A brief remark on the philhellenic policy of Amasis at the emporion Naucratis

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Egyptian Nocturnal Festival of Lamps in Honour of Athena‑Neith

Terracotta figurines – as a part of minor arts – have been produced and widely used throughout the long period of Graeco‑Roman dominance over Egypt. They were cheaply made of fired Nile clay and display a wealth of motifs unparalleled in any other terracotta workshops from the ancient world. Many of them represent both Egyptian and foreign deities who were particularly thought to offer personal protection and many of them were moreover closely connected with religious feasts. This is also the case of Athena‑Neith. The identification of Athena with the Egyptian warrior‑goddess Neith led in the Roman period to the mass‑ ‑production of distinctive lamps with Athena’s image. No wonder that some of them are also housed in several Czech museums and private collections

Egyptian Nocturnal Festival of Lamps in Honour of Athena-Neith

Terracotta figurines – as a part of minor arts – have been produced and widely used throughout the long period of Graeco-Roman dominance over Egypt. They were cheaply made of fired Nile clay and display a wealth of motifs unparalleled in any other terracotta workshops from the ancient world. Many of them represent both Egyptian and foreign deities who were particularly thought to offer personal protection and many of them were moreover closely connected with religious feasts. This is also the case of Athena-Neith. The identification of Athena with the Egyptian warrior-goddess Neith led in the Roman period to the mass-production of distinctive lamps with Athena’s image. No wonder that some of them are also housed in several Czech museums and private collections.273

Bahriya 2014 – A study season in the Bawiti Museum

The study season of the Czech Institute of Egyptology and the Institute for Classical Archaeology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, was undertaken in the winter from February 17–25, 2014. Owing to close co-operation with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and thanks to the Bawiti museum officials all of the material of the Czech mission in El-Hayz, excavated during several previous field seasons (2003–2007), was well accessible to us and we were also provided a hospitable and appropriate working space in new magazines. All excavated material, more precisely pottery, ceramic lamps, and an assemblage of small finds and ostraca, was properly and safely kept in large wooden boxes, easily identified and thus ready to work with. All this helped the members of the Czech team to work efficiently and finish the planned activities in time.61

Another shaft tomb at Abusir – more questions, less answers (Spring archaeological season of 2017 in the group of the shaft tombs in western Abusir)

During the spring season of 2017, the study of the texts and relief decoration in the large Late Period shaft tombs of Iufaa and Menekhibnekau in the western part of the Abusir necropolis continued. The final publication of the texts from the tomb of Menekhibnekau is planned to appear in 2018. At the same time, the superstructure of another large shaft tomb, dubbed AW 6 and situated to the north-east of the structure of Udjahorresnet, was completely excavated. Originally, it consisted of an enclosure measuring about 19.5 metres square and surrounding a huge central shaft (about 14 m2 ). On the numerous limestone fragments, no traces of inscriptions or relief decoration have been preserved. A limestone base (originally serving perhaps for a stela) was found in its original position in front of the northern facade of the enclosure; similar bases were unearthed in the centres of the remaining three sides of the original enclosure in 2015. Therefore, the tomb might have been used for the burial of its – as yet anonymous – owner. In the close vicinity of the original enclosure, no traces of a small shaft were found that would give access to the burial chamber situated at the bottom of the huge central shaft. Rather surprisingly, however, another shaft (measuring 5.5 m2 ) came to light close to the southwestern corner of the enclosure. Judging from its position, it might be either another embalmers’ cache or, more probably perhaps, the burial place of a family member (?) of the owner of AW 6.31

Preliminary report on archaeological activities on the Late Period shaft tomb necropolis in Abusir, mainly the tomb of Wahibremeryneith (AW 6)

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Další šachtová hrobka v Abúsíru – zatím více otázek než odpovědí (Jarní sezóna 2017 v prostoru velkých šachtových hrobek z poloviny 1. tisíciletí př. Kr. v západním Abúsíru) // Another shaft tomb at Abusir – more questions, less answers (Spring archaeological season of 2017 in the group of the shaft tombs in western Abusir)

During the spring season of 2017, the study of the texts and relief decoration in the large Late Period shaft tombs of Iufaa and Menekhibnekau in the western part of the Abusir necropolis continued. The final publication of the texts from the tomb of Menekhibnekau is planned to appear in 2018. At the same time, the superstructure of another large shaft tomb, dubbed AW 6 and situated to the north-east of the structure of Udjahorresnet, was completely excavated. Originally, it consisted of an enclosure measuring about 19.5 metres square and surrounding a huge central shaft (about 14 m2 ). On the numerous limestone fragments, no traces of inscriptions or relief decoration have been preserved. A limestone base (originally serving perhaps for a stela) was found in its original position in front of the northern facade of the enclosure; similar bases were unearthed in the centres of the remaining three sides of the original enclosure in 2015. Therefore, the tomb might have been used for the burial of its – as yet anonymous – owner. In the close vicinity of the original enclosure, no traces of a small shaft were found that would give access to the burial chamber situated at the bottom of the huge central shaft. Rather surprisingly, however, another shaft (measuring 5.5 m2 ) came to light close to the southwestern corner of the enclosure. Judging from its position, it might be either another embalmers’ cache or, more probably perhaps, the burial place of a family member (?) of the owner of AW 6

Political memory in and after the persian empire

Introducción: This volume comprises revised presentations from the 2014 symposium plus an additional contribution by Melanie Wasmuth, this introduction, and an overall critical assessment by R. J. van der Spek, who was also present at the symposium. We regret that not all of the participants of the symposium were able to contribute to this publication, especially with the resulting loss of discussion of certain areas of the empire (sadly even the heartland itself), but we trust the ones collected here profitably explore the issues from a variety of perspectives. The collection begins with a discussion of the Kingdom-cum-Satrapy of Lydia. Eduard Rung considers the notable lack of Lydian independence efforts through two topics; two early appointments by Cyrus the Great (Tabalus and Pactyes) and the early (and only attested) Lydian revolt by Pactyes. In his analysis, native elites were totally replaced from the Lydian administration following the revolt leading to the memory of Croesus’s kingdom losing any local political effectiveness..