Papers by JJ Shirley
SEAS 542, 2024
Commencing in the autumn of 2017, the Theban Tomb 110 Epigraphy and Research Field School (ERFS) ... more Commencing in the autumn of 2017, the Theban Tomb 110 Epigraphy and Research Field School (ERFS) Project initiated a photographic survey component to shed new light on ancient inscriptions and broaden the application of photographic surveys in educational contexts. Over three field seasons, this extensive program has yielded a structured and pragmatic surveying methodology that exemplifies the seamless integration of advanced surveying techniques in archaeological work, effectively merging conventional epigraphy with contemporary technology. Beyond its research contributions, the TT110 project provided invaluable training opportunities for Egyptian archaeologists. It served as a tangible example of harmoniously merging classical epigraphy with emerging technologies, highlighting the vast potential for documenting, conserving, and safeguarding Egypt's historical heritage. This collaborative initiative underscores the paramount significance of interdisciplinary knowledge exchange within the realm of Egyptology.
Guardian of Ancient Egypt. Studies in Honor of Zahi Hawass. Vol. II, 2020
This article provides an overview of the Theban Tomb 110 Epigraphy and Research Field School (ERF... more This article provides an overview of the Theban Tomb 110 Epigraphy and Research Field School (ERFS), which has been based in TT 110, a mid-18th Dynasty tomb, since 2014. The field school follows in the footsteps of those run by AERA and ARCE, and for which Dr. Zahi Hawass campaigned so successfully. Thus, it is with great honor that I submit this contribution to his Festschrift.
One Who Loves Knowledge. Studies in Honor of Richard Jasnow., 2022
Included here is the front matter and abstract for the paper.
Discussions on the vizier in ancie... more Included here is the front matter and abstract for the paper.
Discussions on the vizier in ancient Egypt have most often centered around the duties and responsibilities of the office-holder, and the vizier’s power vis-à-vis the king. Less often has the conversation turned to the actual place in which the vizier conducted his work—his xA n TAty, or “office” of the vizier. In fact, there are very few textual mentions of the vizier’s office, and even fewer depictions of it. While van den Boorn did address this topic in his excellent discussion of the socio-historical context of the Duties of the Vizier, some of his conclusions regarding the precise spatial arrangement of the buildings within the Xnw have been criticized generally by David Lorton and with regard to Thebes in particular by David O’Connor. These criticisms appear not to have entered the discourse of archaeologists working on royal residences, who have largely utilized van den Boorn’s conclusions in identifying particular architectural features. Nor has the work of Pagliari on palace terminology been employed. This paper will first summarize the existing textual and pictorial evidence for the xA, and then review the relevant archaeological material from a variety of sites. By examining the evidence in toto, alongside the conclusions of van den Boorn, Lorton, and Pagliari, I hope to shed additional light on where this important administrative building might have resided, and what its location relative to the king’s palace relays about the office and office-holder.
This article presents the work done by the students of the TT 110 Epigraphy and Research Field Sc... more This article presents the work done by the students of the TT 110 Epigraphy and Research Field School over the project's first two seasons, in 2015 and 2016. The epigraphic recording of the tomb has already provided new insight into the royal butler and royal herald Djehuty, owner of TT 110, who is certainly one of the more intriguing and important officials of the palace administration during the reigns of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.
In addition, and in many ways more importantly, the Field School has been able to assist Egyptian Antiquities officials in gaining additional training in archaeological methodologies that will assist them in their future projects. Some of our students have already worked as epigraphers for foreign missions, and others are working together on Egyptian projects, offering advice and assistance to each other. In this way the Field School and its students are helping to enhance the abilities of our Egyptian colleagues and promote the responsible recording of Egypt’s monuments.
