In the Egyptian Eastern Desert, southeast of Aswan, the Wadi el-Hudi Archaeological Expedition di... more In the Egyptian Eastern Desert, southeast of Aswan, the Wadi el-Hudi Archaeological Expedition discovered extensive evidence of pastoral nomads living, working, and grazing animals at several archaeological sites. Site 51, newly discovered in January 2023, is a short-term domestic shelter with natural alcoves used by pastoral nomads for millennia. It includes over 50 newly discovered rock inscriptions of cows, ibexes, tally marks, and graffiti. Several grinding stones and nearly a hundred cupules demonstrate the nomads’ collection and processing of local plants while they tended their animals. Additionally, other travelers also sheltered at Site 51 through the millennia. This discovery adds to the increasing evidence that, in addition to being an Ancient Egyptian site for the mining of amethyst and gold, Wadi el-Hudi was an important zone for pastoral nomads.
(Re)Building Ancient Egyptian Society: Challenging Assumptions, Exploring Approaches, 2022
Papyrus Boulaq 18 (PBoulaq 18) is a daybook account from the 13th dynasty Egyptian palace. Scatt... more Papyrus Boulaq 18 (PBoulaq 18) is a daybook account from the 13th dynasty Egyptian palace. Scattered among miscellaneous entries, it records an encounter between palace bureaucrats and Eastern Desert peoples called the Medjay. Scholars have previously understood the interaction to be of the highest importance with an international delegation, perhaps in preparation for upcoming wars. In reinterpreting this text, I argue that the Medjay were pastoral nomads who came to the palace to receive payment for work done as itinerant laborers. They likely never met with the king nor had an impact on a historic event. As historians, we are seeing these Medjay through the Egyptian scribe’s eyes, but their real social organization and purpose were likely different. By parsing of texts and applying comparative knowledge of the Medjay and palace practices at that time, we can more accurately understand the Medjay social organization and this particular encounter with the Egyptian palace bureaucracy.
The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s ongoing survey and excavations of Middle Kingdom mining sites and s... more The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s ongoing survey and excavations of Middle Kingdom mining sites and settlements in Wadi el-Hudi in the Eastern Desert have added valuable evidence to better understand the administration of mining activities, as well as the work and lives of the ancient miners. One such site is Site 5, an early Middle Kingdom settlement on a hill that overlooks an open pit mine. There are numerous rock inscriptions at Site 5 showing that the administration oversaw mining operations. But the archaeological remains complement the inscriptions to inform on how the activities at and provisions to the site were organized, and the extent to which the administration controlled the inhabitants’ access to material goods and resources. The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s Site 5 survey demonstrates that different parts of the site were used for different activities. Living areas are differentiated from administrative zones by access, artifacts, and architectural layout. The distribution of artifacts (namely pottery) from the survey suggests that there was: (1) delineation of space within the site so that administrative work spaces are distinct from living spaces; (2) differential access to materials that reflect administrative control over scarce water resources; and (3) workers’ control over food preparation and the supply of some pottery types for personal use in living spaces. The preliminary results of the Site 5 survey provide evidence to understand the complex relationship between mining administration and workers at the site, as well as a glimpse into the living and working conditions of the miners.
For almost a century, many scholars have assumed that the Medjay of the Egyptian textu al record ... more For almost a century, many scholars have assumed that the Medjay of the Egyptian textu al record can be directly associated with the Pan-Grave archaeological culture. In this ar ticle, the authors deconstruct this connection and consider the extent to which the ar chaeological and textual evidence can be reconciled based on geography and cultural cir cumstances. Both groups shared pastoral nomadic roots linked to the Eastern Desert, both went through similar processes of acculturation, and both groups had some of their members fight as mercenaries during the wars of the Second Intermediate Period. How ever, the evidence from the Nile Valley and Eastern Desert of Egypt and Nubia demon strates that a direct connection between the Pan-Grave culture and the Medjay cannot be supported.
