'Development and Landscape of the Sacred Space at Dra Abu el-Naga: A case study within the Theban Necropolis'



Jimenez Higueras, A
(2016) 'Development and Landscape of the Sacred Space at Dra Abu el-Naga: A case study within the Theban Necropolis'. Doctor of Philosophy thesis, University of Liverpool.

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Abstract

The aim of this research project is the study, theoretical development and reconstruction of the physical, religious and cultural landscape of the southern area and the first part of the northern area of Dra Abu el-Naga as well as its evolution from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties (1550-1069 BC). In order to do so, the methodological approach derives from theories relating to Landscape Archaeology, which efficiently manages to compile and to link prosopographical-genealogical, archaeological and Geographical Information System (GIS) data, meaning that the area of Dra Abu el-Naga can be studied as a "ritual landscape". The advantages of this type of research include the creation of a holistic conception of the Theban necropolis, especially of Dra Abu el-Naga, by reconciling textual and archaeological perspectives. The ancient landscape of the study area and its surroundings have been remodelled and the palaeorelief reconstructed by establishing a connection between the geological-geomorphological and topographical data with GIS visibility analyses, all of which were surveyed according to the historical, cultural and religious context. GIS is an essential tool for the study of the sacred space and can be used to offer a detailed cartography. For the first time, the tombs have been recorded by precise geographic coordinates, which are offered in this research. The research model created in this work has shown the chronological development of the study area, the clear visual relationship between the tombs of a specific reign and the key monuments contemporary to them. Kinship, political marriages and attempts to acquire a higher rank, as well as the professional and family links between many of the owners of these tombs, demonstrate that they also wanted to be connected in the afterlife. The work undertaken at Dra Abu el-Naga opens up new lines of investigation into the wider landscape of the necropolis. Therefore, this model could be productively applied to future studies of other ancient Egyptian tombs, necropolises and funerary landscapes. The resulting wider insight into the Theban necropolis, including the position played by the Dra Abu el-Naga cemetery within the Theban funerary context, is essential since the aim of this research project is to approach to the actual funerary landscape of Thebes as an inseparable complex of diverse components.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy)
Divisions: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 04 Jan 2017 10:18
Last Modified: 16 Jan 2024 17:21
DOI: 10.17638/03003980
Supervisors:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3003980