Tadas Rutkauskas
Vytautas Magnus University, Department of History, Faculty Member
Among the collections belonging to the National Museum of Lithuania at Vilnius, resides an ancient Egyptian coffin containing a mummified human body. The coffin and its occupant are believed to have belonged to the King of Poland and to... more
Among the collections belonging to the National Museum of Lithuania at Vilnius, resides an ancient Egyptian coffin containing a mummified human body. The coffin and its occupant are believed to have belonged to the King of Poland and to have been located in his palace at Warsaw. At the turn of the last century, Egyptologists dated the coffin to the end of the 21st dynasty (1070 BC-945 BC), and described the item as coming from Thebes, belonging to Hori, priest of Amun-Ra. However, no investigation was ever carried out on the human body associated with the coffin. Within the framework of the Lithuanian Mummy Project, the preserved human remains underwent computed tomographic investigation in order to reconstruct the biological profile of the subject and to determine the embalming method employed. This led to the identification of a young adult male. Additionally, the mummy shroud was stylistically assessed in order to determine the mummy's chronology in Egyptian history. Interest...
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The lack of “negative theology” or even “demoralization” (J. Assmann) of religious beliefs can be regarded as one of the major features of Amarna religion. Indeed, in crucial texts of that period almost no references to evil or wrongdoing... more
The lack of “negative theology” or even “demoralization” (J. Assmann) of religious beliefs can be regarded as one of the major features of Amarna religion. Indeed, in crucial texts of that period almost no references to evil or wrongdoing can be found. The word jsf.t is not used at all, although its counterpart Maat takes a very important place in the teaching of Akhenaten and is widely recorded. The negation of different general negative terms, so popular and typical for autobiographical (ideal biographical) texts in earlier and later times, is relatively rare in inscriptions of private individuals of this time. This paper discusses the use of general negative terms and negative phraseology in different texts of the Amarna Period. The comparison with their use in earlier texts allows to understand better their meanings and some ideas of the Amarna religion as well, especially the question how Atenism dealt with the notions of evil and wrongdoing in general.
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This paper discusses the achievements, projects and publications of Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885-1941), the first Lithuanian Egyptologist. Her collection of Egyptian antiquities is now curated at the M.K. Čiurlionis National... more
This paper discusses the achievements, projects and publications of Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885-1941), the first Lithuanian Egyptologist. Her collection of Egyptian antiquities is now curated at the M.K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art in Kaunas.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to present some results of my doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” defended in 2016 at Heidelberg University. The problems that make... more
The aim of this paper is to present some results of my doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” defended in 2016 at Heidelberg University. The problems that make approaching this controversial topic in ancient Egyptian religion difficult are discussed. However, the semasiological method used in my doctoral thesis and dealing with the meanings of abstract negative Egyptian lexemes both provide useful information that can help us to understand better how ancient Egyptians perceived the concept of sin and how it worked in the system of their religious communication. In certain contexts, some Egyptian words with the meanings “fault”, “offence” and others can be given the meaning “sin”. It is the case, for instance, when they appear in the speeches of the deceased or gods in the scenes of the judgement of the dead. A closer look at the meanings of such words and their use in different (con)texts is a new approach that can also help to trace historical changes in the ancient Egyptian concept of sin.
Research Interests:
Among the collections belonging to the National Museum of Lithuania at Vilnius, resides an ancient Egyptian coffin containing a mummified human body. At the turn of the last century, Egyptologists dated the coffin to the end of the 21st... more
Among the collections belonging to the National Museum of Lithuania at Vilnius, resides an ancient Egyptian coffin containing a mummified human body. At the turn of the last century, Egyptologists dated the coffin to the end of the 21st dynasty (1070 BC-945 BC), and described the coffin as coming from Thebes, belonging to Hori, priest of Amun-Ra. However, no investigation was ever carried out on the human body associated with the coffin. Within the framework of the Lithuanian Mummy Project, the preserved human remains underwent computed tomographic investigation in order to reconstruct the biological profile of the subject and to determine the embalming method employed. This led to the identification of a young adult male. Additionally, the mummy shroud was stylistically assessed in order to determine the mummy’s chronology in Egyptian history. Interestingly, the body could be ascribed to the Roman period of Egypt (30 BC-395 AD) due to analogies with the burial shrouds of the Soter group. The coffin had previously been dated to the end of the 21st dynasty, indicating a reuse of the coffin at some point in history.
