The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt: From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom

Description

In this book, Nadine Moeller challenges prevailing views on Egypt's non-urban past and argues for Egypt as an early urban society. She traces the emergence of urban features during the Predynastic period up to the disintegration of the powerful Middle Kingdom state (c.3500-1650 BC). This book offers a synthesis of the archaeological data that sheds light on the different facets of urbanism in ancient Egypt. Drawing on evidence from recent excavations as well as a vast body of archaeological data, this book explores the changing settlement patterns by contrasting periods of strong political control against those of decentralization. It also discusses households and the layout of domestic architecture, which are key elements for understanding how society functioned and evolved over time. Moeller reveals what settlement patterns can tell us about the formation of complex society and the role of the state in urban development in ancient Egypt.

Nadine Moeller is Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. She has been directing excavations at the urban settlement of Tell Edfu in Egypt since 2001. She has also participated in excavations of settlement and cemetery sites in Egypt such as Abu Rawash, Memphis, Zawiet Sultan (Zawiet el-Meitin), the Theban necropolis, and the Valley of the Kings. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (JARCE), Near Eastern Archaeology, the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, AEgypten und Levante, Bulletin de l'Institut Francais d'Archeologie Orientale (BIFAO), and Zeitschrift fur agyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde.

'[A] must-have study of the urban character of Egypt ... Incorporating many of Egypt's most recent discoveries and research, this is an essential work on urbanization in early complex societies.' Kimberly Watt, World Archaeology Magazine