Aashyet’s sarcophagus (JE 47267) offers a unique case for understanding how the intersection of a... more Aashyet’s sarcophagus (JE 47267) offers a unique case for understanding how the intersection of a person’s identities, such as ethnicity, gender, age, or religion, is portrayed on a funerary object within the historic and religious circumstances of a specific context. Aashyet’s sarcophagus portrays her as a wealthy, elite priestess, and the headof-household, while being a Nubian who celebrated her non-Egyptian origins. The sarcophagus’s archaeological context also demonstrates the importance of Priestesses of Hathor within Montuhotep II’s funerary complex at Deir el-Bahri for the legitimation of his kingship before he unified Egypt, late in his reign.
When building in dry-stone, Nubians and Egyptians used different techniques to construct walls. W... more When building in dry-stone, Nubians and Egyptians used different techniques to construct walls. Wadi es-Sebua has been used as a type-site for C-Group Nubian settlements. Its exterior wall exhibits courses of stones laid at an angle, a technique I associate with Nubians. The Egyptian fortified mining settlements at Wadi el-Hudi, el-Hisnein, and Dihmit use dry-stone architecture, similar to the architecture at Wadi es-Sebua. Texts and pottery support that many Nubians also worked for contemporary Egyptian mining expeditions in the Eastern Desert during the early Middle Kingdom. I suggest that Nubian workforces carried out much of the architectural construction of these fortified settlements using their own traditional building techniques, but following an Egyptian design, and I argue that the so-called ‘loopholes’ found in these exterior walls were not for military defence, but rather were windows. These construction techniques point to a latent Nubian agency within the operation of Egyptian mining settlements.
The Semna Dispatches hold unparalleled importance as one of the only papyri remaining
for our und... more The Semna Dispatches hold unparalleled importance as one of the only papyri remaining for our understanding of Egypt’s control over its Lower Nubian forts in the late Middle Kingdom. Here, we provide an edition and commentary on P. Ramesseum 18 (EA10771), another text concerning the forts. Its only previous publication was as a photograph in Alan Gardiner’s The Ramesseum Papyri: Plates in 1955. The text provides evidence for oversight from the Office of the Vizier in the form of letters to the forts, in support of which only seal impressions and the Duties of the Vizier attested formerly. One letter alerts the fortresses of Elephantine and Kuban about upcoming inspections. Another mentions an official from Edfu connected with the Medjay commanding a w'r.t-district at Kuban. Dating to the transition of Dynasty 12 and 13, the letters verify the continuing control of the forts, including rotations of personnel from Upper Egypt.
In the Egyptian Eastern Desert, southeast of Aswan, the Wadi el-Hudi Archaeological Expedition di... more In the Egyptian Eastern Desert, southeast of Aswan, the Wadi el-Hudi Archaeological Expedition discovered extensive evidence of pastoral nomads living, working, and grazing animals at several archaeological sites. Site 51, newly discovered in January 2023, is a short-term domestic shelter with natural alcoves used by pastoral nomads for millennia. It includes over 50 newly discovered rock inscriptions of cows, ibexes, tally marks, and graffiti. Several grinding stones and nearly a hundred cupules demonstrate the nomads’ collection and processing of local plants while they tended their animals. Additionally, other travelers also sheltered at Site 51 through the millennia. This discovery adds to the increasing evidence that, in addition to being an Ancient Egyptian site for the mining of amethyst and gold, Wadi el-Hudi was an important zone for pastoral nomads.
