Cover Story
The Cat in Ancient Egypt: Hunter pampered pet divine goddess Meilin Lyu explores the different aspects of the ancient Egyptian cat, its depictions in art, and its importance in religion, cults, and daily life. Features
The tale of an Amarna fresco Bob Brier gives a fascinating account of the ultimately unsuccessful attempts to save a fresco found at Akhenaten’s city of Amarna. 
Current Research in Egyptology: Working Women Jessica Coughtrey asks what ancient skeletons can tell us about the role of women in the ancient Egyptian workforce. 
Current Research in Egyptology: Beyond ethnicity Marwan Kilani reconsiders our ideas about collective identities in New Kingdom sources. 
Faking it: The new kingdom’s faux-stone funerary vessels James Harrell looks at the time-honoured practice of imitating costly materials with cheaper ones. 
Hilary Wilson on… Egypt and how to see it in 1912 What was it like to visit Egypt as a tourist just before the First World War? News
Graeco-Roman tombs A joint Egyptian-Italian (University of Milan) archaeological mission at Aswan has discovered a further 33 tombs in the area near the Aga Khan Mausoleum. The new discoveries were made in… 
Old Kingdom cancer treatment A skull dating to the Old Kingdom bears evidence that might indicate an attempt to treat cancer, according to new research published by Tatiana Tondini, Albert Isidro, and Edgard Camarós… 
Sacrificial crocodile A large crocodile mummy from the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the UK has revealed new insights into the popular crocodile cults of ancient Egypt. Used as votives to… 
New origin for an ancient game The game of 58 Holes – also known as ‘Hounds and Jackals’ – is one of the oldest games in the world. It was long thought to have originated in… 
Sarcophagus of Ramesses II A fragment of inscribed granite found at Abydos in 2009 belonged to the sarcophagus of Ramesses II, according to new research published in Revue d’Égyptologie. The piece was found beneath… 
Writing is harmful! The text known as The Satire of the Trades extols the virtues of being a scribe compared to other jobs but, although not physically demanding, the positions and repetitive tasks… 
Berenike discoveries Fragments of four letters have been discovered at Berenike on the Red Sea coast. They were written on papyrus by Roman commanders stationed in Egypt in the reign of Nero… Views
Win a copy of the The Mammals of Ancient Egypt by Dale J Osborn and Jana Osbornová Competitions Where was this photograph taken? If you know, email the Editor (peter@ancientegyptmagazine.com) before 31 October with your answer, giving your full name, address, and contact number. One lucky reader will… 
Lights, Camera, Action! Travel Continuing his series of articles entitled ‘Travels in an Antique Land’, independent traveller Karl Harris guides us round four Theban tombs recently opened to the public. 
Relief of Nebhepetra Mentuhotep Objects Dr Campbell Price describes a stunning Eleventh Dynasty relief in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 
Ancient Egypt August listings Museum, What's on TOP OF THE PYRAMIDS: THE CIVILISATION OF ANCIENT EGYPT This exhibition, co-hosted by the Shanghai Museum and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has more than 780 ancient Egyptian artefacts… 
Flinders Petrie and the discovery of early Egypt The Picture Desk Petrie’s work at Naqada revealed for the first time the prehistoric past of Egypt. Reviews
Lights, Camera, Action! Continuing his series of articles entitled ‘Travels in an Antique Land’, independent traveller Karl Harris guides us round four Theban tombs recently opened to the public. Ancient Egypt August listings TOP OF THE PYRAMIDS: THE CIVILISATION OF ANCIENT EGYPT This exhibition, co-hosted by the Shanghai Museum and the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, has more than 780 ancient Egyptian artefacts… 
The Mammals of Ancient Egypt REVIEW BY SG The Oxbow Classics in Egyptology series is steadily building into a large library of facsimile volumes covering a wide range of topics (including reissues of typological catalogues… 
A Study of the Sacred District Scene in Private Tomb Decoration (GHP EGYPTOLOGY 37) REVIEW BY ROGER FORSHAW This Golden House Publication is a meticulous study of a distinct wall scene found in numerous private tombs, particularly during the New Kingdom. Kelly-Anne Diamond refers… 
Domestic Plants and Animals: The Egyptian Origins REVIEW BY SG This second Oxbow Classics facsimile explores the history of domestication and the role of agriculture in the social economy, based on what was current evidence when it… 
The Ptolemies: Apogee & Collapse – Ptolemaic Egypt 246-146 BC REVIEW BY SARAH GRIFFITHS This is the second of the author’s planned trilogy on the last of Egypt’s dynasties (The Ptolemies: Rise of a Dynasty, the first of the series,… 
The Archaeology of Pharaonic Egypt: Society and Culture, 2700-1700 BC REVIEW BY ANNA GARNETT For those undertaking formal or informal study of Egyptian archaeology, a number of key textbooks focusing on the social lives of the ancient Egyptian people will… 
From the editor
Wild cats were domesticated in ancient Egypt from the earliest times, as Meilin Lyu tells us in her article in this issue. Although a few were lucky enough to be treated as domestic pets by elite members of society, most cats would have earned their keep as hunters of vermin or wildfowl, and their fierce nature led to their becoming associated with vengeful divinities such as Bastet.
An essential requirement when touring Egypt in the years before the First Word War was a healthy bank balance. Although the advent of railways and Thomas Cook’s package holidays had made such visits no longer the prerogative of young aristocrats on year long Grand Tours, the cost put them beyond the reach of all but the relatively wealthy. In her article, Hilary Wilson gives us a detailed itinerary for a trip in 1912.
Luckily, visits to Egypt are now much more affordable. Even though readers may have been able to make several trips, there is always more to see, even in familiar places. In his ‘Out and about’ article, Karl Harris guides us around some newly opened tombs on the West Bank at Luxor, and for the more adventurous Aidan Dodson tells us about an important pyramid site that is rarely visited – Abu Rowash.
Much of the beautiful work of ancient Egyptian artists, such as the scenes on the walls of the tombs described by Karl, can still be seen in situ. But some masterpieces could not be saved, and would have been lost forever had they not been copied. One such is the huge mural from the ‘Green Room’ of the Northern Palace at Amarna, a facsimile of which (by Nina and Norman de Garis Davies) is now on view in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The convoluted tale of how it came to be there is recounted by Bob Brier. But the ancient Egyptians themselves were not averse to making replicas: they often painted wooden models of vessels to imitate stone ones, as James Harrell tells us.
Julian Heath’s choice for a ‘Milestone in Egyptology’ is the discovery of early Egypt by Flinders Petrie; and Campbell Price chooses to highlight the outstanding relief of Mentuhotep II as his ‘Object’. Two more articles by presenters at the forthcoming Current Research in Egyptology 2024 conference, and reports of ‘News’ and forthcoming events complete this issue.
J Peter Phillips, Editor
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