I currently am a postdoctoral researcher of the National Fund for Scientific Research (Belgium), working in the Ancient Worlds research unit, Department of Antiquity Sciences, Faculty of Philosophy and Letters at the University of Liège.
My research interests focus on ancient Egyptian (icono)texts, which includes textual criticism, textual transmission, (socio)pragmatics, scribal practices, paratextual studies, and the materiality of writing.
Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, 2024
This paper is conceived as a first step towards the Kemyt (re)contextualization. By exploring the... more This paper is conceived as a first step towards the Kemyt (re)contextualization. By exploring the specific layout and paratext of Kemyt, it intends to shed light on the scribes who wrote the many partial copies of this letter-like composition and in which circumstances. I first address the layout, the ink choices, and the writing orientation. I then turn my attention to the text structure: dividers, ending marks, as well as colophons, dedications, and underwriting. The dated ostraca and their frequent identification as school exercises are discussed before moving on to the textual revision practices and looking for an explanation to the low proportion of corrected texts despite faulty content. All this enabled me to highlight a set of scribal practices, in which scribes draw, some being proper to the Kemyt, some being common to the rest of the text production. These practices revealed a complex network, from beginning students to senior scribes, through assistant scribes and early career scribes, which contributed to the crafting and the transmission of scribal knowledge during the New Kingdom.
The secondary epigraphy in the pyramid precinct of Senwosret III in Dahshur has revealed a new ex... more The secondary epigraphy in the pyramid precinct of Senwosret III in Dahshur has revealed a new excerpt of Kemyt (reg. no. 03.467). This paper offers the edition of this new dipinto and provides a discussion of its context. It also highlights parallels between royal and non-royal secondary epigraphy.
Nous présentons ici deux éclats de calcaire inédits, O. UC 31953 et O. IFAO OL 6666 (anciennement... more Nous présentons ici deux éclats de calcaire inédits, O. UC 31953 et O. IFAO OL 6666 (anciennement O. DeM inv. C 1572), conservés dans des collections distinctes, mais qui se révèlent être deux fragments d’un même ostracon (cf. pl. Ia–b).
In the House of Heqanakht: Text and Context in Ancient Egypt. Studies Presented in Honor of James P. Allen, 2023
Following my research on the speech captions ('Reden und Rufe') in the so-called daily-life scene... more Following my research on the speech captions ('Reden und Rufe') in the so-called daily-life scenes in private tombs, I focus my attention on the Amarna tombs, which I purposely disregarded in my Ph.D. dissertation. The classical daily-life scenes, such as harvesting crops or cattle feeding, are indeed scarcely part of their decorative programs. No caption of any kind complements these scenes. Speeches and songs are, however, added in new themes, proper to the Amarna Period, as reward by the King. In this paper, I will discuss these captions and explore their relationships with the text corpus commonly known as 'Reden und Rufe'.
Ägyptologische „Binsen“-Weisheiten IV. Hieratisch des Neuen Reiches: Akteure, Formen und Funktionen, 2022
This paper is conceived as a case study to examine how relevant the Kemit script is for a better ... more This paper is conceived as a case study to examine how relevant the Kemit script is for a better understanding of New Kingdom cursive scripts. In this perspective, I concentrate on the wooden tablets that bear extract(s) of this literary letter. After a concise description of each tablet, I consider its layout and its mise-en-texte. I then devote my attention to the recorded handwriting(s). To illustrate this point, I selected five signs: the yodh, the owl-sign, the hare-sign, the third h, and one eye-sign (combination of Gardiner D5-6 and D9). I compare them with earlier, contemporaneous, and later witnesses of the Kemit written on ostraca or papyrus to provide a diachronic perspective and to draw some preliminary conclusions.
Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2021
Dans cet article, je m’intéresse aux légendes discursives des scènes dites de vie quotidienne dan... more Dans cet article, je m’intéresse aux légendes discursives des scènes dites de vie quotidienne dans les tombes privées, de l’Ancien Empire à la Basse Époque, parfois plus connues sous le nom de Reden und Rufe, dans le but de présenter quelques moyens mis en place par les scribes et/ou artistes égyptiens pour distinguer formellement ces légendes des autres inscriptions présentes dans les demeures d’éternité de l’élite. Pour ce faire, je reviens sur la relation prégnante qui unit texte et image en Égypte ancienne avant d’aborder la mise en page (ordinatio-layout) et la mise en texte (form) de ces légendes discursives. Cela me permet de retracer l’apparition de marques discursives dans les tombeaux de l’Ancien Empire, qui sont autant d’indices d’une paratextualité émergente dans les inscriptions monumentales. Sont ensuite présentés de manière diachronique les différents moyens paratextuels mis en place pour catégoriser une légende, tantôt comme un discours, tantôt comme un chant : les formules Dd, les incises finales avec le verbe in ainsi que les expressions xn n wSb et xn n nhm.
[ENGLISH] In this paper, I investigate the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period. I aim to show some of the ways used by the Egyptian scribes and/or artists to formally distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After presenting the text-image interrelation and the most common speech caption layouts, I turn my attention to the form(s) of these captions and trace back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as first evidence of paratextuality. I then offer a diachronic overview of the other paratextual means used to categorize a caption as a speech or a song: Dd-formulas, the parenthetic in indicating a direct quotation as well as the expression xn n wSb and xn n nhm.
Signes dans les textes, Continuités et ruptures des pratiques scribales en égypte pharaonique, gréco-romaine et byzantine, Actes du colloque international de Liège (2-4 juin 2016), 2020
[en] This paper’s aim is twofold. First, it describes the use of paratextual signs in the New Kin... more [en] This paper’s aim is twofold. First, it describes the use of paratextual signs in the New Kingdom medico-magical corpus (c. 1570-1069 BCE) and secondly, it defines their functions, when applicable. The focus lays on hieratic texts written on papyri and ostraca. The shape of the paper follows the internal, or chronological, logic of a text. After a few introductory comments (1-2), we address the layout (3), the copying process, including the structure and the emendations (4), and lastly, the signs put around the text, i.e. the peritext (5). We eventually show the richness of such a study on paratextual signs for a better understanding of scribal practices and textual traditions in Ancient Egyptian texts.