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Publication, for the first time, of the small fragment of the Book of the Dead in the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas. It is the only Egyptian papyrus among Egyptian antiquities in Lithuania, which formerly belonged to the... more
Publication, for the first time, of the small fragment of the Book of the Dead in the M. K. Čiurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas. It is the only Egyptian papyrus among Egyptian antiquities in Lithuania, which formerly belonged to the collection of M. Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė. The papyrus dates from the XIXth Dynasty and although its exact provenance is not known, it must have been Western Thebes. The pKaunas is very fragmentary, but its importance lies in the similarities with the well known papyrus of Neferrenpet as well as with some fragments in the British Museum.
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Das Ziel der Arbeit ist, den Sündenbegriff im Alten Ägypten von einer religionswissenschaftlichen Fragestellung ausgehend zu definieren und ihre geschichtliche Entwicklung aufzuzeigen. Der größte Schwerpunkt liegt allerdings auf der... more
Das Ziel der Arbeit ist, den Sündenbegriff im Alten Ägypten von einer religionswissenschaftlichen Fragestellung ausgehend zu definieren und ihre geschichtliche Entwicklung aufzuzeigen. Der größte Schwerpunkt liegt allerdings auf der philologisch-semantischen Ebene. Die ägyptischen Lexeme, die diesen Begriff in bestimmten Kontexten ausdrücken können, werden semasiologisch untersucht. In dieser Arbeit werden zwei Seiten des ägyptischen Sündenbegriffes besprochen und auf zwei Grundfragen eine Antwort gesucht. Die erste Grundfrage ist eine systematisch-religionswissenschaftliche: Was wird in der ägyptischen Religion unter Sünde verstanden? Die zweite ist eine semantisch-semasiologische: Welche Wörter der ägyptischen Sprache können in welchen Kontexten die Bedeutung „Sünde“ annehmen? Basierend auf den Ergebnissen dieser semantisch-semasiologischen Untersuchung wird ein religionsgeschichtlicher Überblick der Entwicklung des Sündenbegriffes geboten.
Full text: http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/22057
Full text: http://www.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/archiv/22057
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In my doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” defended in 2016 at Heidelberg University two main questions were discussed. Firstly, what can be understood under the... more
In my doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” defended in 2016 at Heidelberg University two main questions were discussed. Firstly, what can be understood under the term “sin” in ancient Egyptian religion in general? Secondly, what Egyptian words in what contexts can gain the meaning “sin”? The penitential hymns and prayers on stelae from Deir el-Medina as representations of “personal piety” are one of the major sources for this discussion. The most important abstract negative term used in these texts and denoting human wrongdoing against gods is btȝ. However, it is not the only one that deserves to be focused on. This paper aims to discuss the use and meanings of this and some other negative lexemes in the texts from Deir el-Medina and their role in constructing the concept of sin. These various words can describe offence and fault from the human side and the reproach or punishment from the divine side. The study of other contemporary sources where such lexemes can also be found allows us to understand better why they were used in the texts from Deir el-Medina and their special religious context. Moreover, the semasiological approach and its results shed also light on how the concept of sin could have been developed among the members of the workers’ community. It seems that the major pattern in conceptualizing a religious disqualification of human conduct, i.e., constructing the concept of sin, was mainly based on the relationship between servant and master. This concept was built based on the interconnection between the duty of a subordinate and the expectation of a superior. The relational patterns of the constellation of “subordinate – superior” and the phraseology describing it were transferred to the relationship of humans and gods, as well as to its textual expression.
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Among the ancient Egyptian antiquities now curated in several museums in Lithuania, some of the most important come from the collection of the first Lithuanian Egyptologist, Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885-1941). The partly... more
Among the ancient Egyptian antiquities now curated in several museums in Lithuania, some of the most important come from the collection of the first Lithuanian Egyptologist, Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885-1941). The partly preserved inner coffin lid of Udjarenes, dated to the 26th dynasty and now in the National M. K. Čiurlionis Art Museum in Kaunas is one of the most important and interesting objects still awaiting a proper publication. As just one of the examples of the typology of coffins from that period, it seems not to stand out for its style, craftsmanship or ownership. However, a closer study of the lid and of its idiosyncrasies – reversed hieroglyphic signs, different writings of Udjareneses' name etc. – leads to some interesting questions regarding its decoration and text programme. Furthermore, tiny holes on the surface of the coffin lid remain a riddle relating to its state of preservation. The person of Udjarenes herself, her family and social milieu remain intriguing as well. Moreover, the coffin lid from Kaunas tells also the story of the beginning of Egyptology in Lithuania. The contacts with other Egyptologists such as G. Lukyanov or V. Golenishchev helped M. Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė to acquire not only this object, but also to build up her small collection of antiquities.