(Re)Building Ancient Egyptian Society: Challenging Assumptions, Exploring Approaches, 2022
Papyrus Boulaq 18 (PBoulaq 18) is a daybook account from the 13th dynasty Egyptian palace. Scatt... more Papyrus Boulaq 18 (PBoulaq 18) is a daybook account from the 13th dynasty Egyptian palace. Scattered among miscellaneous entries, it records an encounter between palace bureaucrats and Eastern Desert peoples called the Medjay. Scholars have previously understood the interaction to be of the highest importance with an international delegation, perhaps in preparation for upcoming wars. In reinterpreting this text, I argue that the Medjay were pastoral nomads who came to the palace to receive payment for work done as itinerant laborers. They likely never met with the king nor had an impact on a historic event. As historians, we are seeing these Medjay through the Egyptian scribe’s eyes, but their real social organization and purpose were likely different. By parsing of texts and applying comparative knowledge of the Medjay and palace practices at that time, we can more accurately understand the Medjay social organization and this particular encounter with the Egyptian palace bureaucracy.
The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s ongoing survey and excavations of Middle Kingdom mining sites and s... more The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s ongoing survey and excavations of Middle Kingdom mining sites and settlements in Wadi el-Hudi in the Eastern Desert have added valuable evidence to better understand the administration of mining activities, as well as the work and lives of the ancient miners. One such site is Site 5, an early Middle Kingdom settlement on a hill that overlooks an open pit mine. There are numerous rock inscriptions at Site 5 showing that the administration oversaw mining operations. But the archaeological remains complement the inscriptions to inform on how the activities at and provisions to the site were organized, and the extent to which the administration controlled the inhabitants’ access to material goods and resources. The Wadi el-Hudi Expedition’s Site 5 survey demonstrates that different parts of the site were used for different activities. Living areas are differentiated from administrative zones by access, artifacts, and architectural layout. The distribution of artifacts (namely pottery) from the survey suggests that there was: (1) delineation of space within the site so that administrative work spaces are distinct from living spaces; (2) differential access to materials that reflect administrative control over scarce water resources; and (3) workers’ control over food preparation and the supply of some pottery types for personal use in living spaces. The preliminary results of the Site 5 survey provide evidence to understand the complex relationship between mining administration and workers at the site, as well as a glimpse into the living and working conditions of the miners.
For almost a century, many scholars have assumed that the Medjay of the Egyptian textu al record ... more For almost a century, many scholars have assumed that the Medjay of the Egyptian textu al record can be directly associated with the Pan-Grave archaeological culture. In this ar ticle, the authors deconstruct this connection and consider the extent to which the ar chaeological and textual evidence can be reconciled based on geography and cultural cir cumstances. Both groups shared pastoral nomadic roots linked to the Eastern Desert, both went through similar processes of acculturation, and both groups had some of their members fight as mercenaries during the wars of the Second Intermediate Period. How ever, the evidence from the Nile Valley and Eastern Desert of Egypt and Nubia demon strates that a direct connection between the Pan-Grave culture and the Medjay cannot be supported.
Aashyet’s sarcophagus (JE 47267) offers a unique case for understanding how the intersection of a... more Aashyet’s sarcophagus (JE 47267) offers a unique case for understanding how the intersection of a person’s identities, such as ethnicity, gender, age, or religion, is portrayed on a funerary object within the historic and religious circumstances of a specific context. Aashyet’s sarcophagus portrays her as a wealthy, elite priestess, and the headof-household, while being a Nubian who celebrated her non-Egyptian origins. The sarcophagus’s archaeological context also demonstrates the importance of Priestesses of Hathor within Montuhotep II’s funerary complex at Deir el-Bahri for the legitimation of his kingship before he unified Egypt, late in his reign.
When building in dry-stone, Nubians and Egyptians used different techniques to construct walls. W... more When building in dry-stone, Nubians and Egyptians used different techniques to construct walls. Wadi es-Sebua has been used as a type-site for C-Group Nubian settlements. Its exterior wall exhibits courses of stones laid at an angle, a technique I associate with Nubians. The Egyptian fortified mining settlements at Wadi el-Hudi, el-Hisnein, and Dihmit use dry-stone architecture, similar to the architecture at Wadi es-Sebua. Texts and pottery support that many Nubians also worked for contemporary Egyptian mining expeditions in the Eastern Desert during the early Middle Kingdom. I suggest that Nubian workforces carried out much of the architectural construction of these fortified settlements using their own traditional building techniques, but following an Egyptian design, and I argue that the so-called ‘loopholes’ found in these exterior walls were not for military defence, but rather were windows. These construction techniques point to a latent Nubian agency within the operation of Egyptian mining settlements.
