Rogério Sousa is Professor of Egyptology and Ancient History at the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Lisbon. He has been studying coffin decoration during the 21st Dynasty from an art historical perspective, focusing into the principles of composition, symbolism and social significance of coffins in Thebes. Currently he coordinates the Gate of the Priests Project aiming at the inventory and integrated study and publication of the objects found in the Tomb of the Priests of Amun (Bab el-Gasus) in Thebes. Under this project he has been studying an extensive collection of objects dispersed around the world. He is Co-Editor of the ‘Gate of the Priests’ Series; Publishing House: Brill Publishers, Leiden. Over the last years he has published a number of works in this domain: The Tomb of the Priests of Amun. Burial Assemblages in the Egyptian Museum of Florence Gate of the Priests Series Volume 1 (Brill, 2018) Gleaming Coffins. Iconography and Symbolism in Theban Coffin Decoration (21st Dynasty): Vol. I: the sheltering sky (Coimbra University Press, 2018) Gilded Flesh: Coffins and Afterlife in Ancient Egypt (Oxbow, 2019) Burial assemblages from Bab el-Gasus in the Geographical Society of Lisbon (Brepols, 2017), Body, Cosmos & Eternity: New research trends in the symbolism of coffins in ancient Egypt (Archaeopress, 2014).
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN COFFINS: Craft traditions and functionality edited by John H. TAYLOR and Marie VANDENBEUSCH, 2018
This paper focuses on the defining aspects of the ‘yellow’ anthropoid coffins produced at Thebes,... more This paper focuses on the defining aspects of the ‘yellow’ anthropoid coffins produced at Thebes, in an attempt to detect the processes that were used by coffin decorators to enhance iconographic variability and
complexity. The analysis concentrates on the central panel and examines the variations introduced in the normative scheme of this composition from the Ramesside Period to the beginning of Dynasty 22. This ‘genealogical’ method reveals that a consistent normative set of rules governed the iconographic repertoire, which could be used in each section of the coffin and simultaneously provided an efficient way to introduce
variations to enhance the uniqueness of each object. These processes are crucial to an understanding of the involvement of the priesthood of Amun-Ra in the supervision and management of Theban workshops
during Dynasty 21.
This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of “yellow” coffins... more This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of “yellow” coffins, which is one of the most extensive corpus of funerary objects from Ancient Egypt, and the most complex in terms of decoration. It presents a synthetic view on Egyptian coffin decoration during the II millennium B.C. together with in-depth examination of a sample of nine previously unpublished burial assemblages. Dating from the 21st-22nd Dynasties, these objects were chosen to showcase the stages of development in coffin decoration detected in the “yellow” corpus, as well as variations in style and layout. A new formal typology of this corpus is proposed, allowing a better understanding of the dynamics of coffin decoration in Theban workshops.
BAB EL-GASUS IN CONTEXT. REDISCOVERING THE TOMB OF THE PRIESTS OF AMUN , 2020
This volume gathers the contributions of scholars convened in Lisbon on the 19-20th September, at... more This volume gathers the contributions of scholars convened in Lisbon on the 19-20th September, at the premises of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. . This meeting was held under the auspices of the Centre of Classical and Humanistic Studies from the University of Coimbra, and the Centre of History from the University of Lisbon, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the Tomb of the Priests of Amun, three years after the Gate of the Priests Project was set up with the support of a number of partners, including the University of Leiden, the University of California - Los Angeles, the Royal museums of Art and History in Brussels, the Vatican Museums, the Museo Egizio in Turin, the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. This volume thus represents the awakening of the international scientific community for the significance and importance of the Tomb of the Priests as a major archaeological find, one that can open new perspectives in the study of the Third Intermediate Period in Thebes.
