Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly us... more Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt. Excavations at the site from 2003–2011 have uncovered ceremonial structures located along a cliff above the shoreline, and eight man-made caves/galleries, which were mainly used for storage. No permanent architecture has been found at the site, suggesting that it was only used as a temporary harbor before and after voyages. Most supplies for the expeditions, including pottery, seeds of emmer wheat and barley, timber and papyrus ropes for the ships, were carried from the Nile Valley across the eastern desert by means of donkey caravans. Foreign ceramics found at the site from the Gash lowlands, Eritrea, and Yemen suggest that Punt was located in the southern Red Sea region.
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in multinational, archaeological research into... more In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in multinational, archaeological research into the origins of civilization in the Nile Valley north of Aswan. This has resulted in a more precise definition of the cultural differences between Upper and Lower Egypt in Predynastic times and of the manner in which northern Egypt came to be dominated economically and culturally by southern Egypt in the century or more preceding the beginning of the First Dynasty. In From Farmers to Pharaohs, Kathryn Bard advances this understanding with a reanalysis of material recovered from Upper Egyptian Predynastic cemeteries at Nagada by W. M. F. Petrie in 1894-1895 and at Armant by O. H. Myers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In Chapter 1 Bard briefly surveys the full range of current theories concerning state formation in Egypt and then provides a detailed and critical review of archaeological work that has been accomplished throughout Egypt relating to the Predynastic period. This includes Bard's own surveys and excavations in the Hu region of southern Egypt between 1989 and 1991. Bard stresses the unique characteristics of ancient Egyptian civilization, especially its symbolic association of major institutions of social control with a mortuary cult that had its origins in the Nagada culture of Upper Egypt. This suggests that the emphasis in the prehistoric archaeological record of Upper Egypt on cemeteries rather than on large urban centers, palaces, and temples is culturally significant rather than an accident relating to the preservation or recovery of the archaeological evidence. Bard's approach accords with Michael Mann's (1986) powerful theoretical formulation concerning multiple sources of power in complex societies. Bard then surveys the general archaeological literature relating to the interpretation of mortuary evidence. For the past 25 years the analysis of burials has been to archaeology what the study of kinship once was to social anthropology: a cutting edge of critical debate and measure of intellectual progress. Bard traces how interpretations of material evidence relating to funerary behavior have been systematically theorized; how alternative theories have been elaborated, tested, and modified; and how progress has been made in building an integrated theoretical framework. Bard pays attention to explanations that seek to account for both cross-cultural regularities and the culturally-specific aspects of mortuary behavior. One of the few major studies she does not consider is Aubrey Cannon's (1989) examination of cyclical fashions and the impact of status emulation on funerary practices. She establishes the persistent tendency, beginning in Predynastic southern Egypt, for funerary customs to reflect social status through the elaboration of graves and grave contents. The theoretical literature suggests that the longterm persistence of this practice may be a culturally-specific eature of ancient Egyptian society. A third chapter, dealing with the chronology of the Upper Egyptian Predynastic period, is followed by the application of divisive cluster analysis (specifically the BMDP K-means clustering technique) to detect socially significant cultural patterning in Predynastic cemeteries at Armant and Nagada. At Armant a well-documented cemetery containing about 200 graves exhibits increasing mean sizes of graves and quantities of grave goods from the Nagada I to IIIa periods (3800-3050/2950 B.c.). Cluster analysis reveals a continuation of small numbers of relatively richer and large numbers of relatively poorer burial types into the Nagada IIIa period, when the poorer graves tend to disappear. The geographical division of the Armant cemetery into east and west sections also suggests some kind of moiety or descent group division within the A mant community. The absence of evidence for complex social hierarchies and for a clearly differentiated elite is in keeping with the interpretation of Armant as a small farming community. Nagada, which was one of the major centers of Predynastic Upper Egypt, is associated with a series of cemeteries containing about 3000 graves, half of which had their contents recorded. These cemeteries contained some
Cemetery 1400–1500 at Armant, excavated by Mond and Myers in the 1930s, is the best-recorded Pred... more Cemetery 1400–1500 at Armant, excavated by Mond and Myers in the 1930s, is the best-recorded Predynastic cemetery in Egypt. With burials dating to Nagada I, II, and III, the cemetery provides data for a crucial period of social evolution in Egypt. Quantitative methods of analysis show that both mean grave size and mean number of grave goods increase through time. Although clusters of graves show differentiation into two basic hierarchies of grave types, there is a lack of overall complexity in the Armant burials, probably indicative of a society which was not very stratified.
