PhD Thesis by Nozomu Kawai
"This study deals with four major topics concerning Tutankhamun's reign by examining all the avai... more "This study deals with four major topics concerning Tutankhamun's reign by examining all the available evidence, which has especially increased over the last two decades. The research strategy is designed as an interdisciplinary approach drawing on epigraphy, philology, art history, and archaeology.
The first chapter examines the Tutankhamun's parentage and family, as well as the historical situation at the end of the Amarna period. The evidence from Amarna suggests that Tutankhamun was most likely a son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. As for the coregent and successor of Akhenaten, there were two rulers: Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten.
Chapter two deals with Tutankhamun's accession and death. Tutankhamun was eventually interred in a modest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, prepared for a contemporary high courtier.
Chapter three is a catalogue of the known monuments of Tutankhamun. This study aims to gather the evidence currently available for a better understanding of Tutankhamun's building and restoration program, which also serves as an important source for the history of Tutankhamun's reign. The data demonstrates that Tutankhamun conducted vital building and restoration activities throughout Egypt within the nine years of his reign, as indicated in his Restoration Stela. The king also consciously stressed his relationship with Amenhotep III as the successor of the orthodoxy.
Chapter four is devoted to the administration under Tutankhamun, which is the major contribution of this study. Approximately 150 office holders were examined in order to evaluate Tutankhamun's government. During Tutankhamun's reign, a pattern emerges wherein high officials take on royal prerogatives. Ay, Horemheb, and Maya functioned as the power behind the throne. It is shown, however, that Ay and Horemheb had a serious antagonistic relationship sometime after Ay ascended to the throne. The prosopographical study reveals that the priests of the temples of the traditional deities were reappointed from the children of influential families, as mentioned in the Restoration Stela."
Books by Nozomu Kawai
Abercromby Press, 2022
Marking the retirement from Waseda University of Professor Jiro Kondo, this collection of thirty-... more Marking the retirement from Waseda University of Professor Jiro Kondo, this collection of thirty-seven essays, written by friends, colleagues and former students — including many world-renowned academics — serves as a timely recognition of the career and achievements of one of Japan’s most distinguished and well-respected Egyptologists. Many of the contributions presented in this Festschrift volume are devoted to the exploration of themes which are closely aligned with Professor Kondo’s own main research areas — the archaeology of Ancient Egypt, the reign and monumental art of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III, and the development of west Theban royal and private tombs of the New Kingdom. These contributions include a wealth of new archaeological discoveries, unpublished material, and new interpretations and perspectives concerning a wide range of subjects. The volume is abundantly illustrated with colour photographs, maps and line drawings.
https://www.abercrombypress.com/books/the-star-who-appears-in-thebes-studies-in-honour-of-jiro-kondo/
by Andrew Bednarski, Aidan Dodson, Jean-Michel Bruffaerts, Tine Bagh, Susanne Voss, Ernst Czerny, Joachim Sliwa, Patrizia Piacentini, Peter Lacovara, Nozomu Kawai, Boyo Ockinga, Daniel Rafaelic, Philippe Mainterot, and Alba Villar Gómez A History of World Egyptology, 2021
A History of World Egyptology is a ground-breaking reference work that traces the study of ancien... more A History of World Egyptology is a ground-breaking reference work that traces the study of ancient Egypt over the past 150 years. Global in purview, it enlarges our understanding of how and why people have looked, and continue to look, into humankind’s distant past through the lens of the enduring allure of ancient Egypt. Written by an international team of scholars, the volume investigates how territories around the world have engaged with and have been inspired by Egyptology, and how that engagement has evolved over time. Each chapter presents a specific territory from an institutional and national perspective, while examining a range of transnational links as well. The volume thus touches on multiple strands of scholarship, embracing not only Egyptology, but also social history, the history of science and reception studies. It will appeal to amateurs and professionals alike.
The catalogue of the exhibition, "The Golden Pharaohs and Pyramids - The Treasure from the Egypti... more The catalogue of the exhibition, "The Golden Pharaohs and Pyramids - The Treasure from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo."