Egyptian coffins stand out in museums’ collections for their lively and radiant appearance. As an... more Egyptian coffins stand out in museums’ collections for their lively and radiant appearance. As an involucre of the mummy, coffins played a key-role by protecting the body and at the same time, integrating the deceased in the afterlife. The paramount importance of these objects and their purpose is detected in the ways they changed through time. For more than three thousand years, coffins and tombs had been designed to assure in the most efficient way possible a successful outcome for the difficult transition to the afterlife. This book examines eight non-royal tombs found relatively intact, from the plains of Saqqara to the sacred hills of Thebes. These almost undisturbed burial sites managed to escape ancient looters and became adventurous events of the Egyptian archaeology. These discoveries are described from the Mariette’s exploration of the Mastaba of Ti in Saqqara to Schiaparelli’s discovery of the Tomb of Kha and Merit in Deir el-Medina. Each one of these sites unveil before our eyes a time capsule, where coffins and tombs were designed together as part of a social, political, and religious order. From the Pre-dynastic times to the decline of the New Kingdom, this book explores each site revealing the interconnection between mummification practices, coffin decoration, burial equipment, tomb decoration and ritual landscapes. Through this analysis, the author aims to point out how the design of coffins changed through time in order to empower the deceased with different visions of immortality. By doing so, the study of coffins reveal a silent revolution which managed to open to the common men and women horizons of divinity previously reserved to the royal sphere. Coffins thus show us how identity was forged to create an immortal and divine self. Table of Contents List of figures Preface 1. A dwelling by the Nile: The Predynastic grave of “Gebelein Man A” 2. On the path to Sokar: Solar splendours in the Mastaba of Ti 3. Facing the sun: The shaft tomb of Senebtisi 4. Flying back home: The grave of the “Gurnah Queen” 5. A house on the edge of the world: The Tomb of Kha and Merit (TT 8) 6. The Garden of Heaven: The family tomb of Sennedjem (TT 1) 7. The healing light: The burial assemblage of the priestess Tabasety 8. The divine brotherhood: The Tomb of the Priests of Amun 9. Conclusion Bibliography
A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitali... more A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais, disponíveis em https://digitalis.uc.pt/pt-pt/termos. Conforme exposto nos referidos Termos e Condições de Uso, o descarregamento de títulos de acesso restrito requer uma licença válida de autorização devendo o utilizador aceder ao(s) documento(s) a partir de um endereço de IP da instituição detentora da supramencionada licença. Ao utilizador é apenas permitido o descarregamento para uso pessoal, pelo que o emprego do(s) título(s) descarregado(s) para outro fim, designadamente comercial, carece de autorização do respetivo autor ou editor da obra. Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso. Arqueologias de Império Autor(es): Leão, Delfim (coord.); Ramos, José Augusto (coord.); Rodrigues, Nuno Simões (coord.) Publicado por: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra URL persistente: URI:http://hdl.handle.net/10316.2/45208
No antigo Egipto, o sagrado esta estreitamente associado a nocao de interdito. O territorio da ne... more No antigo Egipto, o sagrado esta estreitamente associado a nocao de interdito. O territorio da necropole era um espaco sagrado por excelencia e, como tal, estava demarcado por um conjunto de interdicoes que codificavam a sua utilizacao. A XXI dinastia registou importantes modificacoes no padrao de utilizacao do espaco da necropole. O saque da necropole real, o Vale dos Reis, e habitualmente tomado como o exemplo flagrante da grande instabilidade social e politica do tempo. Com este artigo pretendemos demonstrar que a espoliacao dos tumulos que se verificou em toda a necropole tebana correspondeu a uma reorganizacao do espaco da necropole e ao levantamento dos interditos subjacentes a uma concepcao do territorio sagrado que se afigurava obsoleta. Esta obra de reorganizacao, empreendida pelos sacerdotes de Amon, ilustra a emergencia de uma nova nocao do espaco sagrado onde se insinua uma inusitada «liberdade» de circulacao de bens funerarios e, pela primeira vez, se assiste a uma part...
