Papers by Youssri Abdelwahed
This paper attempts to reconstruct the festival of the Harpokratia and its significance in the Gr... more This paper attempts to reconstruct the festival of the Harpokratia and its significance in the Graeco-Roman period based on Greek papyri uncovered from Egypt and other material and written evidence. Despite the popularity of the cult of the god Harpokrates in the Graeco-Roman period, this article suggests that the festival had a local rather than a pan-Egyptian character since it was only confirmed in the villages of Soknopaiou Nesos and Euhemeria in the Arsinoite area. The Harpokratia was celebrated in Tybi and was marked with a banquet of wine and a bread and lentil-meal. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the festival was the purificatory public procession, which was a suitable moment for different worshippers to address the god for the fulfilment of their supplications.
This paper attempts to reconstruct the internal arrangement and functions of the domestic pylon i... more This paper attempts to reconstruct the internal arrangement and functions of the domestic pylon in the light of Greek papyri uncovered from Egypt. It first deals with representations of domestic pylons in the Pharaonic period to visualise the structure. It then considers domestic entranceways attested in Greek papyri and finally addresses the architectural layout and use of the domestic pylon. In 1973 Pierre Chantraine addressed the origin of the Greek term pylon. 2 In 1983 Geneviève Husson published her Oikia where she alphabetically collected the vocabulary of domestic architecture of Egypt, including the pylon, attested in papyri from the Ptolemaic to the Byzantine period. 3 In 2001 Richard Alston mentioned the domestic pylon in passing in his considerations of social life and ritual activities in Roman Egypt. 4 None of these scholars has dealt in depth with the architectural layout and use of the domestic pylon. Representations of domestic pylons in the Pharaonic period Unfortun...
The idea of this book comes from the third chapter of my doctoral dissertation at the Department ... more The idea of this book comes from the third chapter of my doctoral dissertation at the Department of Classics & Ancient History, the University of Durham, which is already published as Abdelwahed, Y. 2015. Egyptian Cultural Identity in the Architecture of Roman Egypt (30 BC-AD 325), Archaeopress Roman Archaeology 6, Oxford. In the third chapter of my published dissertation, I have considered the relationship between layers of identity assertion and ritual practices in the domestic space. The research on rituals performed within the domestic property revealed that further research on the ritual side of houses is preferable. A separate monograph on the topic will be welcomed by scholars working on the archaeology and rituals of post-Pharaonic Egypt. This monograph is the outcome of a postdoctoral fellowship funded by the Mission Sector, Ministry of Higher Education, Egypt, for which I like to express my utmost gratitude. Special word of thanks must go to
International Journal of Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality, 2019
In 2007, Uytterhoeven and Clarysse published a very short preliminary report on Alabanthis, appar... more In 2007, Uytterhoeven and Clarysse published a very short preliminary report on Alabanthis, apparently a rich village in the Graeco-Roman period, for the Trismegistos website in the section on the Fayum project. 1 A reconsideration of the papyrological references to the village has the potential to give more profound insights into the life of the village in Greek and Roman times. This article attempts to present a comprehensive study on the social, economic, and religious life of the village of Alabanthis based on Greek papyri uncovered from Graeco-Roman Egypt. The paper starts with a discussion of the location, name, and status of Alabanthis in the Graeco-Roman period. The social structure and the economy of the village will then be extensively considered to highlight the demographic composition of the inhabitants and their economic activities. The papyrological evidence for the religious life of the village will be the final element presented in the article. 2 Keywords: Alabanthis, Meris of Herakleides, Arsinoite nome, Graeco-Roman Egypt. The Location of Alabanthis Two villages bearing the name of Alabanthis are confirmed in Greek papyri uncovered from Graeco-Roman Egypt. One village is attested in the Hermopolite nome; it is mentioned in a papyrus dating from AD 161 recording an oath of one Paesis, 3 and also in a papyrus of AD 212-250 recording the sale of a male donkey to Aurelius Paleus, the public donkey-driver in the village. 4 The other village is located in the Arsinoite area. The latter is the focus of this article. Alabanthis of the Arsinoite area appears in Greek papyri from the third century BC to the eighth century AD. Yet the village is best documented in the third century BC and the second century AD. 5 Unfortunately, the location of Alabanthis has not been archaeologically identified and there is no trace of its material culture. 6 Based on Greek papyri documents, however, Uytterhoeven and Clarysse attempted to reconstruct the location of the assumed site for the Trismegistos website (figure 1). The map shows Alabanthis on the southeastern side of Lake Moeris in the Herakleides division. This rightly coincides with Greek papyri documents. The tax on ferry-boats (porthmides), which was collected from the inhabitants of Alabanthis in the third century BC, 7 suggests that the village was probably located on the southern shore of Lake Moeris, particularly since it appears in many village lists, often in relation with tax payment with other villages located on the south area of the lake. 8 The dyke of Alabanthis is evidence that the village was 1 For the article: https://www.trismegistos.org/fayum/fayum2/97.php?geo_id=97 (last access on 22/12/2019). 2 The texts and translations of Greek papyri are arranged as they appear in the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri. If a different text is used than that of the DDbDP, it is recorded in the footnote.