Papers by Nozomu Kawai
Egyptian Archaeology, 2024
Nozomu Kawai reports on the 2023 Japanese-Egyptian mission at North Saqqara, which aimed to delin... more Nozomu Kawai reports on the 2023 Japanese-Egyptian mission at North Saqqara, which aimed to delineate the development of this necropolis over time. New evidence suggest that this funerary landscape was in use for 3,000 yeas, including tombs dating to the Early Dynastic Period through the New Kingdom and into the Graeco-Roman Period.
Orient: Journal of the Society for Near Eastern Studies in Japan, 2024
During Tutankhamun’s reign, the role of the king is subsumed. He may have been a symbolic central... more During Tutankhamun’s reign, the role of the king is subsumed. He may have been a symbolic centrality to Egypt, but in reality, he was a political puppet, probably due to his youth and forces beyond his control. Accordingly, Tutankhamun’s high officials were strongly expressed both in texts and images, which suggests that the high officials’ influence was, to some extent, unprecedented in Egyptian history. It is apparent that Tutankhamun’s government was controlled by a council of high officials who seized power behind the king. The most important men, such as Horemheb, Ay, and Maya, took on royal prerogatives expressed in texts and images. These suggest that the powers of the court officials seem to have increased during Tutankhamun’s reign, while the king was theoretically a symbolic centrality to Egypt.
Wondeful Things: Essay in Honor of Nicholas Reeves, 2023
In this article, I will reevaluate some objects with the name of Neferneferuaten from the tomb of... more In this article, I will reevaluate some objects with the name of Neferneferuaten from the tomb of Tutankhamun, together with other evidence from Amarna and Thebes, in order to understand Neferneferuaten’s identification and the change of her status. As far as I have examined the evidence, it is likely that Nefertiti was appointed as Akhenaten’s coregent after the death of his first coregent Smenkhkare. Then, the widowed queen of Smenkhkare, Meritaten, seems to have kept her title as the “Great Royal Wife.” After Meritaten disappeared, the royal family at Amarna was represented by Akhenaten, Nefertiti (as Neferneferuaten), and Ankhesenpaaten, as represented on several pieces of evidence. After Akhenaten’s death, Neferneferuaten became the sole ruler before Tutankhamun’s accession. I will demonstrate that Neferneferuaten’s epithet, Axt-n-h(j)=s was obtained while she was already the coregent of Akhenaten, rather than Marc Gabolde’s assumption that she received this title after Akhenaten’s death. Additionally, Neferneferuaten obtained the two epithets mry-Itn, “Beloved of Aten,” and HoA-mAat, “Ruler of Maat,” when she became sole ruler.
Women and Religion in the Ancient Near East and Asia, 2023
The excavation by the Japanese archaeological mission from Waseda University at a rocky outcrop i... more The excavation by the Japanese archaeological mission from Waseda University at a rocky outcrop in Northwest Saqqara yielded a number of terracotta and clay statues in two rock-cut chambers on the southeastern slope of the outcropping.They were found with fragments of wooden statues, a number of MiddleKingdom pottery sherds, and plant micro remains. The most distinguished statuary among them are those representing a lioness goddess, which will be the main topic of this article.
Four terracotta statues and two clay statues depicting either a lioness goddess or lioness were found in a rock-cut chamber, while the remaining clay lioness goddess statues were found in a separate rock-cut chamber. Notably, one of the terracotta statues was inscribed with the Horus name and prenomen of Khufu, along with the prenomen of Pepy I. They were found with Middle Kingdom pottery, but the statues themselves were apparently repaired several times in antiquity.
In this article, I will reconstruct the life history of these lioness goddess
statues from the Fourth Dynasty to the end of the Middle Kingdom and relate itto the cult of the lioness goddess in this part of the Memphite Necropolis. First,I will explain the archaeological context of the lioness goddess statuary with the other associated finds. Second, I will describe their style, date, reuse, collapse or destruction, ancient restorations, rearrangement and ritual burial. Finally, I will propose the nature of the cult of lioness goddess at this remote outcropping at Northwest Saqqara.