[fr] Cet article s’attache à décrire l’utilisation des signes paratextuels dans le corpus médico-magique du Nouvel Empire (1552-1069 av. n. è.) et, lorsque cela est d’application, à définir les fonctions de ces signes. Le corpus étudié est celui des textes hiératiques écrits sur ostraca et papyri. La structure de l’article suit la logique interne, ou chronologique, d’un texte. Après quelques considérations préliminaires (sections 1-2), nous abordons la mise en page (section 3), le processus de copie, en ce compris la structure et les modifications (section 4), et enfin les signes marginaux, placés autour du texte (section 5). En guise de conclusion, nous montrons la richesse des études consacrées aux signes paratextuels pour une meilleure compréhension des pratiques scribales et des traditions textuelles dans les textes de l’Égypte antique.
In this paper, I discuss the (pseudo)-interrogative phrases, both those that are introduced by an interrogative word as well as those that are not. My aim is to provide a synchronic and diachronic study of such sentences and to illustrate a few of their uses in the Reden und Rufe corpus. after a short introduction (section 1), the predicate questions (jn and jn-jw) are considered in section 2 and adjunct questions built with the interrogative pronouns jSs.t, zy, m and the interrogative adverb Tn(y) in section 3. Section 3 will further discuss a couple of affirmative and exclamative sentences, which have to be linked with the rhetorical question jSs.t pw. The fourth and last section before conclusions is devoted to three cases studies relevant for this investigation, i.e. the proclitic particle js, which allows the speaker to distance himself from his words through an ironic statement (4.1), interrogative phrases without interrogative words (4.2), and the particle Xy hitherto known from letters only (4.3). as a result 50 examples from old Kingdom mastabas to Late period tombs have been considered. even if real (or ordinary) questions (OQs) arose in a few cases, there is a clear majority of rhetorical questions (RQs), which are uninformative and assertive. Both OQs and RQs can be expressed by means of the same syntactic structure, be it predicate questions, adjuncts questions, or interrogative phrases without interrogative words. Some are however preferred for RQs, and vice versa. The RQs as adjunct questions, which are predominant in this text corpus, invoke a predetermined answer from the addressee, being either jnk pw or jnk + nominalized participle. As such they reveal a first rhetorical strategy in which the answer is the counterpart of the question with exactly the same syntactic structure (jSs.t pw – jnk pw, zy pw – jnk pw, and (j)n-m + participle – jnk + participle). The jSs.t pw and (j)n-m + participle patterns expose a further rhetorical strategy in which the speaker and/or the addressee is/are objectified.
EDAL 6 Old Kingdom Art and Archaeology 7 Proceedings of the International Conference, 2019
The aim of this paper is to describe the variety of ways by which the common workers speak to or ... more The aim of this paper is to describe the variety of ways by which the common workers speak to or offer something to the owner of a private tomb in Old Kingdom daily-life scenes. Moreover, it retraces the development of dedicatory formulas in "Reden und Rufe" from the 5th Dynasty to the end of the 6th Dynasty with a short overview of the subsequent speech captions.
BIFAO (Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale), 2018
English: This paper aims at shedding light on a rather neglected corpus, the so-called ‘Reden und... more English: This paper aims at shedding light on a rather neglected corpus, the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’. In this regard, I focus on the question of their identity as a literary genre. In seeking to define the identity of a literary genre, I first consider the structuralist approach of G. Genette and its possible applications to Ancient Egyptian texts (sections 1-2). In a second step, I apply his three criteria (modes, themes, and forms) to a workable sample of Reden und Rufe, in Old and Middle Kingdom private tombs, after having discussed the previous studies on the subject and the corpus dynamicity (section 3). I eventually offer a characterization of the Reden und Rufe, which appear to be subject to adaptations, either insertion in new kinds of ‘daily-life’ scenes or inception of a new literary genre, the harpist songs.
Français: Le présent article envisage un corpus de textes, lesdits « Reden und Rufe », qui ont été relativement négligés jusqu’à présent, dans le but de déterminer leur identité en tant que genre littéraire propre. Pour ce faire, je m’appuie sur la théorie de G. Genette, tout en m’interrogeant sur sa faisabilité pour des textes anciens, tels que les documents de l’Égypte pharaonique, dans les deux premières sections de cet article. J’applique ensuite, dans la troisième section, les trois critères de Genette (modes, thèmes et formes) aux Reden und Rufe provenant des tombes privées de l’Ancien et du Moyen Empire, après avoir rendu compte du caractère dynamique de l’ensemble du corpus. En guise de conclusion, je propose une définition préliminaire des Reden und Rufe, tout en soulignant la perméabilité du genre, que ce soit par leur propension à apparaître dans de nouveaux motifs de scènes dites de la vie quotidienne ou par la dissociation progressive d’un sous-corpus, qui finit par former son propre genre littéraire, lesdits « chants du harpiste ».
This paper studies the Reden und Rufe present in Middle Kingdom wrestling scenes found in the tom... more This paper studies the Reden und Rufe present in Middle Kingdom wrestling scenes found in the tombs of Senbi (Meir), Neheri I (Deir el-Bersha), and Khety (Beni Hassan). Based on a systematic study, some improvements are suggested to previous translations. After offering commentaries and translation(s) for each speech, the relationship between these scenes and those in Old Kingdom tombs is considered, and distinctive features highlighted.