O presente estudo procura caracterizar as representacoes egipcias da vida no Alem como um caminho... more O presente estudo procura caracterizar as representacoes egipcias da vida no Alem como um caminho, uma viagem rumo ao renascimento. Embora esta viagem tenha sido evocada desde os textos funerarios do Imperio Antigo, so no Imperio Novo e que as etapas desta viagem foram transpostas para a iconografia. E no entanto na decoracao pictorica dos sarcofagos da XXI dinastia que encontramos o desenvolvimento pleno destes temas. O nosso estudo incide, portanto, sobre as vinhetas que ilustram a vida do defunto no Alem, recorrendo a decoracao pictorica dos sarcofagos antropomorficos da XXI dinastia, alguns dos quais so agora comecam a ser estudados, como os sarcofagos conservados na Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa. Procuramos neste estudo enfatizar o caracter narrativo destas representacoes e apresentamos algumas das vinhetas mais importantes da iconografia egipcia encadeadas de acordo com as etapas da viagem do defunto na Duat.
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN COFFINS: Craft traditions and functionality edited by John H. TAYLOR and Marie VANDENBEUSCH, 2018
This paper focuses on the defining aspects of the ‘yellow’ anthropoid coffins produced at Thebes,... more This paper focuses on the defining aspects of the ‘yellow’ anthropoid coffins produced at Thebes, in an attempt to detect the processes that were used by coffin decorators to enhance iconographic variability and
complexity. The analysis concentrates on the central panel and examines the variations introduced in the normative scheme of this composition from the Ramesside Period to the beginning of Dynasty 22. This ‘genealogical’ method reveals that a consistent normative set of rules governed the iconographic repertoire, which could be used in each section of the coffin and simultaneously provided an efficient way to introduce
variations to enhance the uniqueness of each object. These processes are crucial to an understanding of the involvement of the priesthood of Amun-Ra in the supervision and management of Theban workshops
during Dynasty 21.
This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of “yellow” coffins... more This volume proposes a theoretical and methodological framework for the study of “yellow” coffins, which is one of the most extensive corpus of funerary objects from Ancient Egypt, and the most complex in terms of decoration. It presents a synthetic view on Egyptian coffin decoration during the II millennium B.C. together with in-depth examination of a sample of nine previously unpublished burial assemblages. Dating from the 21st-22nd Dynasties, these objects were chosen to showcase the stages of development in coffin decoration detected in the “yellow” corpus, as well as variations in style and layout. A new formal typology of this corpus is proposed, allowing a better understanding of the dynamics of coffin decoration in Theban workshops.
BAB EL-GASUS IN CONTEXT. REDISCOVERING THE TOMB OF THE PRIESTS OF AMUN , 2020
This volume gathers the contributions of scholars convened in Lisbon on the 19-20th September, at... more This volume gathers the contributions of scholars convened in Lisbon on the 19-20th September, at the premises of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. . This meeting was held under the auspices of the Centre of Classical and Humanistic Studies from the University of Coimbra, and the Centre of History from the University of Lisbon, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the discovery of the Tomb of the Priests of Amun, three years after the Gate of the Priests Project was set up with the support of a number of partners, including the University of Leiden, the University of California - Los Angeles, the Royal museums of Art and History in Brussels, the Vatican Museums, the Museo Egizio in Turin, the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, and the Louvre Museum in Paris. This volume thus represents the awakening of the international scientific community for the significance and importance of the Tomb of the Priests as a major archaeological find, one that can open new perspectives in the study of the Third Intermediate Period in Thebes.