The Star Who Appears in Thebes. Studies in Honour of Jiro Kondo, 2022
Archaeological remains at the Abusir-Saqqara Necropolis from the Second Intermediate Period to th... more Archaeological remains at the Abusir-Saqqara Necropolis from the Second Intermediate Period to the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty are scant and little known. In the 2003 season of excavation, twelve individuals, dating from the end of the Second Intermediate Period to the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty, were discovered in a group burial, located on the southern slope of the prominent rocky outcropping in the desert to the north-west of the Saqqara Necropolis. Based on both archaeological and anthropological evidence, these multiple burials are defined as simultaneous multiple burials, where buried individuals were interred at the sametime, most probably due to genocide.3 Notably, young and adult males seem to have had the habit of riding on equids. The artefacts accompanied with them represent mixed material cultures of Egypt and Syro-Palestine, implying the nature of burial customs from the Second Intermediate Period to the early New Kingdom. This article reports the intact simultaneous multiple burials from Northwest Saqqara and considers the nature of the burial custom. It will be argued that our multiple burials at Northwest Saqqara belong to the same cultural tradition as the contemporary sites in the Fayum region. This may show that communities practicing mixed material cultures of both Egypt and Syro-Palestine continued during the period of the Hyksos wars into the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Scribe. The Magazine of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2022
In spite of Tutankhamun’s tomb – discovered 100 years ago this year – being the richest ever foun... more In spite of Tutankhamun’s tomb – discovered 100 years ago this year – being the richest ever found in Egypt, his reign has been obscured due to the erasure of his memory by later kings and the dearth of hard evidence. He was long considered an unimportant king and his reign was largely disregarded due to its short duration of less than a decade. However, considerable evidence to the contrary is available nowadays thanks to recent archaeological excavations, epigraphic studies in the temples and tombs, and meticulous research in museums around the world. This article aims to introduce the current understanding of Tutankhamun and his time utilizing new evidence about the king and his court officials.
Miroslav Bárta, Filip Coppens, Jaromír Krejčí, eds., Abusir and Saqqara in the year 2020, Prague: Charles University, 2021
The archaeological exploration of Old Kingdom cemeteries provides us with a considerable amount o... more The archaeological exploration of Old Kingdom cemeteries provides us with a considerable amount of vessels containing inside traces or, in some cases, even thick layers of white substance, whether mortar, plaster or gypsum, coming from diverse contexts. While these vessels are undoubtedly part of what can be dubbed as repurposed and secondarily reused pottery, they should not be simply overlooked or ignored, as they often provide indirect evidence of rituals or activities closely connected to performing rituals. Their presence in the burial chambers, shafts and cultic areas can often signify either sealing or purifying rites that were executed during the burial or in the course of later ritual activities.
Miroslav Bárta, Filip Coppens, Jaromír Krejčí, eds., Abusir and Saqqara in the year 2020, Prague: Charles University, 2021
The archaeological exploration of Old Kingdom cemeteries provides us with a considerable amount o... more The archaeological exploration of Old Kingdom cemeteries provides us with a considerable amount of vessels containing inside traces or, in some cases, even thick layers of white substance, whether mortar, plaster or gypsum, coming from diverse contexts. While these vessels are undoubtedly part of what can be dubbed as repurposed and secondarily reused pottery, they should not be simply overlooked or ignored, as they often provide indirect evidence of rituals or activities closely connected to performing rituals. Their presence in the burial chambers, shafts and cultic areas can often signify either sealing or purifying rites that were executed during the burial or in the course of later ritual activities.
CIPEG Journal: Ancient Egyptian & Sudanese Collections and Museums, 2020
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities... more The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities have been collaborating on the Grand Egyptian Museum Joint Conservation Project (GEM-JC), and since 2016 this team carried out the scientific research of the ‘second state chariot’ (JE61990). In the course of the detailed condition survey of the chariot, localized surface damage from where material had been anciently torn away from the corners and near the rear of the exterior sides of the chariot’s body was observed. Carter’s assistant Arthur Mace had noted this and assumed some metal elements had been wrenched off from these locations. Recently, the late Edwin C. Brock concluded that these remnants were fitting places of the four support poles of the canopy frame hitherto dubbed by Carter as Tutankhamun’s ‘travelling canopy’ (JE60705). Detailed measurements of both the chariot and canopy have now proved Brock’s hypothesis that the two items indeed made a canopied chariot. This paper also presents new discoveries and offers a tentative virtual reconstruction as support for the inclusion of virtual museum displays in galleries.
