Einteilung der Mauern in einzelne Abschnitte und die Ausführung in undulierender Bauweise erlaubten es, die Errichtungszeit, des immensen Bauvo-lumens zum Trotz, zu minimieren und gleichzeitig die Stabilität der Umfassungsmauern nachhaltig zu stärken.
Der Vortrag beleuchtet zunächst die kulturgeschichtlichen Hintergründe dieser Großbauprojekte und stellt einige ausgewählte Beispiele dieses Bautyps vor. Im Anschluss soll der mögliche Prozess der Er-richtung der undulierenden Umfassungsmauern – von der Herstellung der Lehmsteine, über Transport und anschließendem Verbau – auf Grundlage eines interdisziplinären Untersuchungsansatzes vorgestellt werden.

Gebauter Raum: Architektur – Landschaft – Mensch

During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs througho... more During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs throughout the country that is unprecedented in size and form. In past research, the form of these wave-shaped walls has been interpreted both technically and symbolically. However, a homogeneous concept in the evaluation of this novel construction technique is still absent.

The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud bric... more The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud brick walls of different date, measuring about 1100 m east-west and 900 m north-south. Approximately 100 m of this outer enclosure wall are rather well preserved to a height of 3 m. The architectural survey finished the documentation of 60 m and pursued a section on top of the outer enclosure wall to investigate the junction of two segments. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the structural analysis of the walls allows to assume, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits.

Engineering History and Heritage Structures -Viewpoints and Approaches, 2017

e-Forschungsberichte, 2016

The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud bric... more The area of the Temple of Heliopolis in Matariya was enclosed by two parallel courses of mud brick walls of different date, measuring about 1100 m east-west and 900 m north-south. Approximately 100 m of this outer enclosure wall are rather well preserved to a height of 3 m. The architectural survey finished the documentation of 60 m and pursued a section on top of the outer enclosure wall to investigate the junction of two segments. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the structural analysis of the walls allows to assume, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits.

Groß Bauen: Großbaustellen als kulturgeschichtliches Phänomen, 2018

Gebauter Raum: Architektur - Landschaft - Mensch. Beiträge des fünften Münchner Arbeitskreieses Junge Ägyptologie (MAJA 5), 2016

During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs througho... more During the Late Period in Egypt (664–332 BC), a new type of temple enclosure wall occurs throughout the country that is unprecedented in size and form. In past research, the form of these wave-shaped walls has been interpreted both technically and symbolically. However, a homogeneous concept in the evaluation of this novel construction technique is still absent.

Egyptian Archaeology: the Bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society, 2015

Aiman Ashmawy, Max Beiersdorf and Dietrich Raue report on the spring season at Heliopolis, focusi... more Aiman Ashmawy, Max Beiersdorf and Dietrich Raue report on the spring season at Heliopolis, focusing on the enclosure walls of what was, in pharaonic times, one of the largest temple precincts in existence.

Proceedings of the 5th International Congress on Construction History, Chicago, June 3-7, 2015

The undulating mud brick walls from the 7 th –4 th Century BC are among the largest buildings in ... more The undulating mud brick walls from the 7 th –4 th Century BC are among the largest buildings in the ancient Egyptian culture, apart from the famous pyramids of the Old Kingdom. While the monumental temples of this period have continuously been the subjects of research, the exterior walls built with mud bricks have only rarely been the focus of scientific studies. In terms of an architectural semantics, Egyptologists' research has so far mainly focussed on the ancient perception of the buildings and in doing so has assumed the existence of a link between the characteristic appearance of the walls and the ancient Egyptian mythology. Aspects in terms of historical building research as well as the structural analysis were, in contrast, much less examined and mostly only studied on the basis of isolated findings. As part of the project, numerous undulating walls were studied and documented during several fieldwork campaigns in cooperation with the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) since 2011. In the course of this work, the enclosure walls of Heliopolis and Elephantine could be examined in greater detail. This provided insights into the relationship between design and technological advantages. Built in alternate panels of concave and convex courses of mud brick, the sequence of construction could be accelerated by raising the concave panels first. The structural analysis of the walls allows the assumption, that the stability could be increased in conditions of permanent weight. Based on these observations it can be concluded that this construction technique brought essential structural benefits. The paper presents the archaeological fieldwork and illuminates the architecture and construction history of the individual buildings in more detail. Based on observations made from the enclosure wall of the temple of Atum-Re at Heliopolis, which was the largest temple complex in Ancient Egypt, the paper focuses on the organisation of construction work.

Bericht über die 48. Tagung für Ausgrabungswissenschaft und Bauforschung,vom 28. Mai bis 01. Juni 2014 in Erfurt, 2015

Martin BachMann, istanBul ulriKe wulf-rheidt, Berlin hansGeorG BanKel, München andreas schwartinG... more Martin BachMann, istanBul ulriKe wulf-rheidt, Berlin hansGeorG BanKel, München andreas schwartinG, Konstanz S o N D e r D ru C k Bericht üBer die 48. taGunG für ausGraBunGswissenschaft und BauforschunG VoM 28. Mai Bis 1. Juni 2014 in erfurt Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.ddb.de> abrufbar.

