- Universiteit Leiden, Egyptology, Graduate Studentadd
- Egyptology, Archaeology, Ptolemaic Egyptian History, Graeco-Roman Egypt, Archeology of Architecture, Egyptian Temples, and 9 moreAncient Egyptian Architecture, Middle Kingdom (Egyptology), Middle Kingdom necropoleis (Egyptology), Ancient Topography (Archaeology), Ancient Egyptian Epigraphy, Ancient Greek History, Hellenistic History, Egyptian Archaeology, and Egypt (Archaeology)edit
Research Interests:
Ancient architectural models can be understood either as useful tools for an architect, illustrating their project, or as representations of already existing buildings. In both cases, these models provide crucial information about the... more
Ancient architectural models can be understood either as useful tools for an architect, illustrating their project, or as representations of already existing buildings. In both cases, these models provide crucial information about the perceptions that ancient peoples had of architecture. The character of these models contributes greatly to the integration of elements and features that were not preserved over time and are no longer ascertainable from archaeological contexts. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance to understand their reference to the reality surrounding them and the degree of objectiveness in the miniaturisation of architecture. Though geographically and chronologically limited, the corpus from Egypt, commonly labelled as 'soul houses', constitutes a very important example of the funerary practice of the Middle Kingdom. Discoveries of soul houses and their widespread presence in almost every Egyptian collection in the world have generated the interest of scholars who have tried to understand the nature of the representation. The collection of soul houses in the Rijksmuseum in Leiden is the main reference and starting point for the present study: the totality of specimens is thoroughly described, analysed, and compared with other known examples from other museum collections and excavations. The re-evaluation of physical and symbolic characteristics, as well as manufacturing techniques, provenance, and archaeological context, plays a key role in the reinterpretation of the soul houses as being representative of a not clearly recognisable architectural reality. The archaeology of Middle Kingdom sites offers the most effective reference for proving that neither domestic nor funerary architecture is displayed in the models, but a completely different kind of architectural reality.
Research Interests:
Attempting to re-organise and discuss a rich ensemble of pottery offering trays from the Museo Egizio, this article offers a new contribution to the study of this class of objects. The totality of published and unpublished trays from the... more
Attempting to re-organise and discuss a rich ensemble of pottery offering trays from the Museo Egizio, this
article offers a new contribution to the study of this class of objects. The totality of published and unpublished
trays from the Museo is taken into consideration and divided according to provenance. Three groups
are identified: a considerable number of trays from Schiaparelli’s excavations in the Asyut necropolis; a
group of trays from Gebelein; and a group of trays without provenance, and whose modalities of acquisition
are uncertain. Each group is examined thoroughly and further subdivided based on stylistic and material
characteristics. Common features and stylistic trends in trays from the same site and with the same provenance
are identified. References to other trays from other museum collections or excavation reports help
establish parallels and highlight common characteristics as well possible influences between neighbouring
sites and regions. The attempt to reorganise the well-provenanced specimens within their archaeological
context yields a better understanding of the distribution and popularity of this category of objects. Finally,
the author proposes a plausible reassignment of a provenance to Museo Egizio specimens hitherto considered
unprovenanced.
article offers a new contribution to the study of this class of objects. The totality of published and unpublished
trays from the Museo is taken into consideration and divided according to provenance. Three groups
are identified: a considerable number of trays from Schiaparelli’s excavations in the Asyut necropolis; a
group of trays from Gebelein; and a group of trays without provenance, and whose modalities of acquisition
are uncertain. Each group is examined thoroughly and further subdivided based on stylistic and material
characteristics. Common features and stylistic trends in trays from the same site and with the same provenance
are identified. References to other trays from other museum collections or excavation reports help
establish parallels and highlight common characteristics as well possible influences between neighbouring
sites and regions. The attempt to reorganise the well-provenanced specimens within their archaeological
context yields a better understanding of the distribution and popularity of this category of objects. Finally,
the author proposes a plausible reassignment of a provenance to Museo Egizio specimens hitherto considered
unprovenanced.
Research Interests:
Preliminary report of the 2019 excavation season of the French archaeological mission in the Assassif.
Research Interests: Religion, Ancient Egyptian Religion, History, Ancient History, Archaeology, and 15 moreEgyptology, Art History, Landscape Archaeology, Egyptian Archaeology, Funerary Archaeology, Gender and religion (Women s Studies), Ritual and Performance (Egyptology), Funerary Belief (Egyptology), New Kingdom (Egyptology), 25th Dynasty (Egyptology), Ancient Egyptian History, Ancient Egypt, Funerary Practices, Mummies, and Anthropology of Religion
This study investigates the social dynamics and functional distribution of buildings in the Memphite necropolis (from Abusir to South Saqqara) between the 7th and 1st centuries BC, using an urbanistic approach and a reconstruction of the... more
This study investigates the social dynamics and functional distribution of buildings in the Memphite necropolis (from Abusir to South Saqqara) between the 7th and 1st centuries BC, using an urbanistic approach and a reconstruction of the topography through archaeological and documentary sources. One of the main outcomes was to create a comprehensive map of all the archaeologically attested elements and reconstruct the overall environment of the necropolis as a settlement like site, aiming to understand the dynamics of the architectural and spatial development of the Memphite necropolis.
Previous literature has overlooked the non funerary activities that o ccurred in the Memphite necropolis. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the different activities carried out there and the interactions between the inhabitants, which can be found in the archaeological remains. On the basis of an a ccurate identification of the functional categories of the buildings within the necropolis, the aim is to recognise the patterns in their organisation and explain the dynamics of the system, using a combination of archaeological and urbanistic approaches.
Previous literature has overlooked the non funerary activities that o ccurred in the Memphite necropolis. Therefore, it is necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the different activities carried out there and the interactions between the inhabitants, which can be found in the archaeological remains. On the basis of an a ccurate identification of the functional categories of the buildings within the necropolis, the aim is to recognise the patterns in their organisation and explain the dynamics of the system, using a combination of archaeological and urbanistic approaches.
Research Interests:
POSTER presented at the International Congress of Egyptology, ICE XIII, 6-11 August 2023. The study highlights the relationship between the graves of the 1st millennium and the monumental funerary architecture of the Old and New... more
POSTER presented at the International Congress of Egyptology, ICE XIII, 6-11 August 2023.
The study highlights the relationship between the graves of the 1st millennium and the monumental funerary architecture of the Old and New Kingdom, as well as the dependence of settlements and secular buildings, roads, and walls on the main temples and cultic structures. In light of this approach, the Memphite necropolis appears primarily as a sanctuary devoted to kingship and the cult of past rulers, responding to social dynamics more akin to sites in the Mediterranean basin than to a multimillennial cemetery dedicated solely to funerary and mortuary rites. Finally, it seems that tombs and temples were independent of each other and that the clusters of burials were more responsive to the attraction exerted by monuments of the past than contemporary cultic facilities, in line with the cult of the deceased pharaohs and the appropriation of space for reasons of identity.
The study highlights the relationship between the graves of the 1st millennium and the monumental funerary architecture of the Old and New Kingdom, as well as the dependence of settlements and secular buildings, roads, and walls on the main temples and cultic structures. In light of this approach, the Memphite necropolis appears primarily as a sanctuary devoted to kingship and the cult of past rulers, responding to social dynamics more akin to sites in the Mediterranean basin than to a multimillennial cemetery dedicated solely to funerary and mortuary rites. Finally, it seems that tombs and temples were independent of each other and that the clusters of burials were more responsive to the attraction exerted by monuments of the past than contemporary cultic facilities, in line with the cult of the deceased pharaohs and the appropriation of space for reasons of identity.