Egyptian coffins stand out in museums’ collections for their lively and radiant appearance. As an... more Egyptian coffins stand out in museums’ collections for their lively and radiant appearance. As an involucre of the mummy, coffins played a key-role by protecting the body and at the same time, integrating the deceased in the afterlife. The paramount importance of these objects and their purpose is detected in the ways they changed through time. For more than three thousand years, coffins and tombs had been designed to assure in the most efficient way possible a successful outcome for the difficult transition to the afterlife. This book examines eight non-royal tombs found relatively intact, from the plains of Saqqara to the sacred hills of Thebes. These almost undisturbed burial sites managed to escape ancient looters and became adventurous events of the Egyptian archaeology. These discoveries are described from the Mariette’s exploration of the Mastaba of Ti in Saqqara to Schiaparelli’s discovery of the Tomb of Kha and Merit in Deir el-Medina. Each one of these sites unveil before our eyes a time capsule, where coffins and tombs were designed together as part of a social, political, and religious order. From the Pre-dynastic times to the decline of the New Kingdom, this book explores each site revealing the interconnection between mummification practices, coffin decoration, burial equipment, tomb decoration and ritual landscapes. Through this analysis, the author aims to point out how the design of coffins changed through time in order to empower the deceased with different visions of immortality. By doing so, the study of coffins reveal a silent revolution which managed to open to the common men and women horizons of divinity previously reserved to the royal sphere. Coffins thus show us how identity was forged to create an immortal and divine self. Table of Contents List of figures Preface 1. A dwelling by the Nile: The Predynastic grave of “Gebelein Man A” 2. On the path to Sokar: Solar splendours in the Mastaba of Ti 3. Facing the sun: The shaft tomb of Senebtisi 4. Flying back home: The grave of the “Gurnah Queen” 5. A house on the edge of the world: The Tomb of Kha and Merit (TT 8) 6. The Garden of Heaven: The family tomb of Sennedjem (TT 1) 7. The healing light: The burial assemblage of the priestess Tabasety 8. The divine brotherhood: The Tomb of the Priests of Amun 9. Conclusion Bibliography
A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitali... more A navegação consulta e descarregamento dos títulos inseridos nas Bibliotecas Digitais UC Digitalis, UC Pombalina e UC Impactum, pressupõem a aceitação plena e sem reservas dos Termos e Condições de Uso destas Bibliotecas Digitais, disponíveis em https://digitalis.uc.pt/pt-pt/termos. Conforme exposto nos referidos Termos e Condições de Uso, o descarregamento de títulos de acesso restrito requer uma licença válida de autorização devendo o utilizador aceder ao(s) documento(s) a partir de um endereço de IP da instituição detentora da supramencionada licença. Ao utilizador é apenas permitido o descarregamento para uso pessoal, pelo que o emprego do(s) título(s) descarregado(s) para outro fim, designadamente comercial, carece de autorização do respetivo autor ou editor da obra. Na medida em que todas as obras da UC Digitalis se encontram protegidas pelo Código do Direito de Autor e Direitos Conexos e demais legislação aplicável, toda a cópia, parcial ou total, deste documento, nos casos em que é legalmente admitida, deverá conter ou fazer-se acompanhar por este aviso. Arqueologias de Império Autor(es): Leão, Delfim (coord.); Ramos, José Augusto (coord.); Rodrigues, Nuno Simões (coord.) Publicado por: Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra URL persistente: URI:http://hdl.handle.net/10316.2/45208
No antigo Egipto, o sagrado esta estreitamente associado a nocao de interdito. O territorio da ne... more No antigo Egipto, o sagrado esta estreitamente associado a nocao de interdito. O territorio da necropole era um espaco sagrado por excelencia e, como tal, estava demarcado por um conjunto de interdicoes que codificavam a sua utilizacao. A XXI dinastia registou importantes modificacoes no padrao de utilizacao do espaco da necropole. O saque da necropole real, o Vale dos Reis, e habitualmente tomado como o exemplo flagrante da grande instabilidade social e politica do tempo. Com este artigo pretendemos demonstrar que a espoliacao dos tumulos que se verificou em toda a necropole tebana correspondeu a uma reorganizacao do espaco da necropole e ao levantamento dos interditos subjacentes a uma concepcao do territorio sagrado que se afigurava obsoleta. Esta obra de reorganizacao, empreendida pelos sacerdotes de Amon, ilustra a emergencia de uma nova nocao do espaco sagrado onde se insinua uma inusitada «liberdade» de circulacao de bens funerarios e, pela primeira vez, se assiste a uma part...
