Reading

Nov 23, 2022

The Epigraphic Work of Howard Carter

We would be remiss if digitalEPIGRAPHY did not commemorate Howard Carter in some way on the 100th anniversary of discovering the tomb of Tutankhamun, one of the most important milestones in the history of both Egypt and Egyptology. The next...

Jun 30, 2022

Ostraca form the workmen’s huts in the Valley of the Kings

The Swiss archaeological mission "MISR: Mission Siptah-Ramses X." excavated the tombs of Siptah (KV 47) and Ramses X (KV 18) and their immediate surrounding areas between 1998 and 2005.

Aug 1, 2021

Virtual Malqata, the Amenhotep III Palace 3D Reconstruction Project – Accuracy Versus Authenticity

Franck Monnier and Paul François began the digital reconstruction of the palace of Amenhotep III at Malqata in 2016, as part of a collaboration with the Ancient Egyptian Heritage and Archaeological Fund. They used digital technologies and 3D...

Jun 14, 2021

America’s First Woman Egyptologist – Caroline Ransom Williams

Dr. Caroline Louise Ransom Williams (1872-1952) was the first professionally trained woman Egyptologist in America. Mentored by Breasted who was only seven years her senior, their relationship would evolve from teacher and pupil to the greatest of...

May 28, 2021

Gentleman Scholar and Pioneering Artist - Sir John Gardner Wilkinson’s Remarkable Contribution to Egyptology

In the second entry of our Evolution of Epigraphy series, we go back to the rediscovery of Egypt following the Napoleonic Wars, when epigraphic methods were yet to be conceived and early scholars could rely only on their observation skills and...

Mar 22, 2021

Evolution of Epigraphy - James Henry Breasted’s Experiments with Technology to Create the Chicago House Method

The three-part article reflects on how Breasted came to establish the Epigraphic Survey and the Chicago House Method, utilizing new technologies to make epigraphic work possible, and setting the standard for the digital work of today.

Dec 4, 2020

Rishi Coffin fragments from the Western Cemetery at Giza

The Harvard University – Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Expedition at the Old Kingdom site of Giza has uncovered significant material from later periods of Ancient Egyptian history, including fragments of a “rishi” type coffin now preserved in...

Jul 3, 2020

Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Procreate - How to Create Art on an iPad

Followers of digitalEPIGRAPHY know by now that Procreate is our official app of choice when it comes to working on the iPad. It is a multi-award-winning painting app that allows artists to paint in high resolution using customized brushes in a...

Jun 8, 2020

Deir el-Medina Stelae and Other Inscribed Objects in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Beginning in 2001, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid carried out a study of the stelae from Deir el-Medina collected at the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. The project was directed by Dr. José M. Galán in collaboration with the late...

Apr 27, 2020

Laser cleaning of Ancient Egyptian Wall Paintings in the Tomb of Neferhotep TT49

We’d like to showcase a project that used laser technology to remove dirt and soot from the fragile wall paintings of an ancient Egyptian tomb – a technology that may become a tremendous aid in the future of epigraphy.

Apr 6, 2020

The First Pylon of the Mut Temple, South Karnak - Architecture, Decoration, Inscriptions

In 2014, the Mut Precinct in South Karnak reopened its gates to the public after being closed for almost 40 years. The reopening was the result of the work of the Brooklyn Museum’s expedition to the Mut Precinct...

Feb 4, 2020

Approaches to Archaeological Illustration, A Handbook by Mélanie Steiner

This time, we would like to introduce a long planned new series here at digitalEPIGRAPHY’s Reading section that concentrates on recording archaeological artifacts.

Nov 30, 2019

Relief fragments from the valley temple of the Bent Pyramid at Dahshur

The Free University Berlin, in cooperation with the German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAI), has been exploring the royal necropolis of Dahshur since 2000.

Nov 15, 2019

Beginner's Guide to Digital Painting in Photoshop by Nykolai Aleksander and Richard Tilbury

The next entry to Reading section’s series dedicated to creating digital art is a comprehensive guide to the basics of digital painting in Photoshop.

Oct 25, 2019

The Tomb of Rekhmire (TT100) - facsimile paintings by Nina de Garis Davies

Nina and Norman de Garis Davies were two of the most influential artists/epigraphers devoted to recording Egyptian wall paintings in the first half of the Twentieth century.

Sep 20, 2019

The Tomb of Pay and Raia at Saqqara

First discovered in the 19th century, the tomb of Pay and Raia was excavated and recorded by the joint EES/National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden, expedition between 1994 and 1998.