Egyptian Archaeology, 2020
In 2015, the Japanese-Egyptian Mission to North Saqqara was granted permission to conduct an arch... more In 2015, the Japanese-Egyptian Mission to North Saqqara was granted permission to conduct an archaeological survey in the area. Its main goal is the exploration of the New Kingdom cemeteries, which until recently have never been fully investigated. Field director Nozomu Kawai reports on the seasons since autumn 2017, and in particular on the discovery of a Roman catacomb last year.
CIPEG Journal: Ancient Egyptian & Sudanese Collections and Museums, 2017
Egyptology in Japan is relatively unknown to the rest of the world, although recently more Japan... more Egyptology in Japan is relatively unknown to the rest of the world, although recently more Japanese scholars have been involved with a range of Egyptological projects, including archaeological excavations, conservation, philological studies and cooperation in the construction of the Grand Egyptian Museum. This paper aims present an overview of Japanese Egyptology from its beginning to the present, and look to its future. The article is divided into
three parts: history of scholarship; history of archaeological fieldworks in Egypt; and Egyptian collections in Japan.
LIBER AMICORUM. MARTINO RAVEN DECIES MILLE DIERUM OB STRENUAM FELICEMQUE ANTIQUITATUM AEGYPTIARUM OBLATUS CONTENTIONEM, 2018
A description of a very first shabti figure from the Ramesside Period found in the Khaemwaset Hil... more A description of a very first shabti figure from the Ramesside Period found in the Khaemwaset Hill at Northwest Saqqara.
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PhD Thesis by Nozomu Kawai
The first chapter examines the Tutankhamun's parentage and family, as well as the historical situation at the end of the Amarna period. The evidence from Amarna suggests that Tutankhamun was most likely a son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. As for the coregent and successor of Akhenaten, there were two rulers: Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten.
Chapter two deals with Tutankhamun's accession and death. Tutankhamun was eventually interred in a modest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, prepared for a contemporary high courtier.
Chapter three is a catalogue of the known monuments of Tutankhamun. This study aims to gather the evidence currently available for a better understanding of Tutankhamun's building and restoration program, which also serves as an important source for the history of Tutankhamun's reign. The data demonstrates that Tutankhamun conducted vital building and restoration activities throughout Egypt within the nine years of his reign, as indicated in his Restoration Stela. The king also consciously stressed his relationship with Amenhotep III as the successor of the orthodoxy.
Chapter four is devoted to the administration under Tutankhamun, which is the major contribution of this study. Approximately 150 office holders were examined in order to evaluate Tutankhamun's government. During Tutankhamun's reign, a pattern emerges wherein high officials take on royal prerogatives. Ay, Horemheb, and Maya functioned as the power behind the throne. It is shown, however, that Ay and Horemheb had a serious antagonistic relationship sometime after Ay ascended to the throne. The prosopographical study reveals that the priests of the temples of the traditional deities were reappointed from the children of influential families, as mentioned in the Restoration Stela."
Books by Nozomu Kawai
https://www.abercrombypress.com/books/the-star-who-appears-in-thebes-studies-in-honour-of-jiro-kondo/
Papers by Nozomu Kawai
Four terracotta statues and two clay statues depicting either a lioness goddess or lioness were found in a rock-cut chamber, while the remaining clay lioness goddess statues were found in a separate rock-cut chamber. Notably, one of the terracotta statues was inscribed with the Horus name and prenomen of Khufu, along with the prenomen of Pepy I. They were found with Middle Kingdom pottery, but the statues themselves were apparently repaired several times in antiquity.
In this article, I will reconstruct the life history of these lioness goddess
statues from the Fourth Dynasty to the end of the Middle Kingdom and relate itto the cult of the lioness goddess in this part of the Memphite Necropolis. First,I will explain the archaeological context of the lioness goddess statuary with the other associated finds. Second, I will describe their style, date, reuse, collapse or destruction, ancient restorations, rearrangement and ritual burial. Finally, I will propose the nature of the cult of lioness goddess at this remote outcropping at Northwest Saqqara.
three parts: history of scholarship; history of archaeological fieldworks in Egypt; and Egyptian collections in Japan.