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Among ancient Egyptian objects curated in three national museums in Lithuania, some of the most important are several coffins or parts of them dating from the late Twenty first to Twenty sixth Dynasties. The human remains linked with the... more
Among ancient Egyptian objects curated in three national museums in Lithuania, some of the most important are several coffins or parts of them dating from the late Twenty first to Twenty sixth Dynasties. The human remains linked with the coffins were thoroughly studied in the years 2011–2013 within the scope of the Lithuanian Mummy Project and consequently published. The coffins themselves remain almost unknown to the international community of Egyptologists and still await the proper publication. Although their short descriptions and texts translations can be found in the catalogue of O. Berlev and S. Hodjash (1998), these objects require a broader look and a thorough study. For example, the description of two coffins’ interior decoration is completely missing there, as it could not be photographed at that time and studied by the authors. The history of collections and ways of accession of these coffins into Lithuanian museums are much better studied and known. However, there are still some problems to be solved regarding their provenance and later history. Many interesting questions remain concerning the ownership or the links with possible family members to whom coffins from other museums belong. This paper aims to present the state of the ongoing research of the coffins and the preparation for their later publication.
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The year 1922 was marked not only by the centenary of the decipherement of the Ancient Egyptian writing system or the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but it was also the beginning of Egyptology in a young independent state of Lithuania.... more
The year 1922 was marked not only by the centenary of the decipherement of the Ancient Egyptian writing system or the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, but it was also the beginning of Egyptology in a young independent state of Lithuania. In that year, Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885–1941), the first Lithuanian Egyptologist and a former student of Russian Egyptologist Prof. B. Turayev, began to teach at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. Despite various challenges, she managed to spread the knowledge on Ancient Egypt on different levels, both academic and popular. Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė published many articles and books in Lithuanian. She visited Egypt three times, leaving fascinating descriptions of her travels, attended several International Congresses of Orientalists, and was in close contact with various Egyptologists, especially with G. Lukyanov, V. Golenishchev or G. Reisner. From her personal resources, Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė managed to gather a small collection of Egyptian Antiquities that now form the most important part of Ancient Egyptian collections in Lithuanian museums. However, the early death and the upheavals brought by the World War II did not allow her works and plans to be continued. The merited place of Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė among other women Egyptologists at the first part of the 20th century still remains to be pointed out, and her Egyptological work more deeply evaluated. In this paper, the projects and achievements of this extraordinary woman, almost unknown to the wider academic audience abroad, will be discussed, as well as the ongoing research on her life and legacy. The current work on study and later publication of different objects from her collection will be also presented.
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Tais pačiais metais, kada buvo įkurtas Lietuvos universitetas, jame pradėjo dėstyti ir Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885–1941), pirmoji Lietuvos egiptologė. Dėka jos dar tik pirmus žingsnius žengiančioje aukštojoje mokykloje... more
Tais pačiais metais, kada buvo įkurtas Lietuvos universitetas, jame pradėjo dėstyti ir Marija Rudzinskaitė-Arcimavičienė (1885–1941), pirmoji Lietuvos egiptologė. Dėka jos dar tik pirmus žingsnius žengiančioje aukštojoje mokykloje studentai turėjo galimybę susipažinti su Senovės Egipto istorija, kultūra bei raštu. Kaune mokslininkė su pertraukomis dėstė iki 1940 m., kada universiteto Humanitarinių mokslų fakultetas buvo perkeltas į Vilnių. Ten ji tęsė savo darbus, tačiau 1941 m. gegužės mėn. mirė. M. Rudzinskaitės-Arcimavičienės surinktos kolekcijos istorija, jos parašytos knygos bei kelionės į Egiptą susilaukė nemažai dėmesio ir tyrimų (pvz. Snitkuvienė 2011). Vis dėlto, jos akademinė veikla ir darbai dar laukia gilesnės analizės ir naujo požiūrio. Šiame pranešime visų pirma bus pažvelgta į M. Rudzinskaitės-Arcimavičienės universitete Kaune bei Vilniuje dėstytus ar planuotus dėstyti kursus. Įvairūs, iki šiol nepakankamai įvertinti ir panaudoti leidiniai, pvz. universiteto kalendoriai ar paskaitų tvarkaraščiai, suteikia naujos ir įdomios informacijos. Ji leidžia tiksliau atskleisti tam tikrus M. Rudzinskaitės-Arcimavičienės akademinės veiklos ir jos gyvenimo aspektus. Tai taip pat paryškina mokslininkės indėlį į nuo 1922 m. augantį modernų ir visapusį universitetą.
