Category:  Sociology & Anthropology

Du site de l'éditeur : L'ouvrage de J. Cerny consacré à la vie des artisans de Deir al-Medina est un grand classique des études égyptologiques... Le lecteur trouvera ici, outre le texte original de Cerny, les index des documents cités et des noms de particuliers qui rendent sa consultation plus facile.

Reviewed by Francesca: Containing essays written by established scholars (O’Connor, Richards, Lustig, Smith, Adams, Wenke and Trigger among others), this book demonstrates the use and importance of anthropology in the field of Egyptology. It provides a wealth of information on past and future relations between the two fields. Recommended, for all with an interest in either of the fields.

From the book cover: Medical analysis of the mummified bodies of the pharaohs has been described in many books. However this volume shows that the same techniques can be used to study ordinary Egyptians as well. The twenty-one papers in this volume were presented at a British Museum conference in 1990 by leading authorities in paleopathology, molecular archaeology, archaeobotany and archaeozoology. From the diseases that plagued Egyptians to the potential that ancient DNA analysis offers for recreating family relationships, this volume shows the extraordinary potential modern techniques for revealing ancient lives.

Du site de l'éditeur : Ces actes d’un colloque tenu au Caire en 1996 ont trait tant au commerce d’état qu’aux transactions privées et posent la question fondamentale de la place dévolue aux individus dans des échanges censés être intégralement contrô lés par l’État. Le rô le de ce dernier apparaît primordial dans le domaine du commerce extérieur, connu surtout, il est vrai, par des sources institutionnelles ou par l’archéologie ; les traces des échanges entre particuliers se trouvent dans des actes notariés, dans des plaintes en justice, autant de témoignages à apporter au débat sur la propriété des moyens de production et la capacité commerciale des personnes.

Reviewed by Francesca: The author claims this book (her fourth) is the last one. Through different Ancient Egyptian texts, she studies the meanders of Ancient Egyptian souls. Tombstone texts reveal their deep meanings and the wish of each to tell that his heart was filled with Maat throughout his life. She begins by explaining that one should be aware of 'terminological muddle', such as for the word wisdom. She also tells of the arrival of the idea of 'evil' in texts of the Fourth Dynasty. According to her, the pursuit of happiness seems to be linked with social ethics and generosity. This is an intelligent book to read, which leaves the reader with much to think about, once the book is closed.