Past as Prologue — Connecting the Old Kingdom to the New: Meanings in Architecture (original) (raw)
Related papers
The Amduat and its Relationship to the Architecture of Early New Kingdom Royal Burial Chambers
Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2008
The Amduat, a new genre of funerary literature chosen by the Thutmoside kings to decorate their tombs, describes the journey through the twelve hours of the night by the sun god Ra, arising reborn at sunrise. Few studies have examined the ways in which the texts and pictures of this composition work together with the architecture of the tombs to create a synthetic whole. Following Roehrig’s suggestion that the layout of the tomb of Thutmose III (KV 34) reflects concepts from the Amduat itself, this paper delves more deeply into the decorative and architectural relationships of the burial chamber of KV 34 and also examines the other two pre-Amarna tombs with complete versions of the Amduat (KV 35 and KV 22) to see the ways in which succeeding kings utilized this Netherworld text. The investigation revealed that KV 34 represents a true synthesis of decoration and architecture, transforming the burial chamber into a working microcosm of the Netherworld and emphasizing the identification of the king with the unified Ra-Osiris in order to ensure his potential for rebirth. In addition, it was discovered that the Litany of Ra’s textual and pictorial decoration works together with the most critical section of the Amduat to reinforce this important identification. Succeeding kings elaborated and expanded the architecture and decoration of their tombs in order to describe ever more fully the afterlife in both its solar and Osirian aspects, striving to guarantee their protection, regeneration, and ascent to the sky for eternity.
From pitgraves to mortuary temples complexes
Trace the evolution of funerary architecture from the Predynastic pit-grave, through the development of the mastaba tomb, up to (and including) the development of Djoser's Step Pyramid. I hereby declare that the materials contained in this essay are entirely the product of my own work, that sources used are fully documented and that the whole has not previously been submitted for any other purpose.
PAPERS ON ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE LEIDEN MUSEUM OF ANTIQUITIES , 2022
Acting with images and images that act Egyptian non-royal tombs were created, used, and visited by diverse audiences on different occasions, during the construction and the burial, for reasons of funerary cult, and at events in the necropolis such as religious festivals and processions. 1 The patron, the artists, architects, and craftsmen, members of the tomb owner's family, his peers and subordinates, priests, relatives, or even passers-by and participants in feasts were able to enter the tomb chapels and see the decoration. As such, the iconographic programme of the tombs reflects the values and concerns of members of the elite, and we can assume that there was a desire to individualise the images. After all, tombs were meant to establish a funerary cult related to the identity of their elite owners, 2 who most probably wished to be distinguished from their peers by the uniqueness of their monument. 3 It seems obvious that for the owners, the construction and decoration of a tomb was an important event during their lifetime, since the cult chapels in particular were prestigious locations where knowledge about social rank was imparted and commemorated. It was also most probably in the interest of the tomb owner to attract visitors and family members to the tomb with the decoration of the chapel, and thereby ensure an ongoing offering cult. It was only through continued visits by the living that the monument's cult could be maintained, and so in this context the inventiveness of artists responsible for decorating the chapel was of importance. 4 Tomb owners likely wished to "make good dwelling in the graveyard, make worthy the station in the West", as expressed in an Egyptian literary text known today as the Instruction of Hordjedef, 5 among others. Thus there was the desire to build a monument, which satisfied all the cultic needs for the afterlife, served as self-representation of the tomb owner, and performed memorial functions for the deceased. The iconographic programme of the tomb 1
Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur (SAK), 2022
The current paper discusses the nature of the adaptation of historic architectural models from the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, demonstrating how they communicated religious, ideological, and structural concepts that were adapted within the design and function of Ahmose’s funerary architecture at the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty. In the context of the royal mortuary complex, the Ahmose complex is fundamental to understanding the shift from the royal pyramid to the unmarked subterranean tomb. Therefore, we will also examine how fundamental features of that site form a direct precedent for activities later undertaken by his Thutmoside successors at the Valley of the Kings.
Journey to the West The world of the Old Kingdom tombs in Ancient Egypt. Prague 2012
This book is intended as a commented summary of some of the major trends and most important features that can be encountered when analysing ancient Egyptian society of the Old Kingdom. We have to bear in mind that around 3000 BCE one of the first centralised states in our recorded history rose, and the Old Kingdom represents certainly one of its apogees. Moreover, there is hardly any comparable society that left behind such a wealth of archaeological and literary evidence, a welcome companion for our journey back in time. The goal for writing this book was to outline general trends in the history of the non-royal tomb development of the period. The reason is rather simple and straightforward: ancient Egyptians considered the tomb to be their afterlife residence for eternity. In the afterlife they replicated the life they experienced during the lifetime. Thus the tomb architecture, decoration, inscriptions and equipment paradoxically represent a major tool for our understanding of the everyday life of the ancient Egyptians and enable a better comprehension of the development and dynamics of the Old Kingdom. The book is divided into nine chapters covering, step by step, the development of the Egyptian tomb and society from the Predynastic Period to the end of the first six Egyptian dynasties, a lengthy period of time which covers the Early Dynastic and the Old Kingdom periods. These six chapters are accompanied by three additional chapters on religious aspects of the Old Kingdom society, its economy and environment.