The first chapter examines the Tutankhamun's parentage and family, as well as the historical situation at the end of the Amarna period. The evidence from Amarna suggests that Tutankhamun was most likely a son of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. As for the coregent and successor of Akhenaten, there were two rulers: Smenkhkare and Neferneferuaten.
Chapter two deals with Tutankhamun's accession and death. Tutankhamun was eventually interred in a modest tomb in the Valley of the Kings, prepared for a contemporary high courtier.
Chapter three is a catalogue of the known monuments of Tutankhamun. This study aims to gather the evidence currently available for a better understanding of Tutankhamun's building and restoration program, which also serves as an important source for the history of Tutankhamun's reign. The data demonstrates that Tutankhamun conducted vital building and restoration activities throughout Egypt within the nine years of his reign, as indicated in his Restoration Stela. The king also consciously stressed his relationship with Amenhotep III as the successor of the orthodoxy.
Chapter four is devoted to the administration under Tutankhamun, which is the major contribution of this study. Approximately 150 office holders were examined in order to evaluate Tutankhamun's government. During Tutankhamun's reign, a pattern emerges wherein high officials take on royal prerogatives. Ay, Horemheb, and Maya functioned as the power behind the throne. It is shown, however, that Ay and Horemheb had a serious antagonistic relationship sometime after Ay ascended to the throne. The prosopographical study reveals that the priests of the temples of the traditional deities were reappointed from the children of influential families, as mentioned in the Restoration Stela."
https://www.abercrombypress.com/books/the-star-who-appears-in-thebes-studies-in-honour-of-jiro-kondo/
Four terracotta statues and two clay statues depicting either a lioness goddess or lioness were found in a rock-cut chamber, while the remaining clay lioness goddess statues were found in a separate rock-cut chamber. Notably, one of the terracotta statues was inscribed with the Horus name and prenomen of Khufu, along with the prenomen of Pepy I. They were found with Middle Kingdom pottery, but the statues themselves were apparently repaired several times in antiquity.
In this article, I will reconstruct the life history of these lioness goddess
statues from the Fourth Dynasty to the end of the Middle Kingdom and relate itto the cult of the lioness goddess in this part of the Memphite Necropolis. First,I will explain the archaeological context of the lioness goddess statuary with the other associated finds. Second, I will describe their style, date, reuse, collapse or destruction, ancient restorations, rearrangement and ritual burial. Finally, I will propose the nature of the cult of lioness goddess at this remote outcropping at Northwest Saqqara.
three parts: history of scholarship; history of archaeological fieldworks in Egypt; and Egyptian collections in Japan.
University began working in the al-Khokha area in the Theban Necropolis
in 2007 under the direction of Prof. Jiro Kondo. Since then, the team
has rediscovered the tomb of Userhat (TT 47), Overseer of the King’s
Private Apartment under Amenhotep III, which had been excavated by
the umda (headman) of al-Qurna village early in the 20th century. When
clearing its forecourt, the team discovered the previously unknown tomb
of Khonsuemheb, dating to the Ramesside Period. Jiro Kondo and
Nozomu Kawai discuss the highlights of recent work done at the site.
the wives of Panedjem II, who controlled Thebes and the Upper Egypt during the Twentyfirst Dynasty in Egypt. These shabti figures are made of the bright blue faience typical of the early first millennium BCE. Black ink is used to delineate facial features, attributes (including headdresses, hoes, and seed bags), and inscriptions in cursive hieroglyphs. The text on these shabti figures is an abbreviation of chapter 6 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the so-called shabti spell, which describes the process of “activation” for the figures and what they will do: As is common by this period, the text is somewhat corrupted. These figures were mold-made, but not from the same mold, and it is likely that several molds would have been used for a production run. These figures came from the tomb so-called the Royal Cache at Deir el Bahri where a number of royal mummies of the New Kingdom together with the family of the High Priest of Amun Panedjem were found. Around 1870, the tomb was found by local antiquities
hunters, who began selling smaller objects from the burial. It is probable that the shabti figures now at the Okayama Orient Museum went to the antique market around this time.
URL: https://www.arce.org/tutankhamuns-court