Speech captions found in daily life scenes of private tombs, also named Reden und Rufe, are mostl... more Speech captions found in daily life scenes of private tombs, also named Reden und Rufe, are mostly known by the studies of Erman (1919), Montet (1925), and Guglielmi (1973). Yet, many questions have been left unanswered: when, where, how did they appear? This paper aims at giving an overview of these issues.
Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, 2024
This paper is conceived as a first step towards the Kemyt (re)contextualization. By exploring the... more This paper is conceived as a first step towards the Kemyt (re)contextualization. By exploring the specific layout and paratext of Kemyt, it intends to shed light on the scribes who wrote the many partial copies of this letter-like composition and in which circumstances. I first address the layout, the ink choices, and the writing orientation. I then turn my attention to the text structure: dividers, ending marks, as well as colophons, dedications, and underwriting. The dated ostraca and their frequent identification as school exercises are discussed before moving on to the textual revision practices and looking for an explanation to the low proportion of corrected texts despite faulty content. All this enabled me to highlight a set of scribal practices, in which scribes draw, some being proper to the Kemyt, some being common to the rest of the text production. These practices revealed a complex network, from beginning students to senior scribes, through assistant scribes and early career scribes, which contributed to the crafting and the transmission of scribal knowledge during the New Kingdom.
The secondary epigraphy in the pyramid precinct of Senwosret III in Dahshur has revealed a new ex... more The secondary epigraphy in the pyramid precinct of Senwosret III in Dahshur has revealed a new excerpt of Kemyt (reg. no. 03.467). This paper offers the edition of this new dipinto and provides a discussion of its context. It also highlights parallels between royal and non-royal secondary epigraphy.
Nous présentons ici deux éclats de calcaire inédits, O. UC 31953 et O. IFAO OL 6666 (anciennement... more Nous présentons ici deux éclats de calcaire inédits, O. UC 31953 et O. IFAO OL 6666 (anciennement O. DeM inv. C 1572), conservés dans des collections distinctes, mais qui se révèlent être deux fragments d’un même ostracon (cf. pl. Ia–b).
In the House of Heqanakht: Text and Context in Ancient Egypt. Studies Presented in Honor of James P. Allen, 2023
Following my research on the speech captions ('Reden und Rufe') in the so-called daily-life scene... more Following my research on the speech captions ('Reden und Rufe') in the so-called daily-life scenes in private tombs, I focus my attention on the Amarna tombs, which I purposely disregarded in my Ph.D. dissertation. The classical daily-life scenes, such as harvesting crops or cattle feeding, are indeed scarcely part of their decorative programs. No caption of any kind complements these scenes. Speeches and songs are, however, added in new themes, proper to the Amarna Period, as reward by the King. In this paper, I will discuss these captions and explore their relationships with the text corpus commonly known as 'Reden und Rufe'.
Ägyptologische „Binsen“-Weisheiten IV. Hieratisch des Neuen Reiches: Akteure, Formen und Funktionen, 2022
This paper is conceived as a case study to examine how relevant the Kemit script is for a better ... more This paper is conceived as a case study to examine how relevant the Kemit script is for a better understanding of New Kingdom cursive scripts. In this perspective, I concentrate on the wooden tablets that bear extract(s) of this literary letter. After a concise description of each tablet, I consider its layout and its mise-en-texte. I then devote my attention to the recorded handwriting(s). To illustrate this point, I selected five signs: the yodh, the owl-sign, the hare-sign, the third h, and one eye-sign (combination of Gardiner D5-6 and D9). I compare them with earlier, contemporaneous, and later witnesses of the Kemit written on ostraca or papyrus to provide a diachronic perspective and to draw some preliminary conclusions.
Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2021
Dans cet article, je m’intéresse aux légendes discursives des scènes dites de vie quotidienne dan... more Dans cet article, je m’intéresse aux légendes discursives des scènes dites de vie quotidienne dans les tombes privées, de l’Ancien Empire à la Basse Époque, parfois plus connues sous le nom de Reden und Rufe, dans le but de présenter quelques moyens mis en place par les scribes et/ou artistes égyptiens pour distinguer formellement ces légendes des autres inscriptions présentes dans les demeures d’éternité de l’élite. Pour ce faire, je reviens sur la relation prégnante qui unit texte et image en Égypte ancienne avant d’aborder la mise en page (ordinatio-layout) et la mise en texte (form) de ces légendes discursives. Cela me permet de retracer l’apparition de marques discursives dans les tombeaux de l’Ancien Empire, qui sont autant d’indices d’une paratextualité émergente dans les inscriptions monumentales. Sont ensuite présentés de manière diachronique les différents moyens paratextuels mis en place pour catégoriser une légende, tantôt comme un discours, tantôt comme un chant : les formules Dd, les incises finales avec le verbe in ainsi que les expressions xn n wSb et xn n nhm.
[ENGLISH] In this paper, I investigate the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period. I aim to show some of the ways used by the Egyptian scribes and/or artists to formally distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After presenting the text-image interrelation and the most common speech caption layouts, I turn my attention to the form(s) of these captions and trace back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as first evidence of paratextuality. I then offer a diachronic overview of the other paratextual means used to categorize a caption as a speech or a song: Dd-formulas, the parenthetic in indicating a direct quotation as well as the expression xn n wSb and xn n nhm.
Signes dans les textes, Continuités et ruptures des pratiques scribales en égypte pharaonique, gréco-romaine et byzantine, Actes du colloque international de Liège (2-4 juin 2016), 2020
[en] This paper’s aim is twofold. First, it describes the use of paratextual signs in the New Kin... more [en] This paper’s aim is twofold. First, it describes the use of paratextual signs in the New Kingdom medico-magical corpus (c. 1570-1069 BCE) and secondly, it defines their functions, when applicable. The focus lays on hieratic texts written on papyri and ostraca. The shape of the paper follows the internal, or chronological, logic of a text. After a few introductory comments (1-2), we address the layout (3), the copying process, including the structure and the emendations (4), and lastly, the signs put around the text, i.e. the peritext (5). We eventually show the richness of such a study on paratextual signs for a better understanding of scribal practices and textual traditions in Ancient Egyptian texts.