Sep 2, 2019

Die Kultkammer des Ka-ni-nisut im Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien

This richly illustrated work by Regina Hölzl is dedicated to the mastaba of the royal official Kaninisut: its discovery, the purchase of the tomb’s cult chamber for the museum where it is to be visited today, and its relief decoration.

Aug 12, 2019

The Main Chapel at the Amarna Workmen’s Village and its wall paintings

In the 1980s, the Egypt Exploration Society's expedition to Amarna discovered a well-preserved private chapel at the Workmen's Village and the largest that had been built there.

Jul 18, 2019

Carlyn Beccia – Digital Painting for the Complete Beginner. Includes techniques using Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop

Back in Spring, we introduced a new series, which would include some of our favorite books regarding the techniques and methods used in creating digital art. Our next entry is Carlyn Beccia’s manual, a practical guide to digital painting with...

Jun 7, 2019

Tomb of Amenmose (TT89) – Modern epigraphy in the footsteps of Nina and Norman de Garis Davies

In 1995, the Royal Ontario Museum initiated its Theban Tomb Project with Lyla Pinch-Brock and ROM Assistant Curator Roberta Shaw as co-directors recreating the facsimile technique used by Nina de Garis Davis.

May 24, 2019

The Temple of Deir el Bahari – The epigraphic work of Howard Carter

Early in his career, from 1894 to 1899, Howard Carter worked with Édouard Naville at Deir el-Bahari, where he recorded the wall reliefs in the temple of Hatshepsut.

May 16, 2019

The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos - Amice Calverley’s Record of the Temple of Seti I

Commencing in 1933, a four-volume series entitled The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos, edited by Alan H. Gardiner, was published jointly by the Egypt Exploration Society and the University of Chicago

May 8, 2019

Wadi el-Hudi Expedition - Incorporating new techniques of archaeological documentation

Wadi el-Hudi is an extensive mining site in the desert about 35 km southeast of Aswan where, in ancient times, Egyptians mined precious stones and minerals, including amethyst, galena and gold.

Apr 17, 2019

The Tomb of Pharaoh’s Chancellor Senneferi at Thebes (TT 99) Volume I - The New Kingdom

The conservation and documentation of the tomb of Senneferi (TT 99) at Luxor was carried out between 1992 and 2002 by the Cambridge Theban Tomb Project, under the leadership of Nigel Strudwick.

Apr 1, 2019

Eva Hofmann – Der Vorhof der Privatgräber – nur ein sakraler Ort? Die Anlagen von TT 157 des Nebwenenef und TT 183 des Nebsumenu

In recent years, the Heidelberg University’s Ramesside Tomb Project has been studying the motifs behind the decoration of the forecourts of two Ramesside tombs, TT 157 and TT 183.

Mar 28, 2019

Make Great Art on Your iPad – Paint, Draw, Share by Alison Jardine

In this somewhat unconventional entry, digitalEPIGRAPHY would like to draw your attention towards the general understanding of what using computers in producing art really means.

Mar 16, 2019

Scanning Seti - The regeneration of a pharaonic tomb by Factum Arte and the Factum Foundation for Digital Technology in Conservation

A recent exhibition in the Antikenmuseum Basel recreates two of the most beautiful rooms, the Hall of Beauties and the adjacent Pillared Room in Seti I’s magnificent tomb in the Valley of the Kings.

Mar 9, 2019

Das Grab des Paenkhemenu (TT 68) und die Anlage TT 227

Das Grab des Paenkhemenu (TT 68) und die Anlage TT 227 by Karl-Joachim Seyfried is part of a series of publications devoted to the Theban tombs of Ramesside officials produced by the Egyptological Institute of the Heidelberg University.

Feb 12, 2019

Color the Temple - Using projected light to restore color on the temple of Dendur

In this article we would like to focus on the 2015 initiative at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts to build a virtual reconstruction of the original polychrome painted decoration of the temple of Dendur.

Feb 3, 2019

Nubia in the New Kingdom: The Egyptians at Kurgus

The joint Sudan Archaeological Research Society-British Museum project between 1998 and 2012 investigated the many records left by the Egyptian military expeditions during the New Kingdom at Kurgus.

Jan 26, 2019

The Tomb Chapel of Menna (TT 69) The Art, Culture, and Science of Painting in an Egyptian Tomb

The conservation and documentation of the tomb chapel of Menna (TT 69) at Luxor was implemented between 2007 and 2009, under the direction of Melinda Hartwig of Georgia State University.