The Semna Dispatches hold unparalleled importance as one of the only papyri remaining
for our und... more The Semna Dispatches hold unparalleled importance as one of the only papyri remaining for our understanding of Egypt’s control over its Lower Nubian forts in the late Middle Kingdom. Here, we provide an edition and commentary on P. Ramesseum 18 (EA10771), another text concerning the forts. Its only previous publication was as a photograph in Alan Gardiner’s The Ramesseum Papyri: Plates in 1955. The text provides evidence for oversight from the Office of the Vizier in the form of letters to the forts, in support of which only seal impressions and the Duties of the Vizier attested formerly. One letter alerts the fortresses of Elephantine and Kuban about upcoming inspections. Another mentions an official from Edfu connected with the Medjay commanding a w'r.t-district at Kuban. Dating to the transition of Dynasty 12 and 13, the letters verify the continuing control of the forts, including rotations of personnel from Upper Egypt.
In this essay, Kate Liszka, director of the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition in Egypt’s Eastern Desert and... more In this essay, Kate Liszka, director of the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition in Egypt’s Eastern Desert and one of CAORC’s first grantees for the J.M. Kaplan Responsive Preservation Initiative, discusses the innovative and high-tech methods being used to document an important but now threatened mining site from Egypt’s pharaonic past.
A workshop organised as part of the InBetween Project (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, Grant N... more A workshop organised as part of the InBetween Project (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship, Grant No. 796050).
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of his kingship before he unified Egypt, late in his reign.
architectural construction of these fortified settlements using their own traditional building techniques, but following an Egyptian design, and I argue that the so-called ‘loopholes’ found in these exterior walls were not for military defence, but rather were windows. These construction techniques point to a latent Nubian agency within the operation of Egyptian mining settlements.
for our understanding of Egypt’s control over its Lower Nubian forts in the late
Middle Kingdom. Here, we provide an edition and commentary on P. Ramesseum 18
(EA10771), another text concerning the forts. Its only previous publication was as a
photograph in Alan Gardiner’s The Ramesseum Papyri: Plates in 1955. The text provides
evidence for oversight from the Office of the Vizier in the form of letters to the
forts, in support of which only seal impressions and the Duties of the Vizier attested
formerly. One letter alerts the fortresses of Elephantine and Kuban about upcoming
inspections. Another mentions an official from Edfu connected with the Medjay commanding
a w'r.t-district at Kuban. Dating to the transition of Dynasty 12 and 13, the
letters verify the continuing control of the forts, including rotations of personnel from
Upper Egypt.
of his kingship before he unified Egypt, late in his reign.
architectural construction of these fortified settlements using their own traditional building techniques, but following an Egyptian design, and I argue that the so-called ‘loopholes’ found in these exterior walls were not for military defence, but rather were windows. These construction techniques point to a latent Nubian agency within the operation of Egyptian mining settlements.
for our understanding of Egypt’s control over its Lower Nubian forts in the late
Middle Kingdom. Here, we provide an edition and commentary on P. Ramesseum 18
(EA10771), another text concerning the forts. Its only previous publication was as a
photograph in Alan Gardiner’s The Ramesseum Papyri: Plates in 1955. The text provides
evidence for oversight from the Office of the Vizier in the form of letters to the
forts, in support of which only seal impressions and the Duties of the Vizier attested
formerly. One letter alerts the fortresses of Elephantine and Kuban about upcoming
inspections. Another mentions an official from Edfu connected with the Medjay commanding
a w'r.t-district at Kuban. Dating to the transition of Dynasty 12 and 13, the
letters verify the continuing control of the forts, including rotations of personnel from
Upper Egypt.