[fr] Cet article s’attache à décrire l’utilisation des signes paratextuels dans le corpus médico-magique du Nouvel Empire (1552-1069 av. n. è.) et, lorsque cela est d’application, à définir les fonctions de ces signes. Le corpus étudié est celui des textes hiératiques écrits sur ostraca et papyri. La structure de l’article suit la logique interne, ou chronologique, d’un texte. Après quelques considérations préliminaires (sections 1-2), nous abordons la mise en page (section 3), le processus de copie, en ce compris la structure et les modifications (section 4), et enfin les signes marginaux, placés autour du texte (section 5). En guise de conclusion, nous montrons la richesse des études consacrées aux signes paratextuels pour une meilleure compréhension des pratiques scribales et des traditions textuelles dans les textes de l’Égypte antique.
In this paper, I discuss the (pseudo)-interrogative phrases, both those that are introduced by an interrogative word as well as those that are not. My aim is to provide a synchronic and diachronic study of such sentences and to illustrate a few of their uses in the Reden und Rufe corpus. after a short introduction (section 1), the predicate questions (jn and jn-jw) are considered in section 2 and adjunct questions built with the interrogative pronouns jSs.t, zy, m and the interrogative adverb Tn(y) in section 3. Section 3 will further discuss a couple of affirmative and exclamative sentences, which have to be linked with the rhetorical question jSs.t pw. The fourth and last section before conclusions is devoted to three cases studies relevant for this investigation, i.e. the proclitic particle js, which allows the speaker to distance himself from his words through an ironic statement (4.1), interrogative phrases without interrogative words (4.2), and the particle Xy hitherto known from letters only (4.3). as a result 50 examples from old Kingdom mastabas to Late period tombs have been considered. even if real (or ordinary) questions (OQs) arose in a few cases, there is a clear majority of rhetorical questions (RQs), which are uninformative and assertive. Both OQs and RQs can be expressed by means of the same syntactic structure, be it predicate questions, adjuncts questions, or interrogative phrases without interrogative words. Some are however preferred for RQs, and vice versa. The RQs as adjunct questions, which are predominant in this text corpus, invoke a predetermined answer from the addressee, being either jnk pw or jnk + nominalized participle. As such they reveal a first rhetorical strategy in which the answer is the counterpart of the question with exactly the same syntactic structure (jSs.t pw – jnk pw, zy pw – jnk pw, and (j)n-m + participle – jnk + participle). The jSs.t pw and (j)n-m + participle patterns expose a further rhetorical strategy in which the speaker and/or the addressee is/are objectified.
EDAL 6 Old Kingdom Art and Archaeology 7 Proceedings of the International Conference, 2019
The aim of this paper is to describe the variety of ways by which the common workers speak to or ... more The aim of this paper is to describe the variety of ways by which the common workers speak to or offer something to the owner of a private tomb in Old Kingdom daily-life scenes. Moreover, it retraces the development of dedicatory formulas in "Reden und Rufe" from the 5th Dynasty to the end of the 6th Dynasty with a short overview of the subsequent speech captions.
BIFAO (Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale), 2018
English: This paper aims at shedding light on a rather neglected corpus, the so-called ‘Reden und... more English: This paper aims at shedding light on a rather neglected corpus, the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’. In this regard, I focus on the question of their identity as a literary genre. In seeking to define the identity of a literary genre, I first consider the structuralist approach of G. Genette and its possible applications to Ancient Egyptian texts (sections 1-2). In a second step, I apply his three criteria (modes, themes, and forms) to a workable sample of Reden und Rufe, in Old and Middle Kingdom private tombs, after having discussed the previous studies on the subject and the corpus dynamicity (section 3). I eventually offer a characterization of the Reden und Rufe, which appear to be subject to adaptations, either insertion in new kinds of ‘daily-life’ scenes or inception of a new literary genre, the harpist songs.
Français: Le présent article envisage un corpus de textes, lesdits « Reden und Rufe », qui ont été relativement négligés jusqu’à présent, dans le but de déterminer leur identité en tant que genre littéraire propre. Pour ce faire, je m’appuie sur la théorie de G. Genette, tout en m’interrogeant sur sa faisabilité pour des textes anciens, tels que les documents de l’Égypte pharaonique, dans les deux premières sections de cet article. J’applique ensuite, dans la troisième section, les trois critères de Genette (modes, thèmes et formes) aux Reden und Rufe provenant des tombes privées de l’Ancien et du Moyen Empire, après avoir rendu compte du caractère dynamique de l’ensemble du corpus. En guise de conclusion, je propose une définition préliminaire des Reden und Rufe, tout en soulignant la perméabilité du genre, que ce soit par leur propension à apparaître dans de nouveaux motifs de scènes dites de la vie quotidienne ou par la dissociation progressive d’un sous-corpus, qui finit par former son propre genre littéraire, lesdits « chants du harpiste ».
This paper studies the Reden und Rufe present in Middle Kingdom wrestling scenes found in the tom... more This paper studies the Reden und Rufe present in Middle Kingdom wrestling scenes found in the tombs of Senbi (Meir), Neheri I (Deir el-Bersha), and Khety (Beni Hassan). Based on a systematic study, some improvements are suggested to previous translations. After offering commentaries and translation(s) for each speech, the relationship between these scenes and those in Old Kingdom tombs is considered, and distinctive features highlighted.
Speech captions found in daily life scenes of private tombs, also named Reden und Rufe, are mostl... more Speech captions found in daily life scenes of private tombs, also named Reden und Rufe, are mostly known by the studies of Erman (1919), Montet (1925), and Guglielmi (1973). Yet, many questions have been left unanswered: when, where, how did they appear? This paper aims at giving an overview of these issues.
