Overview

In ancient Egyptian thought, the funerary procedure played a key role in the transition to the afterlife. As early as the Old Kingdom (c. 2700-2200 BCE), the Pyramid Texts and representations and inscriptions in private tombs show a highly developed funerary ritual with a large number of individual rites intended to ensure a safe transition to the realm of the dead and a pleasant afterlife for the deceased. One of these is the so-called ‘breaking the dšr.t-vessels’ (Egyptian sḏ dšr.wt), a rite that involved the intentional damaging of a certain type of ceramic vessel. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the rite through a re-evaluation of the primary sources and previous research and to provide the first study devoted entirely to the rite. While the rite of ‘breaking the dšr.t-vessels’ has been associated with several different archaeological contexts and primary sources, this monograph argues that a careful distinction needs to be made between the evidence identified as such. This study aims to demonstrate that there is a significant discrepancy between textual, iconographic, and archaeological sources which calls into question the identification of a large number of sources as sḏ dšr.wt contexts. A number of different ritual and non-ritual practices in ancient Egypt involve the deliberate fragmentation of pottery, each of which should be addressed in context.

Full Product Details

Author:   Elena Luise Hertel
Publisher:   Archaeopress
Imprint:   Archaeopress Access Archaeology
Weight:   1.007kg
ISBN:  

9781803275871

ISBN 10:   1803275871
Pages:   102
Publication Date:   28 December 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Goal and Definition On the Necessity of a Re-Evaluation Methodology and Structure   The BdV in Egyptological Literature History of Previous Research Phase 1: Identification Phase 2: Contextualisation Phase 3: Attribution of Archaeological Evidence Interpretations of the BdV The BdV as a Rite Against Evil Proponent Arguments Problems The BdV as Disposing of Vessels Proponent Arguments Problems How to Move Forward   The Concept of Intentional Damaging of Objects: Fragmentation Theory Interpreting the Intentional Fragmentation of Objects Implications of Fragmentation Theory for the BdV Forms of Intentional Fragmentation of Objects in Ancient Egypt   The dšr.wt – Appearance, Use, and Purpose dšr.t-Vessels in the Old Kingdom dšr.t-Vessels in the Middle Kingdom dšr.t-Vessels in the New Kingdom dšr.t-Vessels After the New Kingdom dšr.t-Vessels in Archaeological Contexts Conclusion on dšr.t-Vessels   Contextualising the BdV The Pyramid Texts The Old Kingdom Private Contexts The BdV in the Middle Kingdom The BdV Scene in the Luxor Temple The dšr.wt in the BdV The New Kingdom Vessel-Breaking Scenes   Summary and Conclusion   Appendix Appendix Table 1 Appendix Table 2 Appendix Table 3   Catalogue A1 – dšr.wt in the Old Kingdom A2 – dšr.wt in the Middle Kingdom A3 – dšr.wt in the New Kingdom A4 – dšr.wt after the New Kingdom B1 – BdV in the Old Kingdom B2 – BdV in the Middle Kingdom B3 – BdV in the New Kingdom B4 – Vessel-Breaking Scenes in New Kingdom Private Tombs   Bibliography and Abbreviations

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Author Information

Elena Hertel holds a BA Classical Archaeology and Egyptology from Heidelberg University and an MA by research in Egyptology from Leiden University. Currently she is a PhD candidate at Basel University in the Swiss National Science Foundation project ‘Crossing Boundaries’. Her research specialty in Egyptology is the combination of philological and object studies. She is also involved in several publication projects of demotic and abnormal hieratic papyri.

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