Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
46
result(s) for
"Richards, Janet E"
Sort by:
Society and death in ancient Egypt : mortuary landscapes of the Middle Kingdom
Janet Richards considers social stratification in Middle Kingdom Egypt, taking as the point of departure the assumption that a 'middle class' arose during this period. By focusing on the entire range of mortuary behaviour, she shows how social and political processes can be reconstructed.
BOOK
Assessment of biodegradation in ancient archaeological wood from the Middle Cemetery at Abydos, Egypt
Abydos is a large, complex archaeological site located approximately 500 km south of Cairo in Upper Egypt. The site has served as a cemetery for thousands of years and is where most of the Early Dynastic royal tombs are located. North Abydos includes the Middle Cemetery and the North Cemetery, which are separated from each other by a wadi. The Middle Cemetery was the burial ground for important Sixth Dynasty (2407-2260 BC) officials and over time for thousands of elite and non-elite individuals as well. Excavations at the core area of the Old Kingdom mortuary landscape have revealed many culturally important wooden objects but these are often found with extensive deterioration that can compromise their preservation. The objectives of this study were to characterize the biodegradation that has taken place in excavated wooden objects, elucidate the type of wood degradation present, obtain information on soil properties at the site and identify fungi currently associated with the wood and soils. Light and scanning electron microscopy studies were used to observe the micromorphological characteristics of the wood, and culturing on different media was done to isolate fungi. Identification of the fungi was done by examining morphological characteristics and extracting rDNA from pure cultures and sequencing the ITS region. Wooden objects, made from Cedrus, Juniperus and Acacia as well as several unidentified hardwoods, were found with extensive degradation and were exceedingly fragile. Termite damage was evident and frass from the subterranean termites along with sand particles were present in most woods. Evidence of soft rot attack was found in sections of wood that remained. Fungi isolated from wood and soils were identified as species of Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, Stemphylium Talaromyces and Trichoderma. Results provide important information on the current condition of the wood and gives insights to the identity of the fungi in wood and soils at the site. These results provide needed information to help develop conservation plans to preserve these degraded and fragile wooden objects.
Journal Article
Regional Approaches to Mortuary Analysis
\"Regional Approaches to Mortuary Analysis\" edited by Lane Anderson Beck is reviewed.
Book Review
Mortuary variability and social differentiation in Middle Kingdom Egypt
This thesis combines anthropological and Egyptological approaches in an investigation of socio-economic differentiation in Middle Kingdom Egypt. Three questions are posed: what is the extent of differentiation in this period; what are the material and spatial parameters of differentiation; and can a \"middle class,\" often cited in the Egyptological literature, be documented within this range? These issues are especially interesting in the light of a recently advanced theory of a regimented (\"prescriptive\") society for the period, in which the central government sought to impose total control on the populace. Such a policy might be expected to affect the differentiation present or possible in society, through control of resources. The archaeological evidence for social differentiation was evaluated in three different mortuary contexts, based on the principle that social categories are expressed in the treatment of an individual at death. The analysis was based on a combination of archival and field research. A six month field season incorporating survey and excavation was conducted in the Northern Cemetery at Abydos, in order to gain a wide range of information on both the material remains of the burial practices of the population, and on health status (through osteological analyses). Additionally, a quantitative analysis of the published cemeteries of Haraga and Riqqa was conducted, focusing on the three variables of grave size, assemblage diversity, and wealth. The patterning of these variables in all three cemeteries indicates that at least five levels of socio-economic differentiation existed during the Middle Kingdom, with significant levels of access to labor and material resources throughout the range. This flexible and differentiated picture is borne out by archival and literary documents from the period. Within this range, a middle class might be represented by the owners of modest shaft graves and hieroglyphic monuments without bureaucratic titles. It is suggested that such a flexible system would not be possible in a rigidly controlled society; although the government probably monitored certain levels of society and economic matters, it seems likely that a flexible private system always functioned outside the government umbrella.
Dissertation