Après une brève présentation des écritures égyptiennes et une introduction au fonctionnement des... more Après une brève présentation des écritures égyptiennes et une introduction au fonctionnement des hiéroglyphes, la langue sacrée des Égyptiens, cette conférence explore les liens qui unissent texte et image. Elle évoque en outre quelques cas particuliers où l’écriture est utilisée de manière symbolique.
Ancient Egyptian private tombs unveil face-to-face interchanges depictions in the so-called daily... more Ancient Egyptian private tombs unveil face-to-face interchanges depictions in the so-called daily-life scenes. They include short texts written as if spoken with a deliberate choice of linguistic features. Not only interactions between superiors and subordinates (high-to-low and low-to-high) are on view but also between low-ranking individuals (equals). This presentation focuses on speech captions between these equals in Old Kingdom tombs. It will explore which Politeness strategies are used in the captions’ linguistic patterns and how it is reflected in the individuals’ attitude. Building on previous Politeness theories, a discussion will follow on Volition and Discernment to find out which aspect is developed in the Old Kingdom depictions of such face-to-face interchanges.
Présentation de mes recherches dans le cadre du Kolloquium für Examenskandidatinnen und -kandadit... more Présentation de mes recherches dans le cadre du Kolloquium für Examenskandidatinnen und -kandaditen à la JGU-Mainz.
This paper sets out to investigate speech captions in private tombs—the so-called Reden und Rufe ... more This paper sets out to investigate speech captions in private tombs—the so-called Reden und Rufe as described first by Adolf Erman in 1918. Choices of Positive, Mock, and Negative (Im-)Politeness will be revealed in the captions’ linguistic patterns. Far from being true samples of the vernacular language in ancient Egypt, they are short texts written as if spoken with a deliberate choice of linguistic features. The scribes (or artists) who worked on the tombs’ decorations consciously chose specific idioms and formulas drawn from a socially imposed set of rules to make these daily-life scenes appear more life-like and real with somehow sound recorded through the captions. This paper will explore which strategies are used to either redress the wants of the addressee’s positive/negative face or to damage the wants of the addressee’s positive/negative face. It will first address interactions between superiors and subordinates (high-to-low and low-to-high). Subsequently, attention will be given to interactions between equals. It is argued that speech captions in private tombs are extremely fruitful research avenues for sociolinguistics and more specifically for (historical) politeness research.
The «Kemyt» is an ancient Egyptian letter-like composition made up of texts from different litera... more The «Kemyt» is an ancient Egyptian letter-like composition made up of texts from different literary genres. The text was first identified in 1948 but despite several studies, there is no fully contextualized overview. This talk should be seen as a first step towards its (re)contextualization. By using an innovative approach in Egyptology, building bridges between three research fields—ancient Egyptian philology, palaeography, and genre theory—we can better understand the scribal identity, practices, and culture in New Kingdom Egypt. The text is no longer an intellectual object but a physical object, with its own history. In that respect, layout and paratext are crucial elements. It allows us to get closer to the scribes as human beings, besides providing a clearer picture of the editing process.
ARCE 2020 Annual Meeting: virtual conference.
This paper presented part of my PhD research resul... more ARCE 2020 Annual Meeting: virtual conference.
This paper presented part of my PhD research results, the focus of which was the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period. It explored the layout and the mise-en-texte of these captions added in the so-called daily-life scenes in private tombs, with insight on paratextual marks. This concept of paratextuality, coined by Gérard Genette in 1987, was rarely applied to ancient Egyptian texts (mostly papyri and ostraca) until quite recently, although it is a fruitful material in this regard. This corpus of texts, embodied in a monumental context, reveals just as much potential. Such formal means are highly indicative for a better understanding of the material textual culture as well as the categorization of these captions as a textual genre per se. This paper showed several means used by the Egyptian scribes to formally distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After a short presentation of the most common layouts and the pregnant text-image relationship, I turned my attention to the mise-en-texte and traced back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as the first evidence of paratextuality. I then discussed further paratextual means, from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom, which were used to indicate the discursive nature of some captions.
The Kemyt-book, whose composition date is still unknown, was widely copied in excerpts on ostraca... more The Kemyt-book, whose composition date is still unknown, was widely copied in excerpts on ostraca, scribe’s palette, tablets, and walls during the New Kingdom (1552 – 1069 BC) but is also known by a few earlier witnesses. For this presentation, my focus lays on wooden tablets that bear extract(s) of this literary letter. By studying these artefacts and their written material aspects, I aim at exemplifying the potential of the Kemyt-book witnesses for the study of New Kingdom cursive scripts and scribal practices. For this purpose, I consider first the layout and the mise-en-texte of these wooden boards and explore the impact of such an artefact. I then devote my attention to the handwritings recorded on these writing boards, with a specific attention to the shape of the cursive signs used, before offering a comparison with Ramesside witnesses of the Kemyt-book in order to better apprehend this archaizing script.
Paper presented at Binsen-Weisheiten IV, Mainz, 9/12/2019.
I here present my new project, for which I consider the Ancient Egyptian text called Kemyt (“the ... more I here present my new project, for which I consider the Ancient Egyptian text called Kemyt (“the compilation”) with the aim of a fully textual contextualization. Quite surprisingly, despite several studies since its first mention in 1948 in Egyptological literature, there is no full analysis. My new project will offer the first comprehensive study and interdisciplinary approach of this Middle Egyptian text at the crossroads of Ancient Egyptian textual philology, palaeography (including scribal practices), and genre theory. In this paper, I will first expose the artefacts, including the 69 new witnesses, which still await proper publication, and the database I’ve created to record all these artefacts. I will then discuss the goals of my project and show a few preliminary results. As a conclusion, I will present the next steps allowing me to achieve my aim of the first fully contextualized overview of the Kemyt.
Paper presented at the 12 International Conference of Egyptologists in Cairo, 4/11/2019.