O presente estudo procura caracterizar as representacoes egipcias da vida no Alem como um caminho... more O presente estudo procura caracterizar as representacoes egipcias da vida no Alem como um caminho, uma viagem rumo ao renascimento. Embora esta viagem tenha sido evocada desde os textos funerarios do Imperio Antigo, so no Imperio Novo e que as etapas desta viagem foram transpostas para a iconografia. E no entanto na decoracao pictorica dos sarcofagos da XXI dinastia que encontramos o desenvolvimento pleno destes temas. O nosso estudo incide, portanto, sobre as vinhetas que ilustram a vida do defunto no Alem, recorrendo a decoracao pictorica dos sarcofagos antropomorficos da XXI dinastia, alguns dos quais so agora comecam a ser estudados, como os sarcofagos conservados na Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa. Procuramos neste estudo enfatizar o caracter narrativo destas representacoes e apresentamos algumas das vinhetas mais importantes da iconografia egipcia encadeadas de acordo com as etapas da viagem do defunto na Duat.
Apesar do impacto que o culto de Serápis teve no mundo helenístico, as origens do seu culto perma... more Apesar do impacto que o culto de Serápis teve no mundo helenístico, as origens do seu culto permanecem pouco conhecidas. Neste artigo, confrontamos as referências às origens do deus, as quais sugerem uma proveniência alóctone do culto, com os dados decorrentes da etimologia e iconografia, as quais apontam claramente para uma origem autóctone do culto de Serápis.
Partindo da arte e da literatura egípcias, o presente texto apresenta um esquiço de caracterizaç... more Partindo da arte e da literatura egípcias, o presente texto apresenta um esquiço de caracterização da mulher na poesia amorosa do Império Novo, a qual não veicula a tradicional visão misógina patente na literatura egípcia. Esta diferença deve-se à inspiração na hinologia de louvor, que faz cofigurar a representação feminina com conotações divinas.
Apesar do impacto que o culto de Serápis teve no mundo helenístico, as origens do seu culto perma... more Apesar do impacto que o culto de Serápis teve no mundo helenístico, as origens do seu culto permanecem pouco conhecidas. Neste artigo, confrontamos as referências às origens do deus, as quais sugerem uma proveniência alóctone do culto, com os dados decorrentes da etimologia e iconografia, as quais apontam claramente para uma origem autóctone do culto de Serápis.
Despite the impact of the cult of Sarapis in the Hellenistic world, the origins of his cult remain unclear. In this article we put in contrast the references allusive to the origins of the god, which suggest a foreign origin of the cult, with those relative to the etymology, iconography and cult of the god, the later pointing out to an autochthonous origin of the cult of the Sarapis.
Herodotus’ Book II reveals disturbing clues on the soundness of the information provided by Egypt... more Herodotus’ Book II reveals disturbing clues on the soundness of the information provided by Egyptian priests on their own tradition. This has been interpreted as a limited knowledge of the priesthood from the Late Period. However, this perception can be rather misleading and should be related to various factors, namely to anecdotes made up by Greek settlers in Egypt, to distorted information conveyed by interpreters and, last but not the least, to Egyptian ‘xenophobia’ towards foreigners. In this regard, the Temple of Ptah in Memphis emerges in Herodotus’ writings as the most receptive towards Greek visitors. In fact, only in Memphis his accounts reveal consistency with the Egyptian sources, which seems to be the result of a particular cultural trend forged in this city. Book II stands out as the most important source documenting the beginning of the Hellenization of the Egyptian tradition, a phenomenon that would play a major role in the Greco-Roman Egypt.
The Greco-Roman coffin of Didyme was found in Middle Egypt during the 1980’s. It offers a unique ... more The Greco-Roman coffin of Didyme was found in Middle Egypt during the 1980’s. It offers a unique decorative program, showing the integration of Egyptian and Greco-Roman motifs. In this paper we examine the decorative program of the coffin with a view to identify its provenance and dating.
