Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6697

Date

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Art History

Concentration

Egyptian Art and Archaeology

Committee Chair

Joshua Aaron Roberson

Committee Member

Patricia Podzorski

Committee Member

Esra Ozdenerol

Abstract

Sealing as a practice in ancient Egypt has been attested by thousands of exemplars recovered from archaeological sites. Seals have been found in cemeteries, settlements, and military forts, which suggests they had a multifaceted use as administrative tools and religious amulets. Preserved mud sealings are equally informative, since complete sealings hold the negative impression of the seal inscription and the surface they were adhered to, such as fabric, wood, or papyrus. The present study analyzes a corpus of 423 seal impressions from a Middle Kingdom settlement site on Elephantine Island excavated by the Realities of Life project from the German Archaeological Institute. I use GIS software for spatial analysis, identify sealing types within established typologies, review the objects' proveniences, and put the corpus in its historical and cultural context for the purpose of clarifying the meaning, function, and context of seal impressions found at Elephantine.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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