Author Description

The volume "Non-textual marking systems in Ancient Egypt (and Elsewhere)" is the outcome of a research linkage between Humboldt University Berlin and Warsaw University, funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It aims to summarize the present state-of-the-art about non-textual marking systems in Pharaonic Egypt and to clear the way for a possible future analysis of the subject on a broader, cross-cultural level. The focus is on Ancient Egyptian examples, but non-textual marking systems like pot marks, mason's marks, brick marks and other identity marks are known from many cultures and periods from Prehistoric to modern times. The broad variability of use and function of these marking systems which occur irrespectively of whether or not the particular community has a script is illustrated by case studies and by a close comparison of material originating from different time periods and from various places in Egypt and elsewhere.