24 research outputs found
Water supply of ancient Egyptian settlements: the role of the state. Overview of a relatively equitable scheme from the Old to New Kingdom (ca. 2543-1077 BC).
This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12685-015-0150-xThe study of the textual and archaeological evidence shows that the water supply of the settlements of ancient Egypt seems to have worked on a simple and a relatively equitable scheme, at least from the Old Kingdom until the New Kingdom (ca. 2543-1077). The water supply of the inhabitants was completely managed by the state, through the local administration which was charged to bring the water, in general from a rural area, into towns and cities and to redistribute it to the inhabitants. The method of supply is illustrated by several sources of evidence, in particular by the well known case of the "water-carriers" of the village of Deir el-Medina. Thus, drawing together text and archaeology, this paper will demonstrate that over an extended period, even when the city was far from a water source, the state did not set up complex installations such as pipe networks or wells to bring water, but preferred a simpler system using the manpower available
Overview of six years (2016-2022) of archaeological work in the necropolis of el-Sheikh Fadl.
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Toward a Study of Poor and Poverty in Ancient Egypt â Preliminary Thoughts
International audiencePoverty in ancient Egypt remains a rarely-studied subject. For decades Egyptologists have focused their attention mainly on the so-called âeliteâ, while the poor, their housing, their possessions, their diet, or their cultural values, remain largely in the shadows. Although they are much less visible archaeologically, they were much more numerous than the wealthy. Despite these circumstances, ancient Egypt provides a good starting point for discussing how to approach poverty during antiquity, as there are archaeological and textual records that can shed light on this complex issue. This article aims to stimulate reflection on the issue of poverty in the Nile valley and how it can be explored. It seeks also to add nuance to the idea of a strict dichotomy opposing the poor to the elite. In so doing, this paper will present discussion of the definition of poverty
Les amĂ©nagements hydrauliques en contexte urbain dans lâĂgypte ancienne
Essentielle au deÌveloppement de la civilisation pharaonique, lâeau a surtout eÌteÌ eÌtudieÌe au travers de la place quâelle occupe dans la religion mais rarement au travers de ses usages dans la vie quotidienne. Ainsi les ameÌnagements hydrauliques ne sont-ils geÌneÌralement que treÌs brieÌvement mentionneÌs dans la litteÌrature eÌgyptologique.AÌ partir des donneÌes fournies par lâarcheÌologie (mateÌriaux, modes de construction, etc.), cette theÌse a donc pour premier objectif dâeÌtudier dans le deÌtail ces installations en sâappuyant sur un corpus qui recense, pour toute la peÌriode pharaonique, preÌs de 400 structures, classeÌes en quatre grandes cateÌgories : puits, canalisations, bassins et ameÌnagements sanitaires.Dans un second temps, cette analyse approfondie compleÌteÌe dâun travail de syntheÌse, qui replace chacune de ces installations dans son contexte tout en les confrontant simultaneÌment aux sources eÌcrites et iconographiques, permet plus largement de comprendre comment lâeau sâinteÌgrait dans la vie des EÌgyptiens. La preÌsence ou lâabsence de ces structures dans les maisons et plus largement dans lâagglomeÌration refleÌte ainsi les besoins des habitants et les difficulteÌs auxquelles il fallait faire face. Les installations hydrauliques se reÌveÌlent donc eÌtre une source dâinformations aÌ ne pas neÌgliger puisquâelles permettent dâappreÌhender sous un jour nouveau la ville pharaonique et la façon dont on y vit tout en deÌvoilant certains aspects de la socieÌteÌ eÌgyptienne.Essential in the development of Pharaonic civilization, water was especially studied through the place it occupies in the religion but rarely through its everyday use. Generally, hydraulic layouts are thus only briefly mentioned in Egyptological literature.From the data supplied by archaeology (materials, construction methods, etc.), this thesis thus has for first objective to study these installations in detail by relying on a corpus which lists, for the whole Pharaonic period, more than 400 structures, classified in four categories: wells, pipes, basins and sanitary layouts.In a second hand, this detailed analysis, completed by a synthesis work replacing each of these installations in its context while confronting them simultaneously with written and iconographic sources, allows more widely to understand how water became integrated into Egyptians life. The presence or absence of these structures in houses and more widely in town thus reflects the inhabitantâs needs and the difficulties they were facing. Hydraulic layouts therefore appear to be a source of information not to be neglected for they cast new light on the Pharaonic city and its way of life while revealing certain aspects of the Egyptian society