Journal of Association of Arab Universities for Tourism and Hospitality, 2014
مجلة کلیة السیاحة والفنادق - جامعة مدینة السادات
Aelian"s comprehensive work on animals encouraged scholars to address animals in the ancient worl... more Aelian"s comprehensive work on animals encouraged scholars to address animals in the ancient world (Ael. NA I-XVII). Based on textual, pictorial, and zooarchaeological evidence, Patrick Houlihan systematically collected the different species of ancient Egyptian fauna, providing information about their character, environment, and domestication (Houlihan 1996). Dieter Kessler turned attention to animal cult and hypogea at Tuna el-Gebel, the necropolis of Hermopolis Magna (Kessler 1989). Perhaps the most beloved animal to ancient as well as modern inhabitants is the dog (Lazenby 1949, 245-7). Scholars considered the history of dogs in ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean (Brewer et al 2001; Routledge 2004; Gransard-Desmond 2004). Salima Ikram, a passionate of animals, presented valuable studies on animals, with special focus on animal mummification and dogs in the dynastic period (Ikram 2005, 2007a, 2008, 2013). This article deals with dogs in Graeco-Roman Egypt based on literary, archaeological, and papyrological documents. It argues that the dog enjoyed reverence from the Pharaonic to the Roman period mainly through its role in the myth of Isis and Osiris. Dogs" mummies in Egypt symbolised and perpetuated the role of Anubis and the dog in the Osirian legend. Additionally, they served as guardians and companions of the givers/dead in their journey to the underworld. The paper begins with animal cult and the dog"s function in the Osirian myth, followed by consideration of dogs in Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman times to highlight continuity in dogs" symbolism. It finally addresses the death and burial rituals, which the owners of dogs performed after the demise of their pets, closely matching those offered to Osiris by Isis and Anubis.
Table of Contents Note to the Reader ������������������������������������������������������������... more Table of Contents Note to the Reader ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ iii List of Abbreviations ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� iii Acknowledgments �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� x Introduction ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Chapter I: City Layout, Urban Space, and Public Buildings �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Chapter V: Architectural Ornament and Egyptian Cultural Identity ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.1. Ornamental style and identity �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.2. Architectural ornament and Egyptian cultural identity ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.3. The cavetto cornice and torus moulding ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.3.1. The origin of the cavetto and torus ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.3.2. The cavetto and torus in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods ������������������������������������������������������������������ V.4. Egyptian composite capitals ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� V.4.1. The origin and symbolism of Egyptian composite capitals ��������������������������������������������������������������������� V.4.2. Egyptian composite capitals in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods �������������������������������������������������������������� V.5. Conclusion ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� General Conclusion �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Maps ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Plates ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Appendix 1: Catalogue of Roman-Period Temple Pyla ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Appendix 2: Catalogue of Roman-Period Houses ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ Appendix 3: Catalogue of Roman-Period Tombs ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Appendix 4: Typology of Eyptian Composite Capitals ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� Bibliography ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� iii Note to the Reader All dates as AD unless otherwise specified. For the chronology of the Pharaonic and Graeco-Roman periods, I follow Wilkinson 2000 and McKenzie 2007 respectively. With the exception of Hermaion, Komasterion and Ptolemaion, I will use the anglicized terms of ancient monuments throughout the book. For example, I will use the Serapeum for Serapeion and the Thoereum for Thoereion, etc.
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Papers by Youssri Abdelwahed