EGYPTIAN
ARCHAEOLOGY
Landscape archaeology The annual Nile inundation was also a major factor in determining the locations and viability of settlements. Landscape archaeology has become a prime focus of EES fieldwork and research in recent years but as a concept it is perhaps harder to communicate than, for example, excavation to reveal one tomb or temple; hence this special issue in which several EES Field Directors David Jeffreys, Penny Wilson and Angus Graham - and invited specialists - Tomasz Herbich, Judith Bunbury and John Cooper - describe their own research and how it helps us to understand better the landscape in which the ancient Egyptian civilisation flourished. There was a major international conference on landscape archaeology in Berlin in June 2012, at which Judith, Angus and Joanne Rowland gave talks on their work. The papers are published online: http://tinyurl.com/c4xbqk8 Other articles shed light on aspects of the reign of Akhenaten, with an update from Kristin Thompson on her research into composite Amarna statuary and a report by Alexander Ahrens and Peter Pfälzner on the discovery of a seal of Akhenaten in Syria. Susanne Bickel and Elina Paulin-Grothe summarise their recent excavation of a new tomb in the Valley of the Kings and, in this Olympic year, Margaret Mountford, an EES Trustee, contributes an article on her research into games programmes from the site of Oxyrhynchus. PATRICIA SPENCER
For the first time since Egyptian Archaeology was launched in 1991, the Editorial Board decided that EA 41 would be a ‘special issue’ with commissioned articles on aspects of ‘landscape archaeology’ in Egypt, with, of course, a special emphasis on the work of the EES. Most excavators in Egypt have until fairly recently concentrated their efforts on one site at a time, sometimes moving every year or two - as Petrie did for most of his career - sometimes investing more in a site and working there for a number of years, or even decades. Now, however, rather than study one site in isolation, many excavators in Egypt wish to place their own site in its wider context, investigating its social, economic and administrative role within its region, looking at contacts with other neighbouring, and distant, towns and villages and studying the landscape in which the site originated and developed in antiquity. Such wide-ranging research has led archaeologists to collaborate with geologists and other specialists to help provide a better understanding of the climatic and geological changes which affected the Nile Valley, and its surrounding deserts, from remote antiquity up to the present day. Since the civilisations of ancient Egypt and Sudan were so dependent on the river Nile, its meanderings and movements over time have had a major influence on settlement patterns in both the Nile Valley and the Delta.
EES Patrons The Egypt Exploration Society has always been blessed with dedicated and enthusiastic members who, particularly in recent years since we lost our annual government grant, have supported us very generously and ensured that our programme of fieldwork and research has been able not just to continue, but to grow and develop. We now offer the opportunity for members to become Patrons of the Society and, in appreciation of their continued support of the EES, to receive enhanced benefits including subscriptions to the JEA, GRM or JEA via JSTOR, a pair of complimentary tickets to both the Society’s Summer and Winter Study Days, exclusive Patrons’ events, and up-to-the-minute personal communications from the Society’s Director, Chris Naunton, and from our Field Directors during their seasons in Egypt. On 31 May 2012 we held our first Patrons’ Evening at Doughty
Paul Lynn, Chris Naunton and Angus Graham at the Patrons’ evening
Mews with talks on all the Society’s current projects in Egypt, the chance to view the new Archive storage (funded by members’ donations) and talk about the Society over a glass of wine with Field Directors, Trustees and Staff. The annual Patron subscription rate is £500. If you think you might like to become a Patron of the EES and help to ensure the future sustainability of the Society, please contact Roo Mitcheson who will be able to answer any questions you may have: roo.mitcheson@ees.ac.uk or phone: +44(0)207 242 1880. Current EES Patrons for whose most generous support the Society is very grateful are: C T H Beck, Andrew Cousins, Martin R Davies, Christopher Gorman-Evans, Richard A Grant, George Huxley, Paul Lynn, Anne and Fraser Mathews, Anandh Indran Owen, Lyn Stagg, John Wall and John Wyatt.
The Society’s Archive Assistant, Alice Williams (left), at the Patrons’ evening, describing the rehousing of glass negatives