Imaging and Imagining the Memphite Necropolis: Liber Amicorum Rene Van Walsem

‘Imaging and Imagining the Memphite Necropolis’ is a mixture of
archaeological, literary and iconographic studies, all relating to the
representation, visualization and reconstruction of the material culture
and art of the ancient Egyptian burial grounds of the city of Memphis
through time.
This Liber Amicorum is offered to René van
Walsem on the occasion of his retirement. He has been lecturer in
Egyptology at Leiden University since 1979 and was joint field director
of the Dutch archaeological mission at Saqqara from 1999 until 2007. The
volume contains twenty-four articles written by academics from around
the world, all of whom have been part of, and have been influenced by,
René van Walsem’s extensive professional career.
The contributions
are divided into five themes: Material Culture – Finds at the
Necropolis, relating amongst others to the (Anglo-)Dutch excavations
of the New Kingdom tombs of Horemheb, Maya & Merit, Meryneith, and
others, at Saqqara; Epigraphy – Texts and History, highlighting
some surprising textual material connected to Saqqara; Theoretics –
Religion and Theory of Egyptology, dealing with the material culture
of ancient Egypt in particular, art history in general, and the
scientific methodology applicable to both fields; Mastabas – Scenes
of Daily Life, revolving around the interpretation of iconographic
programmes in Old Kingdom elite tombs of the Memphite Area, including
the necropoleis of Giza, Abusir, Saqqara, Dashur and Meidum; Funerary
Equipment – Coffins and Stolas, focussing on coffins and specific
iconographic details.
Touching upon the different subjects to
which René has made important contributions, the authors imagine new
interpretations, and offer images of the Memphite necropolis in various
epochs.