The present volume reflects the work of the joint expedition of Cairo University and Brown University to record and publish the tombs uncovered on behalf of Cairo University by Prof. Abdel-Moneim Abu Bakr from 1949 through 1953, but never published. The loss of field records and lack of a map of the site meant that new, salvage excavation had to be undertaken. A total of six seasons, from 2000-2006 resulted in the clearing, remapping, and recording of the monuments in the cemetery. Abu Bakr Cemetery is of particular interest because the majority of mastaba tombs belong to relatively low-ranking individuals. Thus they have the potential to she light on the social status of Egypt's working classes.

This publication discusses the pottery that was discovered by Zahi Hawass’s excavations at Giza, including the Cemetery of the Pyramid Builders, the Western Cemetery, and the settlement beneath the modern suburb of Nazlet el-Samman. It is a comprehensive study of Old Kingdom pottery that includes a typology for these recent finds, as well as discussing the interrelationship between pottery from cemetery and settlement contexts.

Doors are more than a physical means to close off an entrance or an exit; they can also indicate a boundary between two worlds. This volume considers the Memphite Necropoleis during the Old Kingdom, and proposes that porticos, false doors, niches and mastaba chapel entrances are interconnected in their function as a barrier between two worlds.

The G 6000 section of the Old Kingdom Cemetery at Giza contains over sixty tombs, many of which were excavated by George Reisner in the 1920s and were subsequently re-investigated in the 1970s by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. This publication collates the early investigations at the site with more recent study and presents an authoritative discussion of the architecture, relief decoration and treasures found within the tombs. The book focuses in particular on the tombs of Neferbauptah, Iymery, Ity and Shepseskafankh and the wonderful wall paintings and inscribed texts from them. Three chapters study the evidence for names, titles, careers and relationships and a further chapter looks at mortuary ceremonies. A superb book at a superb price!

In The Iconography of Family Members in Egypt’s Elite Tombs of the Old Kingdom, Jing Wen offers a comprehensive survey of the depiction of family members and provides a new perspective to explain its meaning.