Jaromír Krejčí Book order

This second part of the monograph on the results of the archaeological research of Werkaureś mastaba (AC 26) and its surroundings in central Abusir focuses on the context dating back to the First Intermediate Period the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, and the first millennium BC. The focus of the work is on analyses concerning the secondary burial that developed in the area of tomb AC 26 and adjacent tombs of AC 32 during the Third Intermediate Period and the Late Period. A large number of finds and ecofacts were discovered and are comprehensively discussed in this multidisciplinary publication of eight chapters. Along with archaeological and anthropological analyses, analyses of collected samples, using palynological, botanical, zoological, xylotomic, and entomological methods are an important part of the monograph. The publication presents conclusions concerning the development of the Abusir necropolis after the end of the Old Kingdom Period.

This volume joins together the proceedings of the three workshops held in Prague on December 15, 2017, December 10, 2018 and June 25–26, 2019, within the framework of the research project ( The rise and development of the solar cult and architecture in Third Millennium BC Egypt) launched in 2017 at the Czech Institute of Egyptology – Charles University, Prague, under the auspices of the Czech Science Foundation – Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. The key aim of the project was to contribute to the study of the dynamics of development and featuring of the sun cult in ancient Egypt, as well as of the evolution of some related topics, such as royal ideology and funerary texts. The contributions span all periods of ancient Egyptian history and bring together scholars dealing with diverse geographic areas, from the capital site of Memphis, with its huge necropolis, to the southernmost and liminal area of Elephantine. Previously unpublished data are also presented in the volume, including new research on the Palermo Stone and the royal annals; results of latest archaeological campaigns in Abusir, Dahshur and Heliopolis; and new analyses of the Pyramid Texts and their reappropriation and renegotiation in later phases of Egyptian history.

The Czech Institute of Egyptology of the Charles University in Prague has since the start of the third millennium established the tradition of organizing on a regular basis a platform for scholars, active in the pyramid fields and the cemeteries of the Memphite region (Abusir, Saqqara, Dahshur and Giza in particular), to meet, exchange information and establish further cooperation. The present volume, containing 43 contributions by 53 scholars, is the result of the already fourth "Abusir and Saqqara" conference held in June 2015. The volume reflects the widespread, often multidisciplinary interest of many researchers into a wide variety of different topics related to the Memphite necropoleis. Recurring topics of the studies include a focus on archaeology, the theory of artifacts, iconographic and art historian studies, and the research of largely unpublished archival materials. An overwhelming number of contributions (31) is dedicated to various aspects of Old Kingdom archaeology and most present specific aspects linked with archaeological excavations, both past and present.

The book is divided into sixteen chapters dealing - in a diachronic perspective - with a wide range of problems concerning the development of the royal pyramid necropolis at Abusir. The introductory sections discuss the history of research of the necropolis, the conditions for its formation, the geomorphological situation in the area, the building materials and technologies used and the historical development of the Egyptian state in the late Fourth Dynasty and the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty. The largest part of the book (chapters 8-15) is devoted to the development of the necropolis from the Archaic period until the end of the Old Kingdom. The individual chapters present and discuss buildings - particularly royal pyramid complexes - which originated during the reign of individual rulers. Attention is also paid to the sun temples and, of course, to the tombs of the royal family members and to the cemeteries of dignitaries, which were founded around the royal complexes. The final chapter summarizes the results of the research. This publication is complemented by many illustrations, which also include three-dimensional computer reconstructions of buildings which arose during the discussed period at the royal burial necropolis.

This collection of articles provides an overview, on the occasion of the Millennium, of Czech work at the Egyptian cemeteries of Abusir and Saqqara over the last 50 years. The contributions are grouped by period and range from studies of Early Dynastic sarcophagi to Coptic pottery.