Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
disappearence during the Akhenaten reform. From our view, the prevalence of the
night phase in the solar journey and the presence of the mythical union of Ra and
Osiris constitute one of the elements that allows the integration of the deceased into
the eternal life with the gods. In connection with that, the strong presence of the
offering ritual accomplished by Neferhotep and his wife Merytra, as well as the
architectonic element of the four pillars that are doorways to the beyond, allow us to
establish links between the spaces in the tomb, particularly in the funerary chapel, and
the spaces of the beyond.
From the Mediterranean Sea to the Nile: new perspectives and searches on the
Sherden in Egypt
Giacomo Cavillier
The military and social life of the Sherden people in Egypt has long been a topic of
scholarly interest; these mercenaries play an important role in defining the art of
warfare, diplomacy and the evolution of Ramesside Empire and its relationships with
Near East. Recent discoveries in many Mediterranean coastal sites have given new
light to the presence of Sherden (and others sea-warriors) at the End of Late Bronze
Age. Thus, by archaeological data available, the aim of this paper is to propose an
adequate view and a correct interpretation of this important phenomenon for the
Egyptian history and to offer precious data to interpret the stratified relationships
between Egypt and Mediterranean in Late Bronze Age at the apparition of the
“Peoples of Sea”.
Who did what and why: the dynamics of tomb preparation
Violaine Chauvet
The dynamics of tomb construction in the Old Kingdom are documented by a
substantial corpus of commemorative or dedicatory inscriptions (about 150). Next to
the tomb-owners themselves, sons (and occasionally daughters) claim to play a central
role in the project. More restricted, though no less interesting, is a small group of
inscriptions referring to the contribution of the craftsmen. It has often been suggested
that the son of a tomb-owner could act as artist in the making of his father’s
monument, an assumption that has never been fully investigated. Obviously, claims
such as that of Iri Tetiseneb (Saqqara, Teti Cemetery) that he “did the work therein
with [his] two hands, [his] children and brothers” cannot be taken at face value;
similarly the commemorative inscriptions claiming that a son “made” (jrj) the tomb of
his father need to be contextualized and should not be interpreted as evidence of his
involvement in the work-process proper. Of great interest in this regard are the
distinctions made, within a single monument, between the phraseology for a son’s
commissioning the work and the summary description of the work accomplished by
the artist. Due to the nature of the documentation, the role of the artists in the
construction of private tombs has been primarily discussed in relation to their craft
and skills. This paper aims to examine a different sphere of activities revolving
around the craftsmen’s ritual role, linked to their knowledge of the sacred texts and
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