En nous appuyant sur un historique de la chaire d’égyptologie à l’ULg (depuis sa création en 1902... more En nous appuyant sur un historique de la chaire d’égyptologie à l’ULg (depuis sa création en 1902), nous montrerons comment Ramsès est venu s’inscrire au cœur des projets de recherche du service d’égyptologie à partir de 2006. La présentation s’attachera ensuite à en présenter les derniers développements et à illustrer le caractère novateur de ce projet, tant du point de vue de l’égyptologie et de la linguistique de corpus, que du point de vue — plus large — des humanités numériques. Nous décrirons enfin le réseau de recherche européen dont il participe aujourd’hui, impliquant des collaborations suivies avec différents projets d’ampleur.
This talk aims at describing the use of paratext in the medico-magic corpus of the New Kingdom (c... more This talk aims at describing the use of paratext in the medico-magic corpus of the New Kingdom (c. 1570-1069). The focus will be on hieratic texts written on papyri and ostraca. The first part will consist in typological considerations. From a formal point of view, paratextual notations will be grouped into three categories: (1) paratextual signs stricto sensu; (2) those that are not paratextual signs strictly speaking, as they are hieroglyphic signs, but that have to be understood as such; (3) the use of other visual means (red ink, size of the characters, blank spaces, …) to indicate that some elements are to be read as paratext. In the second part of the talk, we will define the functions (punctuation, emendation marks, layout marking, reading instructions, ...) and the uses of all these signs.
The conference aims at gathering scholars working on several languages and writings used in Ancie... more The conference aims at gathering scholars working on several languages and writings used in Ancient Egypt. It will be held at the University of Liège from June 2nd to 4th, 2016. The definitive schedule and a full description can be found on our websites: http://www.egypto.ulg.ac.be / http://web.philo.ulg.ac.be/cedopal/colloques/
Registration is free, but please send an email to one of the organizers (Nathan Carlig, Guillaume Lescuyer, Aurore Motte, or Nathalie Sojic).
The talk will be given by Roland Enmarch on Tuesday, May 31st 2016 at the University of Liege
La... more The talk will be given by Roland Enmarch on Tuesday, May 31st 2016 at the University of Liege La conférence sera présentée par Roland Enmarch le mardi 31 mai 2016 à l'Université de Liège
Das sog. Schulbuch Kemit ist ein literarischer Text, der im Neuen Reich auf Grabwänden, Holztafel... more Das sog. Schulbuch Kemit ist ein literarischer Text, der im Neuen Reich auf Grabwänden, Holztafeln und Ostraka überliefert ist. Die Quellen stammen vor allem aus Theben aber auch aus anderen Orten wie den Oasen oder Nubien. Diese Textkomposition, die bisher von mehr als 465 (Teil-)Kopien bekannt ist, zeigt viele paratextuelle Elemente (z. B. Datum, Hilfslinien, Kontrollpunkte, Schrägstriche und Kolophone). Dieses Poster präsentiert diese Merkmale und legt ihre Funktionen im Vergleich zu anderen Texten dar.
Presentation of my new project at the Virtual Network Meeting of the Alexander von Humboldt Found... more Presentation of my new project at the Virtual Network Meeting of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation 2020.
Les discours des travailleurs, ou « Reden und Rufe », sont principalement connus grâce aux travau... more Les discours des travailleurs, ou « Reden und Rufe », sont principalement connus grâce aux travaux d’Erman et Guglielmi [1]. Malgré quelques faiblesses, ceux-ci sont toujours les seuls ouvrages de référence disponibles. Ce travail ambitionne de s’intéresser aux origines des discours des travailleurs. Quand, où, comment, pourquoi émergent-ils ? Autant de questions laissées jusqu’ici sans réponses.
Après une brève remise en contexte des « Reden und Rufe », il sera montré que les discours des travailleurs sont une partie intégrante du « nouveau » programme décoratif royal, dont l’apothéose est atteinte sous Sahourê. Ce papier présentera également les premières réceptions de ces discours dans les tombes privées et leur évolution au sein de l’élite (mise en évidence de traditions phraséologiques, d’adaptation et d’innovation). Il sera montré que les discours des travailleurs s’inscrivent dans la tradition égyptienne de l’élite, qui reprend à son compte des motifs d’origine royale pour établir son propre programme décoratif.
[1] A. ERMAN (1919), Reden, Rufe und Lieder auf Gräberbildern des Alten Reiches, Berlin (APAW philos.-hist. Kl., Abh. 15).
W. GUGLIELMI (1973), Reden, Rufe und Lieder auf altägyptischen Darstellungen der Landwirtschaft, Viehzucht, des Fisch- und Vogelfangs vom Mittleren Reich bis zur Spätzeit, Bonn, Habelt (TÄB 1).
L’Université d’été en Langues de l’Orient est une occasion unique d’aborder des langues et des éc... more L’Université d’été en Langues de l’Orient est une occasion unique d’aborder des langues et des écritures souvent qualifiées de rares, même si elles sont parlées ou ont été parlées par des millions de locuteurs, et ce, sous forme de cours majeurs et de cours mineurs. Cette école d’été propose des enseignements de très haut niveau ainsi que les résultats les plus récents de la recherche en langues et littératures orientales, en offrant des crédits ECTS après validation.
Dates : 6 au 15 juillet 2017 Lieu : Venise Langue : français
S'inscrivant dans la suite du volume "Signes dans les textes, textes sur les signes", paru en 201... more S'inscrivant dans la suite du volume "Signes dans les textes, textes sur les signes", paru en 2017 (Papyrologica Leodiensia, 6), le présent ouvrage rassemble 17 contributions présentées lors du colloque international organisé à l'Université de Liège du 2 au 4 juin 2016. Dans une perspective interdisciplinaire et diachronique, elles examinent les formes et fonctions des signes dans les textes produits en Egypte, en tenant compte de la variété de langues, de systèmes d'écriture et de supports utilisés. Couvrant un arc chronologique de plus de trois millénaires, les contributions s'efforcent de mettre en évidence les continuités et les ruptures dans les pratiques scribales depuis l'époque pharaonique jusqu'à l'époque byzantine.