The undulating mud brick walls of Ancient Egypt date from times between the fourth century BC and... more The undulating mud brick walls of Ancient Egypt date from times between the fourth century BC and the years of Roman rule. They were built to protect the country's most important temples, and their constructional features and enormous dimensions make them an exception among ancient mud brick wall constructions. They differ from conventional mud brick walls in that they have sections with concave and convex brick courses (fig. 1) and do not employ any mortar within the walls, except the outer facade.

In der pharaonischen Spätzeit Ägyptens wurden nahezu alle bedeutenden Tempel des Landes mit neuen... more In der pharaonischen Spätzeit Ägyptens wurden nahezu alle bedeutenden
Tempel des Landes mit neuen Umfassungsmauern in undulierender
Bauweise ausgestattet. Im Gegensatz zur vorherrschenden Lehrmeinung,
diese Mauern seien als Abbild des Urozeans zu verstehen, bot diese
Bauweise in erster Linie statische und bauprozessorische Vorteile. Die
Monumentalisierung und bautechnische Optimierung der
Umfassungsmauern der Spätzeit ist dabei möglicherweise als Antwort
auf die politischen Wirren dieser Periode zu verstehen.

In der Spätzeit des Alten Ägypten, der Zeit der letzten einheimischen Pharaonen vom 7. bis 4. Jah... more In der Spätzeit des Alten Ägypten, der Zeit der letzten einheimischen Pharaonen vom 7. bis 4. Jahrhun-dert v. Chr., kommt es in vielerlei Hinsicht zu einem erneuten Erblühen der altägyptischen Kultur: neue Tempel entstehen, Wirtschaft und Handel prosperieren, die Zahl der Bevölkerung wächst. Doch dieser kulturelle Aufschwung ist einer permanenten Gefahr durch die Perser und anderer Völker ausgesetzt. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden in einem großangelegten Bauprogramm viele Tempel Ägyptens mit Umfassungsmauern enormen Ausmaßes geschützt – manche sind bis zu 18 Meter dick und über 20 Meter hoch. Die Umsetzung dieses ehrgeizigen Bauvorhabens bedurfte einer innovativen Lösung, die eine Beschleunigung des Bauprozesses ermöglichte. Die Einteilung der Mauern in einzelne Abschnitte und die Ausführung in undulierender Bauweise erlaubten es, die Errichtungszeit, des immensen Bauvo-lumens zum Trotz, zu minimieren und gleichzeitig die Stabilität der Umfassungsmauern nachhaltig zu stärken.
Der Vortrag beleuchtet zunächst die kulturgeschichtlichen Hintergründe dieser Großbauprojekte und stellt einige ausgewählte Beispiele dieses Bautyps vor. Im Anschluss soll der mögliche Prozess der Er-richtung der undulierenden Umfassungsmauern – von der Herstellung der Lehmsteine, über Transport und anschließendem Verbau – auf Grundlage eines interdisziplinären Untersuchungsansatzes vorgestellt werden.

XIII. Antique Archaeology Doctoral Workshop, 2019

The doctoral workshop is organized as part of the scientific collaboration between the German Arc... more The doctoral workshop is organized as part of the scientific collaboration between the German Archaeological Institute and the École des hautes études hispaniques et ibériques (Casa de Velázquez) in Madrid, and has become a. This year marks the thirteenth edition of the workshop, which has become a tradition of international renown. The workshop offers young investigators a forum for open, critical and constructive dialog and discussion. The theme of this session focuses on an action as well as on an object: “Raising a Wall”. It will tackle its material reality (architectural and archaeological), but also its political and even symbolical dimension.

This year’s topic has evident present references, in particular the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This workshop aims at analyzing the technical, political and social aspects related to the construction of a wall, in a diachronic, interdisciplinary and international dialogue. Territorial walls, city walls, neighbourhood walls, as well as symbolic and natural "walls" or demarcations will be discussed.

In order to introduce the different case studies into the transversal discussion, the objectives, implementation and consequences of the construction of the wall will be evoked through lectures given by the supervisors and presentations by the PhD students.

The presentation of this workshop is intentionally wide in order to encourage an interdisciplinary and diachronic dialogue. Its geographical framework includes the West of the ancient world, and the chronological interval extends from the 2nd millennium BC to the Islamic Middle Ages.

The purpose of this workshop is to foster a scientific and methodological reflection. It is especially dedicated to doctoral students in ancient history, archaeology and architecture, from universities and research centers in Europe and Maghreb. In addition, through a multidisciplinary approach, it intends to create an area for exchanges, experiences and analysis of the investigation practices in many different geographical contexts.

Each participant will have the opportunity to become actively involved in an enriching dialogue by presenting aspects of his/her doctoral thesis (in accordance with the theme of the workshop), involving in group activities, and participating to the collective discussion, together with experts of international renown.

The workshop will take place alternately at the Deutsches Archaologisches Institut, and at Casa de Velázquez. A ceremony celebrating the anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall will be held by the German Embassy in Spain, and will be followed by F. Fless conference.