Author Description

The Demotic texts published in this volume come from the Archives of the funerary-workers of the Memphite Necropolis. The papyri date to the Ptolemaic Period and were discovered early in the 19th century. The book is in two sections. The first part provides an introduction to the Archives and to the funerary-workers and their families. The topography of the Necropolis is discussed and the different types of tomb structures and funerary income are examined. The second part contains full editions of and commentaries on nine of the papyri, most of which are either unpublished or only available in summary and now-out-of-date editions. Seven of the texts are kept in the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden; one is in the British Museum and another in the Hermitage. Full photographs of each papyrus are provided and detailed indexes complete the publication. Cary J. Martin is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Institute of Archaeology, University College London. His principal research interests are the legal and economic history of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods.