Project Abstract

Egyptian Faience Cartouche Rings and Pendants from the 18th Dynasty

My project focuses on the research of museum artifacts, one of the traditional tasks of the curator. I have chosen a group of similar Egyptian objects dating from the 18th Dynasty, consisting of three Egyptian faience ring bezels and two Egyptian faience cartouche-shaped beads. Each has the name of a royal person of the 18th dynasty on it, placed within a cartouche (Smenkhare, Queen Tiy, Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun and Akhenaten). The goal of this project is to develop a framework of knowledge about these fairly common objects, including information about their production, dispersal and function in Ancient Egyptian society. A study of the writing of each of the names and frequencies of the writings from known excavation contexts is also to be included. This information will then be summarized in readable and understandable labels for each of the pieces. These labels will be used in an exhibition of New Kingdom artifacts owned by the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology which will be created next semester. The labels will follow the standard guidelines of the Egyptian section of the museum in format and provide a concise identification of each piece as well as a short introduction to this class of artifacts. The main corpus of information collected will be added to the Egyptian collection database to aid further research. The scope of the project, although focusing on research, also incorporates a number of other museum activities including exhibition planning and design, label writing and education.




Bibliography


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