Cover Story
Hilary Wilson on… Bread, beer and economics – Part 1 Hilary Wilson explores the importance of grain for wages and taxes. Features
Beyond Montet: New discoveries in the royal necropolis of Tanis Following Aidan Dodson’s history of the Libyan pharaohs of Egypt in the last issue, Roger Forshaw explores the latest discoveries from the site of Tanis, their capital city. 
The mineral wealth of pharaonic Egypt Colin Reader shows how ancient Egypt’s geology led to wealth, power, and influence. 
In search of the lost Kingdom of Yam Following in the footsteps of Harkhuf, desert explorer Mahmoud Marai discovers – along with his colleague Mark Borda – an inscription at Gebel Uweinat that sheds light on the whereabouts… 
Pain relief in ancient Egypt – Part 1: plant-based remedies In the first of two articles interrogating ancient medical papyri, Ira Rampil investigates the use of herbal remedies to help relieve pain. 
Jacques de Morgan at Dahshur Julian Heath recounts the remarkable discoveries made by a French mining engineer and archaeologist. News
Circular temple at Pelusium The Egyptian mission excavating in North Sinai at Tell el-Farma – the site of the ancient border fortress of Pelusium – has uncovered a huge circular complex thought to be… 
Coptic monastery The remains of a Coptic monastery have been discovered by an Egyptian mission at Wadi el-Natrun, in Beheira Governorate. The structure, which dates from the 4th to the 6th centuries… 
Coptic guesthouse Further north from Wadi el-Natrun, another Egyptian team has found a Coptic guesthouse, dating to the 5th century AD, in the Qalaya area of Hosh Issa (also in Beheira). The… 
Gold tongues and Homer A Spanish mission working at the ancient site of Oxyrhynchus (Bahnasa, in Minya) has found a Roman tomb containing wooden coffins and a number of mummies, three with gold tongues,… 
Ramesses re-erected A colossal statue of Ramesses II has been restored and re-erected in its original position by the Egyptian-American team working at Ashmunein (Hermopolis), in Minya. The limestone statue measures approximately… 
Ramesses III gate and Tiberius stela A mission from the Egyptian-French Center for the Study of the Karnak Temples (CFEETK) has successfully completed the reconstruction of a Ramesses III gateway in the north-western sector of Karnak.… 
Atbai Desert burial enclosures An international team carrying out satellite remote sensing in the Eastern Sudan deserts has discovered hundreds of huge ancient mass graves in the Atbai Desert, part of the Sahara Desert… 
Mummification compounds Researchers from the University of Bristol have revealed the chemical constituents of embalming fluids by analysing the air surrounding mummies, rather than removing physical samples. The team captured the gases… 
Urban villa and baths in Alexandria An Egyptian team working in the northern area of Alexandria has uncovered the remains of a residential villa and circular public baths. The villa, dating to the Roman Period, had… Views
Amarna (Part 2) Travel Continuing his ‘Travels in an Antique Land’, Karl Harris presents the second part of his visitor’s guide to Amarna. 
Gebel Barkal Burial place of the god Amun The Picture Desk Some 370km (230 miles) north of Khartoum lies a large, flat-topped rock (mesa) that was one of the most sacred places in Egypt and Nubia. The distinctive feature of this… 
Coffin reused for Ramesses II Objects Campbell Price describes the beautifully carved cedarwood coffin of a king. 
Win a copy of The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now by Richard Hoath and Salima Ikram Competitions Where is this? If you know, email the Editor peter@ancientegyptmagazine.com before 31 August with your answer, giving your full name, address, and a contact phone number. One lucky reader’s name… 
Ancient Egypt June listings What's on LIVES AND LITERACY IN ANCIENT EGYPT An exhibition of papyrus manuscripts from the collection of the John Rylands Library in Manchester (UK), and related artefacts including stelae and objects related… Reviews
Amarna (Part 2) Continuing his ‘Travels in an Antique Land’, Karl Harris presents the second part of his visitor’s guide to Amarna. 
The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now This small-format book is basically a guide is to the wild animals of ancient Egypt. The brief introduction to ancient Egypt’s geography and climate is beautifully written – very concise… 
A View from the Herd: Cattle, Sheep, Goats, and Pigs in Pharaonic Egypt Throughout Egyptian history, pastoralists have played a vital role in food production, and the importance of domesticated animals is reflected in their abundant depictions in texts, tomb reliefs, and 3D… 
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Egyptological Essays in Honor of Peter Lacovara Festschriften are, by their very nature, both scholarly tribute and personal testament, and No Good Deed Goes Unpunished succeeds admirably on both counts. Produced in honour of Peter Lacovara, this… 
Ancient Egypt in Video Games The global video gaming industry – now more than 40 years old – generates more money than the music and cinema industries combined, and is extremely influential. But while there… 
Ancient Egypt: A Journey Down the Nile Nigel Fletcher-Jones presents a richly illustrated and engaging survey of ancient Egypt’s enduring and much-examined cultural landscape. Written with an assured handling of the material, the book follows the geographical… Ancient Egypt June listings LIVES AND LITERACY IN ANCIENT EGYPT An exhibition of papyrus manuscripts from the collection of the John Rylands Library in Manchester (UK), and related artefacts including stelae and objects related… 
From the editor
It is difficult for us to imagine what it must have been like to live in a society without money. In ancient Egypt, as Hilary Wilson explains in this issue, there were no coins or banknotes, but there was a universally accepted medium for exchange: grain. Workers were paid in grain. Whatever was not consumed as food could be exchanged for goods and services, and the wealth of an individual was determined by the quantity of grain he or she owned. Huge grain silos in temple grounds or on private estates were the equivalent of bank vaults. An army of scribes recorded the potential yield of every farmer’s field and taxed it (in grain) accordingly.
In many ways, the sophisticated accountancy system developed in ancient Egypt resembled that used by modern accountants, and there is another sphere in which ancient Egyptian skills are the foundation of modern practice. Ira Rampil lists herbal remedies used for pain relief, some of which are the basis of modern pharmaceutical products.
The central area of Amarna is described by Karl Harris in the second part of his guide to Akhenaten’s capital. While Amarna is now firmly established as a tourist destination, there are still places in Egypt that are very difficult to access, such as Gebel Uweinat in the Western Desert. Explorer Mahmoud Marai tells of the inscription he discovered there that gives us clues as to the location of the mysterious land of Yam, which was visited by Harkhuf, the Middle Kingdom Governor of Elephantine.
Part of the purpose of Harkhuf’s expedition was probably to prospect for precious stones and minerals. Colin Reader looks at the sources of the mineral wealth that enabled Egypt to become a major player on the ancient world stage. Domestically, within Egypt, craftsmen produced beautiful jewellery, like that found by Jacques de Morgan at Dahshur. Julian Heath recounts de Morgan’s three seasons at the site, and the treasures he unearthed there.
In AE 154, Aidan Dodson traced the complicated family tree of the Libyan pharaohs of Egypt. Roger Forshaw now lists the latest discoveries made at Tanis, their capital city.
J Peter Phillips, Editor