... Much more frequent, however, are palettes of limestone in different sizes and shapes, probabl... more ... Much more frequent, however, are palettes of limestone in different sizes and shapes, probably made locally (Rizkana and Seeher 1984: 244 ... 3rd millennia BC and late Roman times (Chlodnicki, Fattovich, and Salvatori 1991: 6). Excavations at Tell el-Farkha have demonstrated ...
Considered one of the world's earliest examples of a pristine state, the ancient Egyptian state a... more Considered one of the world's earliest examples of a pristine state, the ancient Egyptian state arose by ca. 3000 BC. State formation in Egypt became a focus of much research in the 1970s and 1980s, as investigations of the Predynastic period in Egypt, when complex society arose there, began to uncover new evidence of the indigenous roots of this phenomenon. More recently, archaeological investigations in the Delta as well as continued work in southern Egypt have provided new evidence for the changes that took place in the fourth millennium BC. But the specific events and processes involved in this major sociopolitical and economic transformation and the resultant state still remain incompletely understood. To better understand the problem in Egypt, this study looks at the contrasting polities in fourth millennium BC Egypt and Nubia from the perspective of the political economy and the strategies to power proposed by the dual-processual theory, which also helps elucidate processes of state formation and the type of early state that developed there. The territorial expansionist model helps explain where and when this state first emerged.
Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly us... more Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt. Excavations at the site from 2003–2011 have uncovered ceremonial structures located along a cliff above the shoreline, and eight man-made caves/galleries, which were mainly used for storage. No permanent architecture has been found at the site, suggesting that it was only used as a temporary harbor before and after voyages. Most supplies for the expeditions, including pottery, seeds of emmer wheat and barley, timber and papyrus ropes for the ships, were carried from the Nile Valley across the eastern desert by means of donkey caravans. Foreign ceramics found at the site from the Gash lowlands, Eritrea, and Yemen suggest that Punt was located in the southern Red Sea region.
... terrazze agricole, alte ciascuna circa 2.50 m. Secondo un'interpretazione locale... more ... terrazze agricole, alte ciascuna circa 2.50 m. Secondo un'interpretazione locale, il nome del ... Le stele comprendono sia monoliti rozzi e grossolanamente ap-puntiti, sia monoliti lavorati in ... L'estremita settentrionale del sito sembra essere indicata da un monolite rozzo, alto 2.60 ...
... These entries discuss: a important sites b thematics on aspects of society or culture carchae... more ... These entries discuss: a important sites b thematics on aspects of society or culture carchaeological practices d biographies of famous ... Suggestions for contributors were also provided by Christian and Heike Guksch. ... Alexandra O'Brien (Germanl and Rodolfo Fattovich (Italianl. ...
This student-friendly introduction to the archaeology of ancient Egypt guides readers from the Pa... more This student-friendly introduction to the archaeology of ancient Egypt guides readers from the Paleolithic to the Greco-Roman periods, and has now been updated to include recent discoveries and new illustrations.
La Missione Archeologica Italiana in Etiopia (Aksum) dell'Istituto Universitario Orientate di... more La Missione Archeologica Italiana in Etiopia (Aksum) dell'Istituto Universitario Orientate di Napoli, in collaborazione con I'Universita di Boston (USA), diretta da Rodolfo Fattovich (IUO) e Kathryn A. Bard (BU), ha condotto nei mesi di maggio e giugno 2000 la settima campagna di scavi sulla collina di Bieta Giyorgis a nordovest di Aksum nel Hgrai (Etiopia settentrionale), dopo l'interruzione forzata di un anno in seguito alio scoppio del conflitto sul confine etiopico-eritreo. Come negli anni precedenti, le ricerche si sono svolte nel quadro della convenzione tra IUO e BU per lo svolgimento di indagini congiunte nell'ambito degli Studi Etiopici in corso dal 1993. Alia campagna del 2000 hanno anche collaborate la Simon Fraser University (Canada) e la Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Lazio del Ministero per i Beni e le Attivitk Culturali (Roma). La campagna si b svolta con contributi del Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Roma, e della National Geographic Society, Washington DC. 1
La campagne de fouilles menee sur le Biet Giyorghis en 1996, par la Boston University (BU) et l&#... more La campagne de fouilles menee sur le Biet Giyorghis en 1996, par la Boston University (BU) et l'Istituto Universitario Orientale de Naples (IUO) etait consacree a l'etude du site d'Ona Nagast, pres d'Axoum, identifie lors d'une prospection realisee en 1974, comme un grand ensemble d'habitat. Les investigations ont revele des structures de pierre, du materiel ceramique, metallique, lithique, etc. et des ossements fauniques des periodes axoumite ancienne, moyenne et recente
Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly us... more Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt. Excavations at the site from 2003–2011 have uncovered ceremonial structures located along a cliff above the shoreline, and eight man-made caves/galleries, which were mainly used for storage. No permanent architecture has been found at the site, suggesting that it was only used as a temporary harbor before and after voyages. Most supplies for the expeditions, including pottery, seeds of emmer wheat and barley, timber and papyrus ropes for the ships, were carried from the Nile Valley across the eastern desert by means of donkey caravans. Foreign ceramics found at the site from the Gash lowlands, Eritrea, and Yemen suggest that Punt was located in the southern Red Sea region.
