The Heqanakht Papyri: Publications of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyptian Expedition, 27

by James P. Allen

This book presents a new study of the important Middle Kingdom papyri of Heqanakht. Featured scholarship includes microscopic and computer examination data, previously unpublished excavation archives from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, photographs, facsimiles, and hieroglyphic transcriptions of all eight preserved papyri and five inscribed fragments. Also included are never-before-seen photographs of the tomb in which the papyri were found; translations and textual commentary; epigraphic and linguistic analysis; and studies of the people, places, archeological context and chronology of the papyri. The accompanying CD contains enlargeable full-color images of all the papyri in Adobe Acrobat format, usable in both PC and Mac format, along with the Acrobat Reader program needed to view them.

318 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

James P. Allen (Ph. D., Univ. of Chicago, 1981), Wilbour Prof. of Egyptology, Brown University, has published extensively on ancient Egyptian language, religion, and history.

Allen, James P., 1945-, Library of Congress Authorities

Reviews

[Andrew Kasatkin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insight to upper middle class Egyptian. James P. Allen reconstructs events and details for this set of papyri which was lucky for posterity to possess. This book is spectacular since a lot of literature discusses the economic power of the temples or the Pharaoh, and not the middle class Egyptian. Allen does acknowledge the papyri have limits, but for the sections that can be understood give the best understanding this subject. In this book, you can insight to Heqanakht's household and his business dealings. Such chapters are the translation itself, his household, the economy and more. The economy is probably the best and most anticipated chapter. Heqanakht is shown to be a prudent man in his letters when trying to ensure his finances stay up to par. While I give this five stars for the work done and presented, it can be more difficult and boring to the layman reader since linguistic debates and calculations do happen, so some skimming may be required.