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(More customer reviews)The last book published in English by Dr. Grajetzki is an augmented and a more accessible version of his PhD thesis, presented in 1998 at the Humbolt University-Berlin, and subsequently published in German in the year 2000(for this see the late Detlef Franke's review in " The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology" 87, 2001, pp. 197-200). After the final revision of the text, we are able to have in our hand the "new" variant with the following title: "Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom". The aim of the present work is to provide the scientists and general reader with a basic study concerning the ancient Egyptian "elite", namely those high officials through which the act of government is accomplished. Contrary to the title, the author covers the analysis of the functions also during the Second Intermediate Period. From that time, only few data about high court officials have survived. Grajetzki emphasizes that the Egyptologists facing with great problems as concerns the understanding of the Egyptian titles. In many cases, we are unable to really comprehend their meaning(s).
There are two categories we are distinguishing among them: function titles and ranking titles. The former ones are in connection with the "profession" of an official. The later are referring to the social status at the royal court. Grajetzki rightly underlying that during the Middle Kingdom there were five of them: "member of the elite", "foremost of action"(in case of local dignitaries best to translate as "mayor" or "governor"), "royal sealer", "sole friend(of the king)" and " king's acquaintance". They appear in a sequence, and usually in the same order. Other titles are in connection with different kinds of responsibilities, such as "overseer of all royal work in the whole country". This example shows that many titles are in connection to the king. Those people who were the favorite of the Pharaoh they were receiving important titles, or string of titles. We have to note that function titles are changing all over the times of the Egyptian history. The stelae, tombs, scarabs, rock inscriptions and statues represent our main sources relating to the principal offices of the state.
Step by step, Grajetzki undertakes a deep analysis over the most important office holders of the royal court. These chapters are the most valuable contributions of his book. The author began his inquiry with the highest office held by the vizier, explaining in detail his duties and functions, the combination of titles he possesses, his staff and a history of the office holders. Next the "treasurer" is taken into consideration. The whole Chapter 4 ("Other important officials") introduce the reader into the world of other officials being under the "treasurer", and the "vizier". The military officials, and the provincial ones are not neglected, too. Other chapters("Procedures, relations, social mobility and careers" , and "The lives of court officials") enable us to get a better understanding on the administration of Egypt. The Appendix consists of lists of officials arranged in chronological order.
The present volume deliberately includes only essential bibliographical notes for each chapter, incorporated at the end of the book. A special note deserves the excellent drawings executed by Paul Whelan, which "...makes the book a unique guide to Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period material culture and archaeology".
As a specialized study, Grajetzki's analysis will not only become an indispensable handbook for Egypt's Middle Kingdom social and political history, but it also may rightly serve as a model by which to examine the Pharaonic hierarchy of other eras, using his pertinent approach.
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