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in multinational, archaeological research into... more In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in multinational, archaeological research into the origins of civilization in the Nile Valley north of Aswan. This has resulted in a more precise definition of the cultural differences between Upper and Lower Egypt in Predynastic times and of the manner in which northern Egypt came to be dominated economically and culturally by southern Egypt in the century or more preceding the beginning of the First Dynasty. In From Farmers to Pharaohs, Kathryn Bard advances this understanding with a reanalysis of material recovered from Upper Egyptian Predynastic cemeteries at Nagada by W. M. F. Petrie in 1894-1895 and at Armant by O. H. Myers in the late 1920s and early 1930s. In Chapter 1 Bard briefly surveys the full range of current theories concerning state formation in Egypt and then provides a detailed and critical review of archaeological work that has been accomplished throughout Egypt relating to the Predynastic period. This includes Bard's own surveys and excavations in the Hu region of southern Egypt between 1989 and 1991. Bard stresses the unique characteristics of ancient Egyptian civilization, especially its symbolic association of major institutions of social control with a mortuary cult that had its origins in the Nagada culture of Upper Egypt. This suggests that the emphasis in the prehistoric archaeological record of Upper Egypt on cemeteries rather than on large urban centers, palaces, and temples is culturally significant rather than an accident relating to the preservation or recovery of the archaeological evidence. Bard's approach accords with Michael Mann's (1986) powerful theoretical formulation concerning multiple sources of power in complex societies. Bard then surveys the general archaeological literature relating to the interpretation of mortuary evidence. For the past 25 years the analysis of burials has been to archaeology what the study of kinship once was to social anthropology: a cutting edge of critical debate and measure of intellectual progress. Bard traces how interpretations of material evidence relating to funerary behavior have been systematically theorized; how alternative theories have been elaborated, tested, and modified; and how progress has been made in building an integrated theoretical framework. Bard pays attention to explanations that seek to account for both cross-cultural regularities and the culturally-specific aspects of mortuary behavior. One of the few major studies she does not consider is Aubrey Cannon's (1989) examination of cyclical fashions and the impact of status emulation on funerary practices. She establishes the persistent tendency, beginning in Predynastic southern Egypt, for funerary customs to reflect social status through the elaboration of graves and grave contents. The theoretical literature suggests that the longterm persistence of this practice may be a culturally-specific eature of ancient Egyptian society. A third chapter, dealing with the chronology of the Upper Egyptian Predynastic period, is followed by the application of divisive cluster analysis (specifically the BMDP K-means clustering technique) to detect socially significant cultural patterning in Predynastic cemeteries at Armant and Nagada. At Armant a well-documented cemetery containing about 200 graves exhibits increasing mean sizes of graves and quantities of grave goods from the Nagada I to IIIa periods (3800-3050/2950 B.c.). Cluster analysis reveals a continuation of small numbers of relatively richer and large numbers of relatively poorer burial types into the Nagada IIIa period, when the poorer graves tend to disappear. The geographical division of the Armant cemetery into east and west sections also suggests some kind of moiety or descent group division within the A mant community. The absence of evidence for complex social hierarchies and for a clearly differentiated elite is in keeping with the interpretation of Armant as a small farming community. Nagada, which was one of the major centers of Predynastic Upper Egypt, is associated with a series of cemeteries containing about 3000 graves, half of which had their contents recorded. These cemeteries contained some
Cemetery 1400–1500 at Armant, excavated by Mond and Myers in the 1930s, is the best-recorded Pred... more Cemetery 1400–1500 at Armant, excavated by Mond and Myers in the 1930s, is the best-recorded Predynastic cemetery in Egypt. With burials dating to Nagada I, II, and III, the cemetery provides data for a crucial period of social evolution in Egypt. Quantitative methods of analysis show that both mean grave size and mean number of grave goods increase through time. Although clusters of graves show differentiation into two basic hierarchies of grave types, there is a lack of overall complexity in the Armant burials, probably indicative of a society which was not very stratified.
... Much more frequent, however, are palettes of limestone in different sizes and shapes, probabl... more ... Much more frequent, however, are palettes of limestone in different sizes and shapes, probably made locally (Rizkana and Seeher 1984: 244 ... 3rd millennia BC and late Roman times (Chlodnicki, Fattovich, and Salvatori 1991: 6). Excavations at Tell el-Farkha have demonstrated ...
