1,721,485 research outputs found
Mutuality in exploring the past: ethno- experimental and community archaeology
Get PDFThroughout most of its history the discipline of Egyptology has incorporated some form of anthropology, ranging from
physical anthropology and cultural anthropology to anthropological archaeology. In the last few decades Egyptologists
have become much more aware of the critical discourses that take place in sociology, anthropology and anthropological
archaeology worldwide. The debates around poststructuralist, postcolonial, and gender theory are important for the
development of the epistemology of the discipline, and should result in adaptations of how we do, think and teach
Egyptology. The attitude of European and Euro-American Egyptologists towards Egyptian colleagues and the
communities living in the vicinity of archaeological sites has changed, but in many cases it is unclear how the theoretical
underpinnings of Egyptological interpretations relate to the every-day scholarly and archaeological practice. This paper
explores how we can use ethnoarchaeology and experimental archaeology to move from doing lip service to community
archaeology, to integrating local communities fully in our work. Being serious about community archaeology requires
mutual understanding, mutual benefit and a mutual effort
Basket use, raw materials and arguments on early and Middle Holocene mobility in the Fayum, Egypt
Get PDFThe Fayum Neolithic is well-known because the earliest evidence to date for domesticated wheat and barley in Egypt is found in the Fayum depression, north of present day Lake Qarun. Here, in 1924 and 1925, Gertrud Caton-Thompson and Elinor Gardner identified two Neolithic settlements, which they named Kom K and Kom W. The evidence for early agriculture did not derive from these two settlements, however, but from a series of storage pits which Gardner found quite by accident on a high ridge, north of Kom K. What is less well-known is that apart from domesticated wheat and barley this area also yielded evidence for a well-developed basketry technology. Recent fieldwork by the URU Fayum Project (University of California, Los Angeles; Rijksuniversiteit Groningen; University of Auckland) has provided a wealth of new information on the material remains of the Fayum Neolithic including the plant fibre objects. While animal bones and ostrich egg shell have been preserved both on the surface and in stratified deposits, no animal fibre was found. The well-preserved basketry lined storage pits and their content have been used to argue that the Middle Holocene occupation in the Fayum was characterized by a sedentary society. Recent field work has shown that the basket-lined pits were sealed off in a manner that could have enabled long-term caching. This, as well as more recent insights that long term storage does not equal sedentism, leaves the question open the nature of mobility in which Fayum Neolithic society was involved. The question whether the type of materials, basketry techniques and employment can be used as indicators of a way of life, is addressed in conjunction with the results of the interdisciplinary research team as a whole
Gertrude Caton Thompson (1888-1985), Famous Footsteps to Fill
No full textWendrich Willeke. Gertrude Caton Thompson (1888-1985), Famous Footsteps to Fill. In: Archéo-Nil. Revue de la société pour l'étude des cultures prépharaoniques de la vallée du Nil, n°17, 2007. Portraits. Les pionniers de la préhistoire en Égypte. pp. 89-106
The Box Project and outside-the-box archaeology
No full textArchaeology is more than the excavation of ancient remains. Highlighting archaeologies that do not fit the standard model helps us thinking outside the box, the most valuable contribution that science and scholarship can and should make
Archaeology and sustainable tourism in Egypt: Protecting community, antiquities, and environment
No full textThis paper explores how archaeologists should consider getting involved with sustainable tourism in order to communicate their findings to the public, protect the sites that they are working on, improve fund- raising for the archaeological project, and contribute to an economically viable system for the population of the area. Two examples illustrate the benefits of working closely with the local community. The Eastern Desert Antiquities Protection Project (EDAPP) involves a training program and the creation of a collection of present-day material culture by the Ababda nomads from the Eastern Desert in Egypt. The Fayum ecotourism project is a first step in defining the development needs for an area of Egypt that has an extremely interesting history but does not attract the mass tourism that the Giza pyramids and the monuments of Luxor do
Chapter 31 - Egypt
No full textThis chapter outlines the archaeology of Roman Egypt and its position within our understanding of the Roman Empire. The chapter highlights the interaction and fluid reformulation of cultural identities of Roman citizens, Egyptian members of the elite and the general population in different regions of Egypt. Because the particular circumstances for preservation of organic materials, such as textiles, basketry, wood and papyrus, the archaeological results in Egypt have been taken both as representative of Roman administrative and military structures and as particular to Egypt
Ethics of Digital Representation in Egyptology
Get PDFInterest in digital approaches to Egyptology started in the second half of the 20th century, for instance with the establishment of the Manuel de codage at the 1984 international round table Informatique appliquee a l’Egyptologie. Since that time, many large textual, visual, and spatial digital projects have been developed by teams from several countries for a variety of audiences. The developments of practical and theoretical
approaches of digital Egyptology have subsequently grown within the broader context of the Digital Humanities. Although digital scholarly projects are in the first place content driven, ethical questions on, among other aspects, representation, access and sustainability should always be included and can only be an effective part of the project design when considered and integrated right from the start
How coffee has been fuelling archaeological research in Western Tigray, Ethiopia
No full textA critical perspective on archaeological research has helped to call out Eurocentric interpretations based on selective emphasis of archaeological results, in which great civilizations were thought to influence the world around them, through grand narratives of colonialism or cultural influence. Instead, an analysis of all excavated materials has shown the feasibility and importance of researching and defining local agency and cultural variations. An ongoing debate about the history of Ethiopia for instance, centres on whether the ruling powers in the first millennium BCE, before the rise of the Aksumite Kingdom (ca. first century CE) were hailing from Saba in South Arabia (present day Yemen) or consisted of local elites emulating Sabaean culture. Yet apart from a few excavations that focused on monumental buildings with stylistic connections to South Arabian art and architecture, excavations in both Ethiopia and Eritrea have found an increasing number of settlements from this era, that do not display such links. An example are the excavations at Mai Adrasha near Shire, Western Tigray, which are summarized here
Online Publication of Monuments
No full textThis chapter outlines the advantages of digital epigraphy in the context of the original monuments. It analyzes the perception of epigraphic publication of monuments, taking into account new technologies. 3DVR models can be created using architectural drawings and measurements (CAD and 3D modeling), 3D scanning, and Structure for Motion (SfM). These systems present different advantages and challenges, which are discussed. Current options for publication include VSim, 3D GIS, and Unity 3D platforms. The issues of peer review of publications and long-term preservation of data are addressed. The chapter concludes with a consideration of the issue of potentially misleading impressions given by 3DVR representations
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