Trabajos de Egiptologia: Papers on Ancient Egypt 9, 207-224, 2018
An Egyptian burial assemblage in the collection of the Museum of Ancient Art and Archaeology of t... more An Egyptian burial assemblage in the collection of the Museum of Ancient Art and Archaeology of the University of Aarhus, Denmark, comprises an anthropoid coffin, a mummy-cover and a mummy. Several analyses have been carried out on the human remains since their arrival to the Museum in 1950 but these results have never been published nor critically accessed from an Egyptological perspective. Notwithstanding the unique opportunity provided by this burial assemblage to carry out the integrated study of the funerary equipment and the human remains, only recently has the coffin set been thoroughly analysed, described and published. This paper presents the results obtained from former anthropological studies with an Egyptological assessment of the data, comparing them with the information provided by the burial equipment. The critical integration of this data reveals important clues regarding the special social status held by an elderly woman suffering from a severe and chronic disability within the priesthood of Amun during the Twenty-first Dynasty
Starting with the guidelines that can help us to understand the framework
of demotic culture duri... more Starting with the guidelines that can help us to understand the framework of demotic culture during Greco-Roman Period this chapter is focused on the Egyptian background behind the multicultural tradition that rose in the Serapeum of Alexandria. Despite of its Hellenistic atmosphere, the Alexandrian Serapeum was the cradle of a new multicultural tradition: within its sacred precinct Greco-Egyptian deities received cult in the temple of Sarapis, while a multicultural community of scholars was actively engaged in the creation of a vast repertoire of texts and iconography. With its roots grounded on the Egyptian wisdom, such tradition was expressed in Greek or demotic philosophical discourses and was in use by a wide multicultural population, reaching so disparate territories as the Egyptian oasis of the Western Desert or the shores of the Atlantic.
Catalogue of the exhibition held in the Archaeological Museum of Vila Velha on the Roman Serapeum... more Catalogue of the exhibition held in the Archaeological Museum of Vila Velha on the Roman Serapeum of Panóias (Vila Real). A new interpretation of the archaeological structures is presented as well as the historical and cultural context of the cult of Sarapis in the Roman Empire.
The heart amulets in ancient Egypt: Typology and …, Jan 1, 2005
Constituindo um dos amuletos mais comuns do equipamento funerário das múmias egípcias, o signific... more Constituindo um dos amuletos mais comuns do equipamento funerário das múmias egípcias, o significado preciso do amuleto do coração tem permanecido nebuloso pelo facto de não existir um estudo dedicado à sua descrição pormenorizada. Efectivamente, apesar da sua aparente simplicidade, esta categoria de objectos apresenta uma grande variedade de formas e variedades que, na ausência de uma grelha de classificação, tem dificultado a correcta apreensão do seu valor ritual e simbólico. Com este artigo propomo-nos apresentar uma metodologia de classificação que permita identificar as principais linhas de força das diversas variedades de amuletos e assim contribuir para delimitar o seu significado com mais precisão
Notwithstanding the fact that the heart amulet stands amongst the most important items of magical... more Notwithstanding the fact that the heart amulet stands amongst the most important items of magical protection in Ancient Egypt, little attention has been dedicated to the study of its symbolism. Although the heart amulets may seems quite simple in shape, its real complexity became evident when we see the formal diversity of this object that in fact was shaped according to different types and styles of depiction. It is also true that the heart amulet was perhaps one of the most frequently depicted amulets in Egyptian Art, being a common iconographic feature in some well defined pictorial contexts where it appears as a distinctive attribute of gods or humans. Given the wide diversity of shapes and contexts in which the heart amulet is depicted, we cannot
expect to find only one meaning attributed to it, nor that its meaning stayed unchangeable. In this study, our aim is to point out the main symbolic uses of the heart amulet through the analysis of its artistic rendering and also to suggest its variations throughout the Egyptian history.
The funerary papyrus of Nesipautitaui (SR 1025) provides a standardized iconographical compositio... more The funerary papyrus of Nesipautitaui (SR 1025) provides a standardized iconographical composition that was reproduced on several contemporary documents from the 21st Dynasty. Such documents provide an extreme development of the trend detected in this period to replace entire sections of texts by simple images or symbols. Although this particular document was published and described by Alexandre Piankoff and Natacha Rambova, the interpretation of its iconographic program still needed to be undergone. In this article we propose a symbolic reading of the scenes depicted on the papyrus which can also be helpful to understand the funerary rituals that were in use in the Theban necropolis during the 21st Dynasty.