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One of peculiarities of the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is its flexibility – different directions of writing, honorific transpositions, reversals of hieroglyphic signs or their groups exemplify not only the interrelationship between art... more
One of peculiarities of the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is its flexibility – different directions of writing, honorific transpositions, reversals of hieroglyphic signs or their groups exemplify not only the interrelationship between art and writing, but also underline its symbolic meaning. Several factors – confrontation, symmetry, concordance– can explain the reasons for reversals in Egyptian art and writing (Fischer 1977). Moreover, especially the reversals of single hieroglyphic signs within a hieroglyphic inscription can play a significant symbolic role that modern alphabetic
systems are not able to transmit. Similarly, mutilated hieroglyphic signs represent one of the options dealing with a possible magical power of certain hieroglyphs. In this paper, some examples of the change of writing direction of single hieroglyphic signs and its meanings are discussed. It focuses especially on several cases of reversals of the sparrow (“bad bird”) determinative (G37) in the inscriptions of two tombs from the Ramesside Period – one in Deir el-Medina (TT359), and the other one in the Valley of the Queens (QV44). Possible symbolic and magical reasons for it are discussed, exemplifying the importance of interaction between inscriptions and representations of the deceased on the tomb walls. Additionally, these reversals shed an interesting light on possible interconnections regarding the decoration of these two different – private and prince – tombs. Was it the draughtsman Nebnefer who reversed the “bad bird” determinatives in these inscriptions?
systems are not able to transmit. Similarly, mutilated hieroglyphic signs represent one of the options dealing with a possible magical power of certain hieroglyphs. In this paper, some examples of the change of writing direction of single hieroglyphic signs and its meanings are discussed. It focuses especially on several cases of reversals of the sparrow (“bad bird”) determinative (G37) in the inscriptions of two tombs from the Ramesside Period – one in Deir el-Medina (TT359), and the other one in the Valley of the Queens (QV44). Possible symbolic and magical reasons for it are discussed, exemplifying the importance of interaction between inscriptions and representations of the deceased on the tomb walls. Additionally, these reversals shed an interesting light on possible interconnections regarding the decoration of these two different – private and prince – tombs. Was it the draughtsman Nebnefer who reversed the “bad bird” determinatives in these inscriptions?
Research Interests:
The lack of “negative theology” or even “demoralization” (J. Assmann) of religious beliefs can be regarded as one of the major features of Amarna religion. Indeed, in crucial texts of that period almost no references to evil or wrongdoing... more
The lack of “negative theology” or even “demoralization” (J. Assmann) of religious beliefs can be regarded as one of the major features of Amarna religion. Indeed, in crucial texts of that period almost no references to evil or wrongdoing can be found. The word jsf.t is not used at all, although its counterpart Maat takes a very important place in the teaching of Akhenaten and is widely recorded. The negation of different general negative terms, so popular and typical for autobiographical (ideal biographical) texts in earlier and later times, is relatively rare in inscriptions of private individuals of this time. This paper discusses the use of general negative terms and negative phraseology in different texts of the Amarna Period. The comparison with their use in earlier texts allows to understand better their meanings and some ideas of the Amarna religion as well, especially the question how Atenism dealt with the notions of evil and wrongdoing in general.
Research Interests:
The aim of this paper is to present some results of the doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” (“Sin in Ancient Egypt: Semasiological and Historical Study of the... more
The aim of this paper is to present some results of the doctoral thesis “Sünde im Alten Ägypten: eine begriffssemasiologische und begriffsgeschichtliche Untersuchung” (“Sin in Ancient Egypt: Semasiological and Historical Study of the Concept”) defended at Heidelberg University. Different problems making difficult the approach to this non-uncontroversial concept in ancient Egyptian religion are discussed. However, the semasiological method used in the doctoral thesis dealing with meanings of some Egyptian lexemes provides us useful information which can help us to understand better how ancient Egyptians viewed the concept of sin and how it worked in the system of their religious communication. In certain contexts, some Egyptian words with meanings “reproach”, “offence”, “evil” or others can gain the meaning “sin”. It is the case, for example, when they appear in the speeches of the deceased or gods in the scenes of judgement of the dead or in declarations of innocence. A closer look to the meanings of these words and to their use in different (con)texts is a new approach which can also help to trace the historical change of the ancient Egyptian concept of sin.
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A brand new schoolbook for Ancient History - not quite academic, but, nevertheless, captivating… Sometimes serious, sometimes funny, full of illustrations and written sources. Part I: Prehistory, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia,... more
A brand new schoolbook for Ancient History - not quite academic, but, nevertheless, captivating… Sometimes serious, sometimes funny, full of illustrations and written sources. Part I: Prehistory, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Israel. Part 2: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Balts.
ISBN (1): 9786094701610; ISBN (2): 9786094701627
ISBN (1): 9786094701610; ISBN (2): 9786094701627