EGYPTIAN
are authoratatively discussed, and references to previous publications are provided. However, it would have been useful in some cases to illustrate more than just the inscribed part of the object to help the reader understand better the overall shape of the object and the position of the inscription on it. While cuneiform and Egyptian scripts make up the greatest part of the book, the other two pristine writing systems - Chinese and Mayan glyphs - and secondary scripts such as Protosinaitic, alphabetic scripts and Luwian hieroglyphs are also considered. Among the non-Egyptian objects in the catalogue the reviewer’s eye was especially caught by: No.93, an Aramaic incantation bowl whose spiral inscription focuses visually on the centre of the bowl just as the content of the magical spell focuses on an individual in the same way as some Egyptian letters to the dead; No.94, a clay tablet with cuneiform Babylonian on the obverse and a Greek transcription on the reverse giving insight into the interaction between the oriental and the occidental world; and No.95, an Anatolian hieroglyphic seal inscription that includes the Egyptian ankh sign and raises a discussion of the Mycenaean use of this symbol as representing the sound ‘za’, later Greek ζοη ‘life’. The contributors to the catalogue are Chicago staff, post-doctoral and graduate students, thus making this a true Chicago project and taking the discussion back to where it began with I J Gelb’s A Study of Writing (1952), as Woods points out. Part of the modern Chicago tradition is the effort to make books available online and we can be grateful for the generous opportunity to download this catalogue from the Oriental Institute: http://oi.uchicago.edu/pdf/oimp32.pdf. RICHARD BUSSMANN Mohamed I Bakr, Helmut Brandl, Faye Kalloniatis (eds), Egyptian Antiquities from Kufur Nigm and Bubastis. Opaion Verlag, 2010 (ISBN 978 3 000335 09 9). Price: €29. Although the famous Egyptian Museum in Cairo and its numerous treasures are familiar to every scholar and enthusiast of the culture of ancient Egypt, the smaller museums of Egypt are much less well-known, although they often contain objects of unique interest. Attempts to introduce these museums both to science and to the interested public are, therefore, to be welcomed. A first step in this direction has been taken by this lavishly-illustrated bilingual (English and Arabic) catalogue presenting objects on display in the Museum of the University of Zagazig. They come from Kufur Nigm and Tell Basta/Bubastis in the eastern Delta, excavated (1978-93) by Mohamed I Bakr for the Egyptian Antiquities Organisation (now the SCA). The sites, although in close proximity, are very different: Bubastis, one of the most important cities of ancient Egypt from the beginning of the dynastic period until the end of Roman times, has long attracted archaeologists, from Edouard Naville, who excavated there for the EEF in 1887, to the current Tell Basta Project, a joint mission under the auspices of the University of Göttingen, the EES and the SCA (see pp.7-9).
ARCHAEOLOGY
The volume opens with five short chapters about these two very different sites: while Bubastis was a major metropolis, Kufur Nigm, c.30km north of Tell Basta, was a rural settlement with domestic and cemetery areas, ranging in date from the Predynastic Period into the Old Kingdom. The description of Kufur Nigm mainly deals with the Early Dynastic Period tombs excavated by Bakr (1984-90). These contained a rather standardised repertoire of funerary goods of their time, although the authors point out some objects which seem to reflect local (Delta) traditions. What is missing is a discussion of whether the site was a regional centre in its own right or dependent on a city (probably Bubastis). The next four chapters present the site of Tell Basta, focusing on the find-spots of most of the objects in the catalogue (the cemeteries and the temple) and discussing the famous hoards of metal objects and semiprecious jewellery found in 1907 and 1992. While giving a useful overview, the texts are largely descriptive, and do not address some interesting research questions which deserve more detailed discussion. The main part of the book consists of the catalogue with 83 entries, presenting 17 objects from Kufur Nigm and 66 objects from Tell Basta. The objects are presented with excellent photographs and a short description and discussion in English and Arabic, headed by general information. The catalogue entries are the work of several different authors and they are generally well-written. While sometimes a bit over-general in nature, they are appropriate to the book’s aim to inform the interested public. There are some minor confusions and errors, mostly relating to the find-spots, and probably caused by the long time-lag between the excavation work and the production of the catalogue. This is a valuable and welcome publication of objects which were formerly almost unknown from two important Delta sites and it is a valuable resource for both scholars and interested enthusiasts. The high-quality photographs and the attractive layout make the volume a delightful presentation. (A fuller review of this book by Eva Lange will be published in the JEA). EVA LANGE
34
Bill Manley and Aidan Dodson, Life Everlasting. National Museums Scotland Collection of Ancient Egyptian Coffins. NMS Enterprises Ltd, 2010. (ISBN 978 1 905267 17 0). Price: £30. Coffins provide one of the richest sources for understanding ancient Egyptian religious practices, funerary customs, social and cultural links, and sometimes evidence of their modern history. Since the dawn of Egyptology, coffins have caught the eye of the traveller, plunderer, dealer and scholar alike and their ancient history can often be better understood when linked with the more recent history of their discovery. Clearly aware of this, Bill Manley and Aidan Dodson have sought to provide the modern background, compiled from a variety of sources, to many of the coffins of the National Museums Scotland (NMS). As stated in its foreword, this book aims to provide a comprehensive record of the NMS corpus of coffins and related objects; masks, mummy-portraits, cartonnages, mummy-trappings and foot-cases, though regrettably the texts upon them are not discussed in any detail. The book opens with a historical overview of the formation of the NMS Egyptian collection from the acquisition of its first coffin in 1819 to its present day complement as a result of the merger in 1985 of the National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland and the Royal Scottish Museum. The main section of the book comprises a catalogue of 64 objects arranged in seven chronological sections (from the Middle Kingdom to the Roman Period) and one further object of debatable authenticity included in an appendix. Each section opens with a concise introduction which provides a brief overview of coffins from the period, highlighting their distinctive features and stylistic variations. The catalogue is clearly set out, with the deceased’s name and titles, inventory number, dating, dimensions, material, general description, mode of acquisition, provenance, and material found inside each coffin or associated with it, as well as bibliographical references, all of which are arranged under separate headings to assist the reader in finding information quickly if skimming through the book. Wherever possible, each entry is provided with an up-to-date bibliography. For the most significant objects, additional information and commentary are given under the heading ‘remarks’ and a cue for further reflection. While each coffin is provided with a detailed description, which assists the reader in visualising elements not readily ascertained from the photographs, a slightly different format would have benefited the entries for the richly decorated coffins such as those of the Third Intermediate Period. For these the images are mostly too small to do justice to the elaborate religious scenes on the front and sides of the coffins and, as a result, one has to strain to make out details described in the text. Here, the use of several photographs each showing a section of a coffin’s front or side and accompanied by the relevant written description would have been clearer. The NMS Egyptian collection includes masterpieces of international renown alongside