Hundred Gated Thebes

The choachytes (or morticians) of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes provided a rich documentation linking the city of the living on one side of the Nile with the city of the dead on the other. The family archives of these choachytes deal to a large part with their professional role in serving the dead entrusted to their care, but they are also virtually our only source of information about the city of Thebes, whose physical remains were ruthlessly obliterated in the nineteenth century. This material constitute one end of a chain which links the temple statues of Amun's servants and descriptions of their houses on the one hand with their tombs and their tomb inventories on the other, allowing us to identify individual choachytes from their papers. The papyrological finds can thus provide an exact dating for objects that might otherwise be only dated to within several centuries, while the objects themselves and the tomb architecture provide a factual dimension to historical and legal documents which might otherwise remain flat and arid. It was in order to draw attention to the richness of all the constituent parts of this documentation that a number of scholars were invited to present their views on Graeco-Roman Thebes at a colloqium held from 9 to 11 September 1992 in Leiden, the Netherlands. The survey papers and communications presented at this colloqium are published here.

"The choachytes (or morticians) of the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes provided a rich documentation linking the city of the living on one side of the Nile and the city of the dead on the other. The family archives of these choachytes deal to a large part with their professional role in serving the dead entrusted to their care, but they are also virtually our only source of information about the city of Thebes, whose physical remains were ruthlessly obliterated in the nineteenth century. This material constitutes one end of a chain which links on the one hand the temple statues of Amun's servants and descriptions of their houses with on the other hand their tombs and their tomb inventories, allowing us to identify individual choachytes from their papers. The papyrological finds can thus provide an exact dating for objects that might otherwise be only dated to within several centuries, while the objects themselves and the tomb architecture provide a factual dimension to historical and legal documents which might otherwise remain flat and arid." "It was in order to draw attention to the richness of all the constituent parts of this documentation that a number of scholars were invited to present their views on Graeco-Roman Thebes at a colloquium held from 9 to 11 September 1992 in Leiden, the Netherlands. The survey papers and communications presented at this colloquium are published here."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

A new paperback edition of a best-selling anthology.

This handbook, arranged in seven thematic sections, is unique in drawing together many different strands of research on Roman Egypt, in order to suggest both the state of knowledge in the field and the possibilities for collaborative, synthetic, and interpretive research.

This important new study looks at the intersection of Greek and Egyptian art forms in the funerary sphere of Roman Egypt. A discussion of artistic change, cultural identity, and religious belief foregrounds the detailed analysis of more than 150 objects and tombs, many of which are presented here for the first time. In addition to the information it provides about individual works of art, supported by catalogue entries, the study explores fundamental questions such as how artists combine the iconographies and representational forms of different visual traditions, and why two distinct visual traditions were employed in Roman Egypt.

Edward Davis, a rookie of the Time Service, has already made several successful jumps to the past. Now he is given his most important mission.Two members of the Service have disappeared in ancient Egypt and Edward Davis's assignment is to locate and rescue them.But is he ready for all that Egypt has to offer and for the surprising truths he discovers as he explores this ancient land of myths and mysteries--truths that jeopardize his own mission and return back to the future?

"After reviewing the topography of the site, the Strudwicks recount the history of Thebes from the city's rise in the late Old Kingdom to the peak of its power in the New Kingdom and to its gradual decline in the Graeco-Roman period.

History and Culture: Pyramids, sphinxes, tombs and temples recall Egypt's ancient past. One of the first and most fascinating civilizations of human history was born here on the banks of the mighty Nile thousands of years ago. Later on caliphs and sultans turned Egypt into an oriental fairy-tale land out of the 1001 Nights -- an atmosphere it has kept to this day. Travel Destinations: Nelles Guide Egypt leads you from Cairo, the pulsating metropolis, to the timeless beauty of the Nile oasis. It covers everything: the magnificient monuments from the days of the Pharaohs, splendid mosques and churches as well as the beautiful beaches of Alexandria and the Red Sea, the bizarre mountains of the Sinai and the pristine oases of the Sahara. Features: The phenomenon of re-Islamization is one of the topics that may deepen the reader's interest in Egypt. Other features report on such subjects as the Aswan dam, the Nobel prize winner Nagib Mahfuz, the art and gods of the pharaohs and the science of egyptology. Nelles Guide Egypt does not stop at describing places, it also presents the complexities of Egyptian life. Travel Information: Whether traveling by boat, road or air, the Guidelines at the end of the book will assist you before and during your journey. The Guideposts at the end of each chapter in the travel section are especially designed to suit every des-tination and offer a great deal of important information about accomodation, hotels, restaurants and more. Book jacket.