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Papers by Aurore Motte
With Hana Navratilova
[ENGLISH] In this paper, I investigate the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old
Kingdom to the Late Period. I aim to show some of the ways used by the Egyptian scribes and/or artists to formally
distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After presenting the text-image interrelation and the most common speech caption layouts, I turn my attention to the form(s) of these captions and trace back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as first evidence of paratextuality. I then offer a diachronic overview of the other paratextual means used to categorize a caption as a speech or a song: Dd-formulas, the parenthetic in indicating a direct quotation as well as the expression xn n wSb and xn n nhm.
[fr] Cet article s’attache à décrire l’utilisation des signes paratextuels dans le corpus médico-magique du Nouvel Empire (1552-1069 av. n. è.) et, lorsque cela est d’application, à définir les fonctions de ces signes. Le corpus étudié est celui des textes hiératiques écrits sur ostraca et papyri. La structure de l’article suit la logique interne, ou chronologique, d’un texte. Après quelques considérations préliminaires (sections 1-2), nous abordons la mise en page (section 3), le processus de copie, en ce compris la structure et les modifications (section 4), et enfin les signes marginaux, placés autour du texte (section 5). En guise de conclusion, nous montrons la richesse des études consacrées aux signes paratextuels pour une meilleure compréhension des pratiques scribales et des traditions textuelles dans les textes de l’Égypte antique.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37011/lingaeg.28.05
In this paper, I discuss the (pseudo)-interrogative phrases, both those that are introduced by an interrogative word as well as those that are not. My aim is to provide a synchronic and diachronic study of such sentences and to illustrate a few of their uses in the Reden und Rufe corpus. after a short introduction (section 1), the predicate questions (jn and jn-jw) are considered in section 2 and adjunct questions built with the interrogative pronouns jSs.t, zy, m and the interrogative adverb Tn(y) in section 3. Section 3 will further discuss a couple of affirmative and exclamative sentences, which have to be linked with the rhetorical question jSs.t pw. The fourth and last section before conclusions is devoted to three cases studies relevant for this investigation, i.e. the proclitic particle js, which allows the speaker to distance himself from his words through an ironic statement (4.1), interrogative phrases without interrogative words (4.2), and the particle Xy hitherto known from letters only (4.3). as a result 50 examples from old Kingdom mastabas to Late period tombs have been considered. even if real (or ordinary) questions (OQs) arose in a few cases, there is a clear majority of rhetorical questions (RQs), which are uninformative and assertive. Both OQs and RQs can be expressed by means of the same syntactic structure, be it predicate questions, adjuncts questions, or interrogative phrases without interrogative words. Some are however preferred for RQs, and vice versa. The RQs as adjunct questions, which are predominant in this text corpus, invoke a predetermined answer from the addressee, being either jnk pw or jnk + nominalized participle. As such they reveal a first rhetorical strategy in which the answer is the counterpart of the question with exactly the same syntactic structure (jSs.t pw – jnk pw, zy pw – jnk pw, and (j)n-m + participle – jnk + participle). The jSs.t pw and (j)n-m + participle patterns expose a further rhetorical strategy in which the speaker and/or the addressee is/are objectified.
Français: Le présent article envisage un corpus de textes, lesdits « Reden und Rufe », qui ont été relativement négligés jusqu’à présent, dans le but de déterminer leur identité en tant que genre littéraire propre. Pour ce faire, je m’appuie sur la théorie de G. Genette, tout en m’interrogeant sur sa faisabilité pour des textes anciens, tels que les documents de l’Égypte pharaonique, dans les deux premières sections de cet article. J’applique ensuite, dans la troisième section, les trois critères de Genette (modes, thèmes et formes) aux Reden und Rufe provenant des tombes privées de l’Ancien et du Moyen Empire, après avoir rendu compte du caractère dynamique de l’ensemble du corpus. En guise de conclusion, je propose une définition préliminaire des Reden und Rufe, tout en soulignant la perméabilité du genre, que ce soit par leur propension à apparaître dans de nouveaux motifs de scènes dites de la vie quotidienne ou par la dissociation progressive d’un sous-corpus, qui finit par former son propre genre littéraire, lesdits « chants du harpiste ».
Thesis Chapters by Aurore Motte
Talks by Aurore Motte
With Hana Navratilova
[ENGLISH] In this paper, I investigate the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old
Kingdom to the Late Period. I aim to show some of the ways used by the Egyptian scribes and/or artists to formally
distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After presenting the text-image interrelation and the most common speech caption layouts, I turn my attention to the form(s) of these captions and trace back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as first evidence of paratextuality. I then offer a diachronic overview of the other paratextual means used to categorize a caption as a speech or a song: Dd-formulas, the parenthetic in indicating a direct quotation as well as the expression xn n wSb and xn n nhm.
