A thorough transdisciplinary archaeological study of the ancient Egyptian Theban rock-cut tombs at Sheikh ‘Abd al-Qurna In recent years, archeological research has undergone major changes. The material turn in archaeology and related disciplines prompted the adoption of sophisticated scientific, digital, and technical approaches and methods often conducted on a micro level, enhancing our understanding of depositional processes and of the creation and life of an archeological object. This volume reflects seven seasons of transdisciplinary archaeological research at a cluster of rock-cut tombs in Sheikh 'Abd al-Qurna, an ancient Egyptian hillside cemetery and part of the much larger Theban Necropolis. Organized in twelve main chapters, Life Histories of Theban Tombs presents current investigations in landscape archaeology (including recent excavations at a large debris hill previously covering a tomb), geo- and bioarcheology, the archaeology of tomb construction, burial practices, and domestic uses as well as various epigraphical, visual, and material studies. The last two sections provide additional insight into the applied recording, surveying, and visualization methods and techniques and the database system used for data recording and organization. Contributors’ Affiliations: Martina Aeschlimann-Langer, Basel, Switzerland Zulema Barahona-Mendieta, University of Basel, Switzerland Susanne Bickel, University of Basel, Switzerland Oliver Bruderer, Zurich, SwitzerlandRachael Colldeweih, Nagra, Wettingen, Switzerland Lucía Díaz-Iglesias Llanos, Spanish National Research Council, Madrid, Spain Xavier Droux, Hierakonpolis Expedition, Oxford, England Stéphane Fetler, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium Zan Gojcic, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Charlotte Hunkeler, University of Basel, Switzerland Mahmoud Ibrahim, University of Cairo, Egypt Matjaž Kačičnik, Cairo, Egypt Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin, University of Manchester, England Lara Selina Kurmann, University of Basel, Switzerland Andrea Loprieno-Gnirs, University of Basel, Switzerland Sabrina Meyer, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland Matthias Müller, University of Basel, Switzerland Julianna K. Paksi, University of Basel and École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, France Erico Peintner, Cairo, Egypt Matthew A. Perras, York University, Toronto, Canada Lukas Richner, canton of Basel-Landschaft, Switzerland Frank Rühli, University of Zurich, Switzerland Marina Sartori, University of Basel, Switzerland Nadine Schönhütte, Cologne Institute of Conservation Sciences (CICS), Cologne, Germany Roger Seiler, University of Zurich, Switzerland Stephan M. Unter, University of Basel, Switzerland André J. Veldmeijer, American University in Cairo, Egypt Noémi Villars, University of Basel, Switzerland Andreas Wieser, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland Andrea Wolter, ETH Engineering Geology Group, Zurich, Switzerland Martin Ziegler, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), Switzerland

This book presents up-to-date geoscience technologies for heritage investigations and conservation, covering various sub-disciplines of geophysics, geodesy, 3D laser scanning technology, hydrogeology, and rock mechanics applied to the exploration of new heritage sites, mapping and visualization, as well as hazard mitigation. The current shift toward interdisciplinary ways of thinking highlights the added value of merging arts with sciences and other disciplines for better management and preservation of cultural heritage. Featuring advanced scientific investigations in 40 case studies around the globe, the book demonstrates how a better understanding of natural processes coupled with conservation approaches, mainly based on sustainable practices such as the use of traditional knowledge in recovery techniques and building local capacities, can ensure effective conservation.

Medicine and Healing Practices in Ancient Egypt provides a new perspective on healthcare and healing treatments in Egypt from the Predynastic to the Roman periods. Rather than concentrating exclusively on diseases and medical conditions as evidenced in ancient sources, it provides a ‘people-focused’ perspective, asking what it was like to be ill or disabled in this society? Who were the healers? To what extent did disease occurrence and treatment reflect individual social status? As well as geographical, environmental and dietary factors, which undoubtedly affected general health, some groups were prone to specific hazards. These are discussed in detail, including soldiers’ experience of trauma, wounds and exposure to epidemics; and conditions - blindness, sand pneumoconiosis, trauma and limb amputations – resulting from working conditions at building and other sites. Methods of diagnosis and treatment were derived from special concepts about disease and medical ethics. These are explored, as well as the individual contributions and professional interactions of various groups of healers and carers. Medical training and practice occurred in various locations, including temples and battlefields; these are described, as well as the treatments and equipment that were available. Ancient writers generally praised the Egyptian healers’ knowledge, expertise, and professional relationship with their patients. A brief comparison is drawn between this approach and those prevailing elsewhere in Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome. Finally, Egypt’s legacy, transmitted through Greek, Roman and Arabic sources, is confirmed as the source of some principles and practices still found in modern ‘Western’ medicine. Combining information from the latest studies on human remains and the authors’ biomedical research, this book brings the subject up to date, enabling a wide readership to access often scattered information in a fascinating synthesis.