Joyful in Thebes. Egyptological Studies in Honor of Betsy M. Bryan
Theban Tomb 226 is one of the most poorly preserved decorated tombs in the Theban Necropolis (Fig... more Theban Tomb 226 is one of the most poorly preserved decorated tombs in the Theban Necropolis (Fig. 1), but among the remains of the wall decoration are some very interesting depictions. Although the owner’s name is not preserved, the kiosk scene of Amenhotep III and his mother and the scene of the tomb owner holding four royal children have garnered much debate concerning who these princes and their tutor might be. I hope to add to the discussion with this article by publishing here photos of three fragments from TT226 which I re-discovered in a nearby tomb. Two of these fragments, in combination with a discussion of other relevant material, help to determine the date of the tomb as solidly Amenhotep III and the probable owner of TT226 as the royal tutor Huy.
SAOC 69
One of the contributions to Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut. Edited by José ... more One of the contributions to Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut. Edited by José M. Galán, Betsy M. Bryan, and Peter F. Dorman. Chicago. SAOC 69.
This volume publishes the proceedings of the Theban Symposium that took place in May 2010, in Granada, Spain, at the Institute for Arabic Studies of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), on the general theme of “Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut.” The volume contains nineteen papers that present new perspectives on the reign of Hatshepsut and the early New Kingdom. The authors address a range of topics, including the phenomenon of innovation, the Egyptian worldview, politics, state administration, women’s issues and the use of gender, cult and rituals, mortuary practices, and architecture.
Groundbreaking for the study of Hatshepsut's reign and the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty, this volume will become an important reference for scholars and lay readers interested in the history, culture, and archaeology of the time of Hatshepsut and the early New Kingdom.
Ancient Egyptian Administration (ed. by J.C. Moreno Garcia), 2013
Egypt, Canaan, and Israel: History, Imperialism, Ideology, and Literature, 2011
Millions of Jubilees: Studies in Honor of David P. Silverman, 2010
Journal of Egyptian History Vol.3.1, 2010
The early 18th Dynasty was a time of military and political reorganization and consolidation in w... more The early 18th Dynasty was a time of military and political reorganization and consolidation in which signifi cant administrative changes were enacted that were likely designed to support a "powerful and pervasive royal authority." 1 Certainly the offices of viceroy of Kush and vizier were a central feature of this, and the rise of Amun and his priesthood -with newly created positions -was another area which King Ahmose and his successors sought to promote. While initially the kings may have chosen men to fi ll the positions of viceroy and vizier, and likely several high posts within the Amun precinct, some office-holders were quickly able to establish family dynasties that would last for several generations. This paper reviews the connections, both political and familial, between the viceroys, viziers and various offi cials of the Amun domain. It seeks to demonstrate the considerable role that one elite family, utilizing heredity, marriage and nepotism, was able to play in controlling a wide range of positions within the burgeoning 18th Dynasty government.
The Archaeology and Art of Ancient Egypt: Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor, 2007
Field School Reports by JJ Shirley
A report of the work undertaken during the 2015-2016 seasons of the TT110 Epigraphy and Research ... more A report of the work undertaken during the 2015-2016 seasons of the TT110 Epigraphy and Research Field School
Report of the work done during the 2017 season of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Field School
Arabic report of the work done during the 2015-2016 seasons of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Fie... more Arabic report of the work done during the 2015-2016 seasons of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Field School
Report of the work done during the second 2018 season of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Field School
Report of the work done during the 2018 winter season of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Field School
Report of the work done during the 2021-2022 seasons of the TT110 Epigraphy & Research Field School
Conference Presentations by JJ Shirley
Society and Power Networks in Ancient Egypt / Société et Réseaux de Pouvoir en Égypte Ancienne
Determining social networks and power structures relies on an array of data generally comprised o... more Determining social networks and power structures relies on an array of data generally comprised of names and titles, taken from various monuments that connect individuals together through kinship, profession, or both. However, the monuments themselves can also be seen as markers of these networks. This is particularly the case for tombs. The ability to construct a tomb in ancient Egypt was an indicator of relative wealth, demonstrating access to the materials and labor needed for such an undertaking, and a tomb’s location and size can be further signs of the owner’s status and societal connections. A tomb owner’s titles and where they are placed within the tomb, as well as the decorative program, can also reveal important information about the owner’s place within society.
