Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development o... more Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development of this famous ancient Egyptian temple complex remains limited. Recent archaeological excavation in the Ptah temple, however, has reached its earliest levels, providing a first, securely dated stratigraphic sequence. Despite flood risks, the development of the religious complex c. 2200–2000 BC was made possible by the retreating Nile riverbank. Thus, the river and the expanding Karnak temple complex played major roles in the takeover of Egypt by the Eleventh Dynasty rulers and the growth of the new capital at Thebes, a potent combination of forces—fluvial, religious and secular—encountered among other early state powers.
Although particularly spectacular, the caches of sacred artefacts discovered in Egyptian religiou... more Although particularly spectacular, the caches of sacred artefacts discovered in Egyptian religious complexes, often discussed in the literature, have rarely been interrogated from a purely archaeological point of view. In this paper, we have tried to consider the context of discovery of the caches as a priority. Through this examination, we propose to identify among caches of sacred artefacts those that can really be characterised as ‘sacred’ (that is to say, having received a liturgical burial at the hands of the temple clergy), by establishing a classification according to common and objective criteria.
Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 2017
Les fouilles recentes dans le temple de Ptah bâti par Thoutmosis III a Karnak confirment l’existe... more Les fouilles recentes dans le temple de Ptah bâti par Thoutmosis III a Karnak confirment l’existence d’un edifice anterieur date de la fin de la Deuxieme Periode intermediaire ou du debut de la XVIIIe dynastie. L’analyse des vestiges en briques, a la fois tres deteriores et difficiles d’acces decouverts sous le temple, revele un edifice anterieur en brique compose de trois salles mais dont l’orientation differe de celle du temple thoutmoside. La composition tripartite est toutefois comparable au temple en pierre, analogie qui permet de proposer que le temple anterieur ait pu, des l’origine, avoir les memes fonctions que son successeur : un sanctuaire consacre a Ptah et a Hathor et un lieu d’accueil lors des sorties processionnelles d’Amon.
Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development o... more Following two centuries of research at Karnak, our understanding of the origins and development of this famous ancient Egyptian temple complex remains limited. Recent archaeological excavation in the Ptah temple, however, has reached its earliest levels, providing a first, securely dated stratigraphic sequence. Despite flood risks, the development of the religious complex c. 2200–2000 BC was made possible by the retreating Nile riverbank. Thus, the river and the expanding Karnak temple complex played major roles in the takeover of Egypt by the Eleventh Dynasty rulers and the growth of the new capital at Thebes, a potent combination of forces—fluvial, religious and secular—encountered among other early state powers.
Although particularly spectacular, the caches of sacred artefacts discovered in Egyptian religiou... more Although particularly spectacular, the caches of sacred artefacts discovered in Egyptian religious complexes, often discussed in the literature, have rarely been interrogated from a purely archaeological point of view. In this paper, we have tried to consider the context of discovery of the caches as a priority. Through this examination, we propose to identify among caches of sacred artefacts those that can really be characterised as ‘sacred’ (that is to say, having received a liturgical burial at the hands of the temple clergy), by establishing a classification according to common and objective criteria.
Bulletin de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale, 2017
Les fouilles recentes dans le temple de Ptah bâti par Thoutmosis III a Karnak confirment l’existe... more Les fouilles recentes dans le temple de Ptah bâti par Thoutmosis III a Karnak confirment l’existence d’un edifice anterieur date de la fin de la Deuxieme Periode intermediaire ou du debut de la XVIIIe dynastie. L’analyse des vestiges en briques, a la fois tres deteriores et difficiles d’acces decouverts sous le temple, revele un edifice anterieur en brique compose de trois salles mais dont l’orientation differe de celle du temple thoutmoside. La composition tripartite est toutefois comparable au temple en pierre, analogie qui permet de proposer que le temple anterieur ait pu, des l’origine, avoir les memes fonctions que son successeur : un sanctuaire consacre a Ptah et a Hathor et un lieu d’accueil lors des sorties processionnelles d’Amon.
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