The Nile: Natural and Cultural Landscape in Egypt: Proceedings of the International Symposium held at the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 22 & 23 February 2013

Although Herodot's dictum that "Egypt is a gift of the Nile" is proverbial, there has been only scant attention to the way the river impacted on ancient Egyptian society. Egyptologists frequently focus on the textual and iconographic record, whereas archaeologists and earth scientists approach the issue from the perspective of natural sciences. The contributions in this volume bridge this gap by analyzing the river both as a natural and as a cultural phenomenon. Adopting an approach of cultural ecology, it addresses issues like ancient land use, administration and taxation, irrigation, and religious concepts.

Frontmatter --; Contents --; Preface --; Modelling the Nile Agricultural Floodplain in Eleventh and Tenth Century B.C. Middle Egypt /; Harbours and Coastal Military Bases in Egypt in the Second Millennium B.C. /; Development of the Memphite Floodplain /; Karnak's Quaysides /; Medamud and the Nile /; The Nile in the Fayum /; Nilometers - or: Can You Measure Wealth? /; In Search of a Future Companion /; The Dynamic Nature of the Transition from the Nile Floodplain to the Desert in Central Egypt since the Mid-Holocene /; The Analysis of Historical Maps as an Avenue to the Interpretation of Pre-Industrial Irrigation Practices in Egypt /; Landscapes of the Bashmur /; Authors / Antoine, Jean-Christophe --; Bietak, Manfred --; Bunbury, Judith / Tavares, Ana / Pennington, Benjamin / Gonçalves, Pedro --; Boraik, Mansour / Gabolde, Luc / Graham, Angus --; Montserrat, Félix Relats --; Römer, Cornelia --; Sandri, Sandra --; Trampier, Joshua --; Verstraeten, Gert / Mohamed, Ihab / Notebaert, Bastiaan / Willems, Harco --; Willems, Harco / Creylman, Hanne / De Laet, Véronique / Verstraeten, Gert --; Wilson, Penelope --