A thorough transdisciplinary archaeological study of the ancient Egyptian Theban rock-cut tombs at Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna
In recent years, archeological research has undergone major changes. The material turn in archaeology and related disciplines prompted the adoption of sophisticated scientific, digital, and technical approaches and methods often conducted on a micro level, enhancing our understanding of depositional processes and of the creation and life of an archeological object.
This volume reflects seven seasons of transdisciplinary archaeological research at a cluster of rock-cut tombs in Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna, an ancient Egyptian hillside cemetery and part of the much larger Theban Necropolis. Organized in twelve main chapters, Life Histories of Theban Tombs presents current investigations in landscape archaeology (including recent excavations at a large debris hill previously covering a tomb), geo- and bioarcheology, the archaeology of tomb construction, burial practices, and domestic uses as well as various epigraphical, visual, and material studies. The last two sections provide additional insight into the applied recording, surveying, and visualization methods and techniques and the database system used for data recording and organization.

Contributors' Affiliations: Martina Aeschlimann-Langer, Basel, Switzerland Zulema Barahona-Mendieta, University of Basel, Switzerland Susanne Bickel, University of Basel, Switzerland Oliver Bruderer, Zurich, SwitzerlandRachael Colldeweih, Nagra, Wettingen, Switzerland Lucia Diaz-Iglesias Llanos, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain Xavier Droux, Hierakonpolis Expedition, Oxford, England Stephane Fetler, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Zan Gojcic, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Charlotte Hunkeler, University of Basel, Switzerland Mahmoud Ibrahim, University of Cairo, Egypt Matjaz Kacicnik, Cairo, Egypt Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, University of Manchester, England Lara Selina Kurmann, University of Basel, Switzerland Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs, University of Basel, Switzerland Sabrina Meyer, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Matthias Muller, University of Basel, Switzerland Julianna K. Paksi, University of Basel and Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris, France Erico Peintner, Cairo, Egypt Matthew A. Perras, York University, Toronto, Canada Lukas Richner, canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Frank Ruhli, University of Zurich, Switzerland Marina Sartori, University of Basel, Switzerland Nadine Schoenhutte, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS), Cologne, Germany Roger Seiler, University of Zurich, Switzerland Stephan M. Unter, University of Basel, Switzerland Andre J. Veldmeijer, American University in Cairo, Egypt Noemi Villars, University of Basel, Switzerland Andreas Wieser, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Andrea Wolter, ETH Engineering Geology Group, Zurich, Switzerland Martin Ziegler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland

A thorough transdisciplinary archaeological study of the ancient Egyptian Theban rock-cut tombs at Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna

About the Author
Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs is a research associate at the University of Basel and a Principal Researcher for the Life Histories of Theban Tombs project.

Reviews

"It is rare to find a volume that moves the standards of the field forward in this way: Life Histories of Theban Tombs represents a new development in how Egyptian tombs are published. It provides, in addition to traditional archaeology, philology, and art historical studies, analyses of geology, landscape, and human remains, among other subjects, all of which allow for a holistic interpretation of the sites and their context. User-friendly and lavishly illustrated, this book will have something of interest for every Egyptologist, while the many bibliographical references serve as a perfect starting point for anyone wishing to delve into the individual subjects discussed."-Fredrik Norland Hagen, University of Copenhagen

"This set of studies gives an exemplary picture of what is the very spirit of modern archaeology: reconstructing the complete history of monuments in their environment over the long term. Through the detailed reports of a large number of researchers and engineers from all disciplines, a group of pharaonic tombs on the west bank of Thebes reveals the different stages of their long existence, from their creation in the Theban mountains to the visits of twentieth-century archaeologists."-Laurent Coulon, Institut francais d'archeologie orientale

"This volume provides a genuinely transdisciplinary approach to the complex archaeology of the burial landscape of Western Thebes. By bringing together specialists from a range of disciplines, with varying technical and methodological approaches, it makes a unique and innovative contribution to the state of the field of Egyptian archaeology, one that will have lasting impact for years to come."-Gerald Moers, University of Vienna

"Theban tombs are theaters of memory where local and global identities are defined and where different visions of the past and present meet the future. This volume is a wonderful journey through an archaeological landscape and the outcome of true multidisciplinary research. It lays out the process of interpreting the past and its careful study, thereby defining a collective memory capable of providing answers to the questions that arise in society over time."-Christian Greco, Egyptian Museum of Turin

Book Information
ISBN 9781617979910
Author Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs
Format Hardback
Page Count 200
Imprint American University in Cairo Press
Publisher American University in Cairo Press