This volume presents the results of a 2017 workshop at the Centre for Textile Research (CTR), University of Copenhagen, an event within the framework of the MONTEX project-including support from a Marie Sk

​This book provides a trove of insightful perspectives on the current state and the realization of digital surgery. Digital surgery entails the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning toward automation in robotic-assisted surgery. More generally, the objective is to digitally define the patient, the surgical field, and the surgical problem or task at hand; to operate based on information, rather than based on anatomic planes alone. But digital surgery has shapeshifted into other, equally intriguing faces – many of which are exemplified by topics throughout this book. Digital surgery is fundamental to 3D-printed organs, mind-controlled limbs, image-guided navigation, and tele-mentoring. It is the key that unlocks the metaphorical doorway to surgical access, thereby creating a global framework for surgical training, education, planning, and much more. This text provides methods of measurement and perception outside of the human umwelt – including the ability to visualize fields beyond the visible light spectrum, via near infrared fluorescent organic dyes which are rapidly being bioengineered to target specific tumors, as well as native anatomic structures of interest. Written by experts in the field, Digital Surgery is designed to help surgeons operate with an enriched understanding of an individual’s specific attributes: including the human phenome, physiome, microbiome, genome, and epigenome. It also aids surgeons in harnessing the power and fluidity of the cloud, which is emerging as a significant resource for surgeons both regionally and globally.

This book is the first comprehensive monographic treatment of the New Kingdom (1539–1078 BCE) necropolis at Saqqara, the burial ground of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis, and addresses questions fundamental to understanding the site’s development through time. For example, why were certain areas of the necropolis selected for burial in certain time periods; what were the tombs’ spatial relations to contemporaneous and older monuments; and what effect did earlier structures have on the positioning of tombs and structuring of the necropolis in later times? This study adopts landscape biography as a conceptual tool to study the long-time interaction between people and landscapes.

The first comprehensive study of prosthetics and assistive technology in classical antiquity, integrating a wide range of types of evidence.

This groundbreaking, five-volume series offers a comprehensive, fully illustrated history of Egypt and Western Asia (the Levant, Anatolia, Mesopotamia, and Iran), from the emergence of complex states to the conquest of Alexander the Great. Written by a diverse, international team of leading scholars whose expertise brings to life the people, places, and times of the remote past, the volumes in this series focus firmly on the political and social histories of the states and communities of the ancient Near East. Individual chapters present the key textual and material sources underpinning the historical reconstruction, paying particular attention to the most recent archaeological finds and their impact on our historical understanding of the periods surveyed. The third volume examines the period from 1600 to 1100 BC or in archaeological terms, the Late Bronze Age. Twelve chapters survey the history of the Near East and discuss the Hyksos state of Lower Egypt, Upper Egypt, and the Nubian kingdom of Kerma prior to the unification that resulted in the creation of the New Kingdom, the geo-political super power of the period. Contemporary imperial powers-the Hittites in Central Anatolia and Mittani in Upper Mesopotamia-are discussed, as are the appearance and growth of Assyria, the kingdom of Kassite Babylonia, the Elamites of southwestern Iran, and the Mycenaeans in the Aegean. Beyond the narrative history of each region considered, the volume treats a wide range of critical topics, including the absolute chronology; state formation and disintegration; the role of kingship, cult practice, and material culture in the creation and maintenance of social hierarchies; and long-distance trade-both terrestrial and maritime-as a vital factor in the creation of social, political, and economic networks that bridged deserts, oceans, and mountain ranges, binding together the extraordinarily diverse peoples and polities of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Near East, and Central Asia.