This paper will examine groupings of tombs from 18th Dynasty Thebes, taking into account prosopographical data, location, and decorative program to investigate how the ancient Egyptians utilized their largest – and final – monument to convey their social and professional networks. Why were certain titles placed in certain areas? Why were some titles ubiquitous and others left out? We know that in the New Kingdom depicting or relating one’s professional ties, and even providing extensive genealogies, was not the norm, so when we do find this information what was the purpose? Is the tomb owner expressing how their job was obtained? Attempting to show themselves as more important than they were? Giving their subordinates a “leg up”? Tomb owners had a degree of agency in their tomb construction and decoration, and examining their choices through a framework of social status may also help reveal what individual networks can tell us about ancient Egyptian power structures more broadly.
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Papers by JJ Shirley
Discussions on the vizier in ancient Egypt have most often centered around the duties and responsibilities of the office-holder, and the vizier’s power vis-à-vis the king. Less often has the conversation turned to the actual place in which the vizier conducted his work—his xA n TAty, or “office” of the vizier. In fact, there are very few textual mentions of the vizier’s office, and even fewer depictions of it. While van den Boorn did address this topic in his excellent discussion of the socio-historical context of the Duties of the Vizier, some of his conclusions regarding the precise spatial arrangement of the buildings within the Xnw have been criticized generally by David Lorton and with regard to Thebes in particular by David O’Connor. These criticisms appear not to have entered the discourse of archaeologists working on royal residences, who have largely utilized van den Boorn’s conclusions in identifying particular architectural features. Nor has the work of Pagliari on palace terminology been employed. This paper will first summarize the existing textual and pictorial evidence for the xA, and then review the relevant archaeological material from a variety of sites. By examining the evidence in toto, alongside the conclusions of van den Boorn, Lorton, and Pagliari, I hope to shed additional light on where this important administrative building might have resided, and what its location relative to the king’s palace relays about the office and office-holder.
In addition, and in many ways more importantly, the Field School has been able to assist Egyptian Antiquities officials in gaining additional training in archaeological methodologies that will assist them in their future projects. Some of our students have already worked as epigraphers for foreign missions, and others are working together on Egyptian projects, offering advice and assistance to each other. In this way the Field School and its students are helping to enhance the abilities of our Egyptian colleagues and promote the responsible recording of Egypt’s monuments.
This volume publishes the proceedings of the Theban Symposium that took place in May 2010, in Granada, Spain, at the Institute for Arabic Studies of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), on the general theme of “Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut.” The volume contains nineteen papers that present new perspectives on the reign of Hatshepsut and the early New Kingdom. The authors address a range of topics, including the phenomenon of innovation, the Egyptian worldview, politics, state administration, women’s issues and the use of gender, cult and rituals, mortuary practices, and architecture.
Groundbreaking for the study of Hatshepsut's reign and the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty, this volume will become an important reference for scholars and lay readers interested in the history, culture, and archaeology of the time of Hatshepsut and the early New Kingdom.
Field School Reports by JJ Shirley
Conference Presentations by JJ Shirley
This paper will examine groupings of tombs from 18th Dynasty Thebes, taking into account prosopographical data, location, and decorative program to investigate how the ancient Egyptians utilized their largest – and final – monument to convey their social and professional networks. Why were certain titles placed in certain areas? Why were some titles ubiquitous and others left out? We know that in the New Kingdom depicting or relating one’s professional ties, and even providing extensive genealogies, was not the norm, so when we do find this information what was the purpose? Is the tomb owner expressing how their job was obtained? Attempting to show themselves as more important than they were? Giving their subordinates a “leg up”? Tomb owners had a degree of agency in their tomb construction and decoration, and examining their choices through a framework of social status may also help reveal what individual networks can tell us about ancient Egyptian power structures more broadly.