For the ancient Egyptians, the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1700 Bc) was a classical period of art, history and literature. The Twelfth Dynasty was one of the strongest ever to rule on the banks of the Nile: some of its kings were later worshipped as local gods, and were made famous by classical Greek authors. Yet Egyptologists tend not to look beyond the extraordinary royal sculpture and literary masterpieces of the time. Although the picture is fragmentary, as with any archaeological record, the last two hundred years of exploration and excavation have revealed much of the splendour of the period. This book examines the evidence for the culture, history and society of both central and provincial Egypt at the time, revealing the wealth of the entire country. Too often overshadowed by the better-preserved architecture of other periods, Middle Kingdom Egypt emerges for the reader as a fascinating age in its own right.

The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society (BCP Egyptology)

History

Grajetzki, Wolfram

Ancient Civilizations

Bristol Classical Press

Building on the latest research, Wolfram Grajetzki here looks in detail at the circle of officials that surrounded the king in the Middle Kingdom of ancient Egypt (Eleventh to Thirteenth Dynasty, also including the Second Intermediate Period; c. 2040-1550 BC). Describing the history of the principal offices of state, he takes into account inscriptions, monuments and the few preserved tombs, and traces the careers of some individual officials. The holders of these offices were the men chosen by the king to be his close advisers. They received strings of important titles, and their monuments are among the finest works of art and architecture of the time. Over all the other officials and second only to the king stood the 'tjaty', or vizier, while alongside him and of only slightly lower status, the treasurer was in charge of the resources of the country. From the evidence for these men, a new, more precise image emerges of ancient Egyptian civilization in its monumental accomplishments and its daily operations. "Court Officials of the Middle Kingdom" is essential reading for all scholars and students of the period. The text is copiously illustrated with drawings by Paul Whelan.

Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (BCP Egyptology)

Greeks and Parthians is an innovative, archaeologically based investigation into urban life in Mesopotamia and the northern part of what is now the Persian Gulf, from the arrival of Alexander the Great to the end of the Parthian Empire. With detailed coverage of the cities of Seleucia-Ktesiphon, Babylon, Uruk, Susa, Spasinou Charax, Ikaros (Failaka) and Tylos (Bahrein), Wolfram Grajetzki shows that for most people in the region, life and material culture were not, as is commonly stated, transformed by the coming of the Greeks. The Parthians have tended to receive a negative press from historians, but their supremacy lasted some 350 years and the archaeology of their cities reveals innovations in architecture and decorative arts, with lavishly equipped houses showing a high standard of living.

Greeks and Parthians in Mesopotamia and Beyond, 331 BC-AD 224

Africa

During the late Middle Kingdom (about 1850-1700 B.C.E.), ancient Egyptian women of high standing were interred with lavish ornamentation and carefully gathered possessions. Buried near the pyramids of kings, women with royal connections or great wealth and status were surrounded by fine pottery and vessels for sacred oils, bedecked with gold and precious stones, and honored with royal insignia and marks of Osiris. Their funerary possessions include jewelry imported from other ancient lands and gold-handled daggers and claspless jewelry made only to be worn in the tomb.
Extensively illustrated with archival images and the author's own drawings, Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom describes and compares the opulent tombs of eminent and royal women. In addition to the ornaments, many of which are considered masterpieces of Middle Kingdom craft, Egyptologist Wolfram Grajetzki examines the numerous grave goods, artifacts of daily life, and markers of social status that were also placed in tombs, presenting a more complete picture of funerary customs in this period. By considering celebrated examples of female burials together for the first time, Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom sheds new light on the role and status of women in the royal court and explores how the gendered identity of those women was preserved in the grave.

Tomb Treasures of the Late Middle Kingdom: The Archaeology of Female Burials

University of Pennsylvania Press

An Introduction to the site of Tarkhan.

Tarkhan: A Cemetery at the time of Egyptian State Formation (Egyptian Sites)

Golden House Publications

A short introduction to this important late Middle Kingdom site; includes the publication of a papyrus fragment mentioning the ruling queen Sobeknofru. Discussion of late Middle Kingdom burial customs.

Harageh: An Egyptian Burial Ground for the Rich around 1800 BC (Egyptian Sites)

An introduction to this important First Intermediate Period, Middle and New Kingdom site. Discussion of First Intermediate Periodburial customs. Many pictures.

Sedment: Burials of Egyptian farmers and noblemen over the centuries (Egyptian Sites)

Ancient Egyptian Queens: A Hieroglyphic Dictionary

This Element provides a new evaluation of burial customs in New Kingdom Egypt, from about 1550 to 1077 BC, with an emphasis on burials of the wider population. It also covers the regions then under Egyptian control: the Southern Levant and the area of Nubia as far as the Fourth Cataract. The inclusion of foreign countries provides insights not only into the interaction between the centre of the empire and its conquered regions, but also concerning what is typically Egyptian and to what extent the conquered regions were culturally influenced. It can be shown that burials in Lower Nubia closely follow those in Egypt. In the southern Levant, by contrast, cemeteries of the period often yield numerous Egyptian objects, but burial customs in general do not follow those in Egypt.\nBook Description\nThis Element provides a new evaluation of burial customs in New Kingdom Egypt.

The Archaeology of Egyptian Non-Royal Burial Customs in New Kingdom Egypt and Its Empire (Elements in Ancient Egypt in Context)

Cambridge University Press

The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society

Religion & Spirituality

Bloomsbury Academic

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