This study aims to provide a description of the main morphological and symbolic features of the p... more This study aims to provide a description of the main morphological and symbolic features of the pendulum heart amulets. Starting with a morphological description of these artefacts, we will also consider in this article the study of some practical uses of the pendulum heart amulets among the Egyptian measurement devices. This is a way to clear the symbolism of this object since it gives important contextual information that can shed some light into its meaning. The author presents this article as part of a wider research devoted to the study of the Egyptian heart amulets.
According to the elements collected in this study we can admit that the magical scope of the corn... more According to the elements collected in this study we can admit that the magical scope of the cornice heart amulets seems to be largely connected with the symbolism of the divine children. In fact, it seems likely that the cornice heart amulet was specifically used as an attribute of the divine children and, as such, it could be understood as a symbol of of the apotropaic power of the infant gods..
Cette étude a pour but de comprendre la signification des amulettes de coeur à tête humaine ou an... more Cette étude a pour but de comprendre la signification des amulettes de coeur à tête humaine ou animale. Par une approche iconographique, il est proposé une nouvelle lecture du symbolisme de cette catégorie particulière des amulettes égyptiennes de coeur. Grâce à cette interprétation, nous espérons clarifier la signification
et le rôle magique des amulettes de coeur.
Egyptian wisdom texts allude to the transformation of the heart, needed to the full ability of th... more Egyptian wisdom texts allude to the transformation of the heart, needed to the full ability of the individual to understand maet and to put it into practice. In this book we propose a general view of the transformation of the heart, as a development of the religious trend of the personal piety, which envisaged the contact with the sacred through the inner contact with god. In this context the heart was seen as inner temple that garanteed the contact with the sacred and «introduced» (besi) the individual in the realm of the divine.
The heart amulet is one of the most common Egyptian apotropaic objects. Although apparently simpl... more The heart amulet is one of the most common Egyptian apotropaic objects. Although apparently simple in shape, this object was important enough to be the amulet most often depicted in Egyptian art, especially from the Ramesside Period on. In fact, the apparently simplicity of the object can give us a wrong idea about the degree of complexity of its religious meaning. The fact is that its symbolic meaning not only has been largely overlooked by scholarly research, as its magical purpose has been often misunderstood. It has been repeatedly suggested that the purpose of the heart amulet is to be a magical substitute of the heart. However, this reading is only accurate for a few funerary objects that can not be seen as representatives of the heart amulet. In this book we present a number of studies in which the heart amulet is approached in its extraordinary diversity of shapes and meanings. Crossing archaeological data with iconographic sources is crucial to identify distinct contexts of meaning. With these studies we propose that the heart amulet must be understand, not so much as a substitute of the cardiac muscle (the heart hati) but as a symbol of wisdom, being its main magical purpose related to the conceptions of cosmic integration. Thus, the heart amulet must be seen as a depiction of the heart ib, mainly seen as the seat of the mind, and not so much as the depiction of the cardiac organ, strictly speaking. Besides the formal and iconographical analysis of the heart amulet, this book also provides an historical and cultural frame to explain the differences detected on the use of the amulet over time. Being the symbol of wisdom, the meaning and use of the heart amulet was constantly enriched and re-interpreted at the light of the main religious phenomena that transformed the Egyptian beliefs. With that approach we aimed to provide an «implicit theory of the heart», i.e., to identify the divine constellations that, in the magical and ritual contexts of implicit theology, gave meaning to the ritual use of the heart amulet. With that approach we intended to complete the «theory of the heart» underwent by Jan Assmann in the context of explicit theology. When seen at this light, the «simple» amulet became after all a multidimensional object that reflects with an unexpected clarity the main intellectual trends of the Egyptian religion.
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Books by Rogério Sousa
complexity. The analysis concentrates on the central panel and examines the variations introduced in the normative scheme of this composition from the Ramesside Period to the beginning of Dynasty 22. This ‘genealogical’ method reveals that a consistent normative set of rules governed the iconographic repertoire, which could be used in each section of the coffin and simultaneously provided an efficient way to introduce
variations to enhance the uniqueness of each object. These processes are crucial to an understanding of the involvement of the priesthood of Amun-Ra in the supervision and management of Theban workshops
during Dynasty 21.