[fr] Cet article s’attache à décrire l’utilisation des signes paratextuels dans le corpus médico-magique du Nouvel Empire (1552-1069 av. n. è.) et, lorsque cela est d’application, à définir les fonctions de ces signes. Le corpus étudié est celui des textes hiératiques écrits sur ostraca et papyri. La structure de l’article suit la logique interne, ou chronologique, d’un texte. Après quelques considérations préliminaires (sections 1-2), nous abordons la mise en page (section 3), le processus de copie, en ce compris la structure et les modifications (section 4), et enfin les signes marginaux, placés autour du texte (section 5). En guise de conclusion, nous montrons la richesse des études consacrées aux signes paratextuels pour une meilleure compréhension des pratiques scribales et des traditions textuelles dans les textes de l’Égypte antique.
doi: https://doi.org/10.37011/lingaeg.28.05
In this paper, I discuss the (pseudo)-interrogative phrases, both those that are introduced by an interrogative word as well as those that are not. My aim is to provide a synchronic and diachronic study of such sentences and to illustrate a few of their uses in the Reden und Rufe corpus. after a short introduction (section 1), the predicate questions (jn and jn-jw) are considered in section 2 and adjunct questions built with the interrogative pronouns jSs.t, zy, m and the interrogative adverb Tn(y) in section 3. Section 3 will further discuss a couple of affirmative and exclamative sentences, which have to be linked with the rhetorical question jSs.t pw. The fourth and last section before conclusions is devoted to three cases studies relevant for this investigation, i.e. the proclitic particle js, which allows the speaker to distance himself from his words through an ironic statement (4.1), interrogative phrases without interrogative words (4.2), and the particle Xy hitherto known from letters only (4.3). as a result 50 examples from old Kingdom mastabas to Late period tombs have been considered. even if real (or ordinary) questions (OQs) arose in a few cases, there is a clear majority of rhetorical questions (RQs), which are uninformative and assertive. Both OQs and RQs can be expressed by means of the same syntactic structure, be it predicate questions, adjuncts questions, or interrogative phrases without interrogative words. Some are however preferred for RQs, and vice versa. The RQs as adjunct questions, which are predominant in this text corpus, invoke a predetermined answer from the addressee, being either jnk pw or jnk + nominalized participle. As such they reveal a first rhetorical strategy in which the answer is the counterpart of the question with exactly the same syntactic structure (jSs.t pw – jnk pw, zy pw – jnk pw, and (j)n-m + participle – jnk + participle). The jSs.t pw and (j)n-m + participle patterns expose a further rhetorical strategy in which the speaker and/or the addressee is/are objectified.
Français: Le présent article envisage un corpus de textes, lesdits « Reden und Rufe », qui ont été relativement négligés jusqu’à présent, dans le but de déterminer leur identité en tant que genre littéraire propre. Pour ce faire, je m’appuie sur la théorie de G. Genette, tout en m’interrogeant sur sa faisabilité pour des textes anciens, tels que les documents de l’Égypte pharaonique, dans les deux premières sections de cet article. J’applique ensuite, dans la troisième section, les trois critères de Genette (modes, thèmes et formes) aux Reden und Rufe provenant des tombes privées de l’Ancien et du Moyen Empire, après avoir rendu compte du caractère dynamique de l’ensemble du corpus. En guise de conclusion, je propose une définition préliminaire des Reden und Rufe, tout en soulignant la perméabilité du genre, que ce soit par leur propension à apparaître dans de nouveaux motifs de scènes dites de la vie quotidienne ou par la dissociation progressive d’un sous-corpus, qui finit par former son propre genre littéraire, lesdits « chants du harpiste ».
This paper presented part of my PhD research results, the focus of which was the speech captions (the so-called ‘Reden und Rufe’) in the private tombs from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period. It explored the layout and the mise-en-texte of these captions added in the so-called daily-life scenes in private tombs, with insight on paratextual marks. This concept of paratextuality, coined by Gérard Genette in 1987, was rarely applied to ancient Egyptian texts (mostly papyri and ostraca) until quite recently, although it is a fruitful material in this regard. This corpus of texts, embodied in a monumental context, reveals just as much potential. Such formal means are highly indicative for a better understanding of the material textual culture as well as the categorization of these captions as a textual genre per se. This paper showed several means used by the Egyptian scribes to formally distinguish these speeches from other captions and inscriptions displayed in private tombs. After a short presentation of the most common layouts and the pregnant text-image relationship, I turned my attention to the mise-en-texte and traced back the appearance of discursive marks in Old Kingdom mastaba as the first evidence of paratextuality. I then discussed further paratextual means, from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom, which were used to indicate the discursive nature of some captions.
Paper presented at Binsen-Weisheiten IV, Mainz, 9/12/2019.
Paper presented at the 12 International Conference of Egyptologists in Cairo, 4/11/2019.
The definitive schedule and a full description can be found on our websites: http://www.egypto.ulg.ac.be / http://web.philo.ulg.ac.be/cedopal/colloques/
Registration is free, but please send an email to one of the organizers (Nathan Carlig, Guillaume Lescuyer, Aurore Motte, or Nathalie Sojic).
La conférence sera présentée par Roland Enmarch le mardi 31 mai 2016 à l'Université de Liège
Après une brève remise en contexte des « Reden und Rufe », il sera montré que les discours des travailleurs sont une partie intégrante du « nouveau » programme décoratif royal, dont l’apothéose est atteinte sous Sahourê. Ce papier présentera également les premières réceptions de ces discours dans les tombes privées et leur évolution au sein de l’élite (mise en évidence de traditions phraséologiques, d’adaptation et d’innovation). Il sera montré que les discours des travailleurs s’inscrivent dans la tradition égyptienne de l’élite, qui reprend à son compte des motifs d’origine royale pour établir son propre programme décoratif.
[1] A. ERMAN (1919), Reden, Rufe und Lieder auf Gräberbildern des Alten Reiches, Berlin (APAW philos.-hist. Kl., Abh. 15).
W. GUGLIELMI (1973), Reden, Rufe und Lieder auf altägyptischen Darstellungen der Landwirtschaft, Viehzucht, des Fisch- und Vogelfangs vom Mittleren Reich bis zur Spätzeit, Bonn, Habelt (TÄB 1).
de cours majeurs et de cours mineurs. Cette école d’été propose des enseignements de très haut niveau ainsi que les résultats les plus récents
de la recherche en langues et littératures orientales, en offrant des crédits ECTS après validation.
Dates : 6 au 15 juillet 2017
Lieu : Venise
Langue : français
Informations et inscriptions : http://wp.unil.ch/summerschools/courses/langues-de-lorient/