Hydraulic Installations in Urban Context in Ancient Egypt
Essentielle au dĂ©veloppement de la civilisation pharaonique, lâeau a surtout Ă©tĂ© Ă©tudiĂ©e au travers de la place quâelle occupe dans la religion mais rarement au travers de ses usages dans la vie quotidienne. Ainsi les amĂ©nagements hydrauliques ne sont-ils gĂ©nĂ©ralement que trĂšs briĂšvement mentionnĂ©s dans la littĂ©rature Ă©gyptologique. Ă partir des donnĂ©es fournies par lâarchĂ©ologie (matĂ©riaux, modes de construction, etc.), cette thĂšse a donc pour premier objectif dâĂ©tudier dans le dĂ©tail ces installations en sâappuyant sur un corpus qui recense, pour toute la pĂ©riode pharaonique, prĂšs de 400 structures, classĂ©es en quatre grandes catĂ©gories : puits, canalisations, bassins et amĂ©nagements sanitaires. Dans un second temps, cette analyse approfondie complĂ©tĂ©e dâun travail de synthĂšse, qui replace chacune de ces installations dans son contexte tout en les confrontant simultanĂ©ment aux sources Ă©crites et iconographiques, permet plus largement de comprendre comment lâeau sâintĂ©grait dans la vie des Ăgyptiens. La prĂ©sence ou lâabsence de ces structures dans les maisons et plus largement dans lâagglomĂ©ration reflĂšte ainsi les besoins des habitants et les difficultĂ©s auxquelles il fallait faire face. Les installations hydrauliques se rĂ©vĂšlent donc ĂȘtre une source dâinformations Ă ne pas nĂ©gliger puisquâelles permettent dâapprĂ©hender sous un jour nouveau la ville pharaonique et la façon dont on y vit tout en dĂ©voilant certains aspects de la sociĂ©tĂ© Ă©gyptienne.Essential in the development of Pharaonic civilization, water was especially studied through the place it occupies in the religion but rarely through its everyday use. Generally, hydraulic layouts are thus only briefly mentioned in Egyptological literature. From the data supplied by archaeology (materials, construction methods, etc.), this thesis thus has for first objective to study these installations in detail by relying on a corpus which lists, for the whole Pharaonic period, more than 400 structures, classified in four categories: wells, pipes, ponds and sanitary layouts. In a second hand, this detailed analysis, completed by a synthesis work replacing each of these installations in its context while confronting them simultaneously with written and iconographic sources, allows more widely to understand how water became integrated into Egyptians life. The presence or absence of these structures in houses and more widely in town thus reflects the inhabitantâs needs and the difficulties they were facing. Hydraulic layouts therefore appear to be a source of information not to be neglected for they cast new light on the Pharaonic city and its way of life while revealing certain aspects of the Egyptian society
Les aménagements sanitaires. Un "luxe" de la maison égyptienne
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The bathroom: A rather singular room in the Egyptian house
International audienceThe notion of being âpureâ, as it relates to both moral and physical behaviour, was fundamental to ancient Egyptian society. As a result, the ancient Egyptians rejected anything that related to dirt, stains and impurity. This raises the question of the place occupied by personal hygiene, not only in terms of practices but also the facilities associated with it. Pharaonic Egypt did not know public baths as they appeared with the arrival of the Greeks, from the 3rd century B.C. Before this date, hygiene practices must therefore be considered as individual, belonging to the private sphere. Nevertheless, they remain relatively unknown. The ritual purification scenes on the temple walls give us a glimpse of how people might have washed themselves and indicate that it was not a matter of immersing the body in a bath but rather pouring water over it. The archaeological discoveries made in the houses confirm this idea. The bathroom facilities uncovered show simple but functional installations â kind of primitive versions of our modern showers. They are also perfectly adapted to meet the constraints of water in a domestic architecture built only with mud bricks.From its location in the house, to the materials used specifically for this space, as well as the characteristics of the installations, this paper will present the specificities that make the bathroom a singular room in ancient Egyptian domestic architecture
Le Grand Puits de Deir al-MedĂźna et la question de lâeau : nouvelles perspectives
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