This volume thus represents the awakening of the international scientific community for the significance and importance of the Tomb of the Priests as a major archaeological find, one that can open new perspectives in the study of the Third Intermediate Period in Thebes.
Table of Contents
List of figures
Preface
1. A dwelling by the Nile: The Predynastic grave of “Gebelein Man A”
2. On the path to Sokar: Solar splendours in the Mastaba of Ti
3. Facing the sun: The shaft tomb of Senebtisi
4. Flying back home: The grave of the “Gurnah Queen”
5. A house on the edge of the world: The Tomb of Kha and Merit (TT 8)
6. The Garden of Heaven: The family tomb of Sennedjem (TT 1)
7. The healing light: The burial assemblage of the priestess Tabasety
8. The divine brotherhood: The Tomb of the Priests of Amun
9. Conclusion
Bibliography
Papers by Rogério Sousa
complexity. The analysis concentrates on the central panel and examines the variations introduced in the normative scheme of this composition from the Ramesside Period to the beginning of Dynasty 22. This ‘genealogical’ method reveals that a consistent normative set of rules governed the iconographic repertoire, which could be used in each section of the coffin and simultaneously provided an efficient way to introduce
variations to enhance the uniqueness of each object. These processes are crucial to an understanding of the involvement of the priesthood of Amun-Ra in the supervision and management of Theban workshops
during Dynasty 21.
This volume thus represents the awakening of the international scientific community for the significance and importance of the Tomb of the Priests as a major archaeological find, one that can open new perspectives in the study of the Third Intermediate Period in Thebes.
Table of Contents
List of figures
Preface
1. A dwelling by the Nile: The Predynastic grave of “Gebelein Man A”
2. On the path to Sokar: Solar splendours in the Mastaba of Ti
3. Facing the sun: The shaft tomb of Senebtisi
4. Flying back home: The grave of the “Gurnah Queen”
5. A house on the edge of the world: The Tomb of Kha and Merit (TT 8)
6. The Garden of Heaven: The family tomb of Sennedjem (TT 1)
7. The healing light: The burial assemblage of the priestess Tabasety
8. The divine brotherhood: The Tomb of the Priests of Amun
9. Conclusion
Bibliography
Despite the impact of the cult of Sarapis in the Hellenistic world, the origins of his cult remain unclear. In this article we put in contrast the references allusive to the origins of the god, which suggest a foreign origin of the cult, with those relative to the etymology, iconography and cult of the god, the later pointing out to an autochthonous origin of the cult of the Sarapis.
Denmark, comprises an anthropoid coffin, a mummy-cover and a mummy. Several analyses have been carried out on the
human remains since their arrival to the Museum in 1950 but these results have never been published nor critically accessed
from an Egyptological perspective. Notwithstanding the unique opportunity provided by this burial assemblage to carry out
the integrated study of the funerary equipment and the human remains, only recently has the coffin set been thoroughly
analysed, described and published. This paper presents the results obtained from former anthropological studies with an
Egyptological assessment of the data, comparing them with the information provided by the burial equipment. The critical
integration of this data reveals important clues regarding the special social status held by an elderly woman suffering from
a severe and chronic disability within the priesthood of Amun during the Twenty-first Dynasty
of demotic culture during Greco-Roman Period this chapter is focused on the Egyptian
background behind the multicultural tradition that rose in the Serapeum of Alexandria.
Despite of its Hellenistic atmosphere, the Alexandrian Serapeum was the cradle of a new
multicultural tradition: within its sacred precinct Greco-Egyptian deities received cult in
the temple of Sarapis, while a multicultural community of scholars was actively engaged
in the creation of a vast repertoire of texts and iconography. With its roots grounded on
the Egyptian wisdom, such tradition was expressed in Greek or demotic philosophical discourses
and was in use by a wide multicultural population, reaching so disparate territories
as the Egyptian oasis of the Western Desert or the shores of the Atlantic.
expect to find only one meaning attributed to it, nor that its meaning stayed unchangeable. In this study, our aim is to point out the main symbolic uses of the heart amulet through the analysis of its artistic rendering and also to suggest its variations throughout the Egyptian history.
et le rôle magique des amulettes de coeur.