Jan 14, 2019

Reconstructing the Villa of Serenus at Amheida

In 1979, a team of the Dakhleh Oasis Project discovered the upper part of lavishly decorated walls of what turned out to be a fourth century ‘villa’ occupied by a family of high social status.

Dec 21, 2018

Late antique Hagr Edfu - Area 2b, Tomb D

In 2007, a British Museum expedition began investigating the late antique activity at Hagr Edfu, with a focus on surveying, conserving, and documenting the rock-cut tombs of Areas 1 and 2, including Tomb D of Area 2b. Project description

Dec 15, 2018

The tomb of Khnumhotep II (Tomb 3) at Beni Hassan

The Beni Hassan @ Macquarie project aims to provide a visual dictionary for all inscribed tombs of the Middle Egypt burial site Beni Hassan, including that of Khnumhotep II.

Dec 8, 2018

The Tomb of Senwosret at Elkab

A British Museum expedition under the direction of W. V. Davies has been working on cleaning and recording the pharaonic tombs of Elkab since 2009. The tomb discussed here was built for Senwosret, a governor of Elkab probably during the early 12th...

Nov 29, 2018

The Tomb of Sataimau at Hagr Edfu

A British Museum expedition has been working at the necropolis of Hagr Edfu under the direction of W. V. Davies since 2001. In recent years, the expedition has documented a group of three tombs at the foot of the main hill of the site...

Nov 21, 2018

The Tombs of Userhat and Khonsuemheb

A Japanese expedition from the Institute of Egyptology at Waseda University, Tokyo has been working in the el-Khokha area in the Theban Necropolis since 2007 under the direction of Prof. Jiro Kondo. The team has rediscovered the tomb of Userhat...

Nov 16, 2018

The Temple of Tuthmosis III at Deir el-Bahari

The Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology’s present project began in 2008, with the aim of completing the study, restoration and publication of the Deir el-Bahari temple of Tuthmosis III. The work is the continuation of a previous mission led...

Nov 9, 2018

Four seasons of documentation in the Main Sanctuary of Amun-Re in the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari

The Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology dedicated four seasons between 2011 and 2015 in Deir el-Bahari to the documentation of the wall decoration in the Main Sanctuary of Amun-Re in the Temple of Hatshepsut.

Nov 6, 2018

Epigraphic Program of the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak during the 2015 season

During the 2015 season the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak continued their epigraphic programs at the 8th Pylon, the Philip Arrhidaeus’ bark-shrine, and the area of the Akh-menu.

Oct 29, 2018

Epigraphic Program of the French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak during the 2014 season

The extensive work of the French-Egyptian Center for the Study of the Temples of Karnak was devoted to several programs during the 2013-2014 season, including the epigraphic survey of the northern area of the Akh-menu of Tuthmosis III etc.

Oct 17, 2018

Carved limestone fragments from the Great Aten Temple

In 2012 the Amarna Project began its excavations at the Great Aten Temple in order to re-study the temple remains, and to clean the site and mark the main building outlines in fresh stonework.

Oct 8, 2018

The New Kingdom Temple of Khnum

The investigation of the ancient town and temples of Elephantine has been carried out by the German Archaeological Institute Cairo (DAI) in cooperation with the Swiss Institute for Egyptian Building Archaeology (Swiss Institute) since 1969.

Oct 4, 2018

The Chapel of Osiris Nebdjet/Padedankh in North-Karnak

The vast program of excavation, documentation and epigraphic study of the Osirian chapels and necropolis of Karnak was initiated in 1993 by the Centre Franco-Égyptien d’Étude des Temples de Karnak (CFEETK) and then extended by a collaboration...

Oct 2, 2018

Digital epigraphy of the temple of Debod

A Spanish team of the University of La Laguna, Tenerife is currently recording and studying the scenes and inscriptions of the Meroitic temple from Debod, Nubia, now in Madrid, under the project title “tA-Hwt, Digital Techniques applied to the...

Oct 1, 2018

The tombs of Kaisebi (AS 76) and Ptahwer (AS 76b) at Abusir South

The Czech Institute of Egyptology’s excavations at Abusir South in 2014 have led to the discovery of the tomb of Kaisebi (AS76) and the adjoining structure of Ptahwer (AS 76b). Both tombs are dated to the end of the Third Dynasty.

Sep 28, 2018

Tomb of the chief physician Shepseskafankh

The Czech Institute of Egyptology discovered the mastaba of the chief physician Shepseskafankh during the course of their 2013 season in Abusir South. The tomb is located in the northeastern part of the cemetery of officials dated to the Fifth...