Considered one of the world's earliest examples of a pristine state, the ancient Egyptian state a... more Considered one of the world's earliest examples of a pristine state, the ancient Egyptian state arose by ca. 3000 BC. State formation in Egypt became a focus of much research in the 1970s and 1980s, as investigations of the Predynastic period in Egypt, when complex society arose there, began to uncover new evidence of the indigenous roots of this phenomenon. More recently, archaeological investigations in the Delta as well as continued work in southern Egypt have provided new evidence for the changes that took place in the fourth millennium BC. But the specific events and processes involved in this major sociopolitical and economic transformation and the resultant state still remain incompletely understood. To better understand the problem in Egypt, this study looks at the contrasting polities in fourth millennium BC Egypt and Nubia from the perspective of the political economy and the strategies to power proposed by the dual-processual theory, which also helps elucidate processes of state formation and the type of early state that developed there. The territorial expansionist model helps explain where and when this state first emerged.
Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly us... more Mersa/Wadi Gawasis was the site of an ancient Egyptian harbor on the Red Sea, which was mainly used during the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2055–1650 b.c.e.) for seafaring voyages to Punt and Bia-Punt. Excavations at the site from 2003–2011 have uncovered ceremonial structures located along a cliff above the shoreline, and eight man-made caves/galleries, which were mainly used for storage. No permanent architecture has been found at the site, suggesting that it was only used as a temporary harbor before and after voyages. Most supplies for the expeditions, including pottery, seeds of emmer wheat and barley, timber and papyrus ropes for the ships, were carried from the Nile Valley across the eastern desert by means of donkey caravans. Foreign ceramics found at the site from the Gash lowlands, Eritrea, and Yemen suggest that Punt was located in the southern Red Sea region.
... terrazze agricole, alte ciascuna circa 2.50 m. Secondo un'interpretazione locale... more ... terrazze agricole, alte ciascuna circa 2.50 m. Secondo un'interpretazione locale, il nome del ... Le stele comprendono sia monoliti rozzi e grossolanamente ap-puntiti, sia monoliti lavorati in ... L'estremita settentrionale del sito sembra essere indicata da un monolite rozzo, alto 2.60 ...
... These entries discuss: a important sites b thematics on aspects of society or culture carchae... more ... These entries discuss: a important sites b thematics on aspects of society or culture carchaeological practices d biographies of famous ... Suggestions for contributors were also provided by Christian and Heike Guksch. ... Alexandra O'Brien (Germanl and Rodolfo Fattovich (Italianl. ...
This student-friendly introduction to the archaeology of ancient Egypt guides readers from the Pa... more This student-friendly introduction to the archaeology of ancient Egypt guides readers from the Paleolithic to the Greco-Roman periods, and has now been updated to include recent discoveries and new illustrations.
La Missione Archeologica Italiana in Etiopia (Aksum) dell'Istituto Universitario Orientate di... more La Missione Archeologica Italiana in Etiopia (Aksum) dell'Istituto Universitario Orientate di Napoli, in collaborazione con I'Universita di Boston (USA), diretta da Rodolfo Fattovich (IUO) e Kathryn A. Bard (BU), ha condotto nei mesi di maggio e giugno 2000 la settima campagna di scavi sulla collina di Bieta Giyorgis a nordovest di Aksum nel Hgrai (Etiopia settentrionale), dopo l'interruzione forzata di un anno in seguito alio scoppio del conflitto sul confine etiopico-eritreo. Come negli anni precedenti, le ricerche si sono svolte nel quadro della convenzione tra IUO e BU per lo svolgimento di indagini congiunte nell'ambito degli Studi Etiopici in corso dal 1993. Alia campagna del 2000 hanno anche collaborate la Simon Fraser University (Canada) e la Soprintendenza Archeologica per il Lazio del Ministero per i Beni e le Attivitk Culturali (Roma). La campagna si b svolta con contributi del Ministero degli Affari Esteri, Roma, e della National Geographic Society, Washington DC. 1
La campagne de fouilles menee sur le Biet Giyorghis en 1996, par la Boston University (BU) et l&#... more La campagne de fouilles menee sur le Biet Giyorghis en 1996, par la Boston University (BU) et l'Istituto Universitario Orientale de Naples (IUO) etait consacree a l'etude du site d'Ona Nagast, pres d'Axoum, identifie lors d'une prospection realisee en 1974, comme un grand ensemble d'habitat. Les investigations ont revele des structures de pierre, du materiel ceramique, metallique, lithique, etc. et des ossements fauniques des periodes axoumite ancienne, moyenne et recente
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