Redford, Donald B. City of the Ram-man: the story of ancient Mendes. Princeton; Oxford: Princeton University Press, !"!.

xxii, #! $. %&'.!!. ()B* +,-!.+""# .' Revie/ed 0y Ro0ert 1o22oli, University of )iam, Ro0ert.1o23siam.ed4 56a0le of contents at end of the revie/7 6he 0oo8 0y Redford is a synthesis of the a4thor9s field/or8 at the site from "++!s on/ard, s4$$lemented /ith a history of the site itself. (n fact, the 0oo8 is a sort of introd4ction to the site, as in "& cha$ters, the a4thor deals /ith the history of Mendes, a city in the *ortheast *ile Delta. :ach of those cha$ters have an initial historical introd4ction follo/ed 0y the archaeolo;ical discoveries of the $eriod. 6here are n4mero4s text4al 0oxes thro4;ho4t each cha$ter, ;ivin; a4to0io;ra$hies of ancient :;y$tian officials, royal texts or other material. <s 0oo8s for the ;eneral $40lic have only a$$eared for ma=or sites s4ch as <marna and 6he0es, the 0oo8 0y Redford descri0es the entire history of a ca$ital of a Delta nome, s4r;ed to 0e :;y$t9s ca$ital d4rin; the first millenni4m BC. >hile the idea is certainly la4datory, the res4lts of it are not entirely smooth. <s for the 0oo8 contents, cha$ter one and t/o deal /ith the ori;ins of :;y$t. < tri$ of some $rehistoric :;y$tian to the later-to-0e Mendes is descri0ed, /hich introd4ces the reader to the ;eo;ra$hical and historical settin;s. <s those ancient inha0itants reached ?<ne$at, Redford ta8es $ain to descri0e the ;ro/th from the $rimitive comm4nity to chiefdom, led 0y the Bi; Man @A1reat ManBC and the extension of the settlement, /ith m4d 0ric8 ho4ses and 04ildin;s imitatin; <siatic $rototy$es. 6he inte;ration of the Delta re;ion into the )o4thern 8in;dom thro4;h military conD4est is then narrated. 6he fo4ndation of the >hite Eort is shortly descri0ed, as /ell as the im$lications of a 4nified 8in;dom over the co4ntry /hich also 0ro4;ht the develo$ment of /ritin;. Erom a reader9s $oint of vie/, the Bi; Man theory sho4ld 0e 0etter ex$lained, as it is a D4ite recent incl4sion into scholarly literat4re itself and is not $art of the normal :;y$tolo;ical theory, as Redford does not ;ive any reference to it. >hen it tal8s a0o4t the Fand of Elood, even a sim$le mention that s4ch a term means :;y$t9s all4vial $lain /o4ld 0e /elcome. 6he first ca$ital Mem$his is called >hite Eort, 04t this is not a normal definition, and no $lan clarifies /here it is. :ven if ( loo8 at the final index, >hite Eort is =4st a name of the residence, /hile only loo8in; 4nder Mem$his there a cross reference to >hite Eort. Cha$ter three is the first $art of the 0oo8 f4lly dealin; /ith the history and archaeolo;y of Mendes. 6he material of the Protodynastic Period is descri0ed in detail, and the earliest history of Mendes tem$le is ex$lained in 0ase of the discoveries done there, s4ch as silos and 0read ovens, almost com$letely destroyed 0y the later 04ildin;s. 6he history of the city is lin8ed /ith the history of :;y$t itself. < defensive 0astion /as discovered at Mendes, chronolo;ically consistent /ith the end of the )ixth Dynasty. G4man and animal s8eletons fo4nd in excavation trenches seems to confirm the existence of tro40les, as /ell as the smashin; of f4nerary stelae and the re4se of masonry comin; from $rivate tom0s $roves the activity of tom0 ro00ers. 6he tem$le /as destroyed and the s8eletons of the $eriod sho/ the existence of famine d4rin; the $eriod. 6he 0oo8 contin4es in its chronolo;ical order. <s archaeolo;ical remains of the Middle Hin;dom are D4ite limited at Mendes, one of the cores of the 0oo8 is the descri$tion of the city d4rin; the :i;hteenth and *ineteenth Dynasty @cha$ter sixC. 6his certainly forms one of the ma=or contri04tion 0y Redford to the s40=ect itself. 6h4tmose ((( 04ilt an extensive tem$le there, $artially dist4r0in; the Old Hin;dom cemetery, /hich /as com$letely re04ilt 4nder )ethi ( and Ramesses ((, and finally com$leted 0y Meren$tah. By that time, it reached its lar;est dimensions @".' m lon;C and a ne/ limestone $ylon /as 04ilt. (n s$ite the Fate Period is the time /hen Mendes 0ecame of international relevance, the /ays s4ch s$an of time is /ritten and descri0ed 0y Redford are D4ite $ec4liar. :ssentially, the historical $art 0ecomes $redominant and eccentric at the same time. )4ch as in cha$ter ei;ht, the descri$tion of 6efna8ht9s r4le over *ile Delta, startin; $oint of a /ar a;ainst the *40ian $haraoh Pian8hy occ4$ies too m4ch s$ace, /hile the archaeolo;ical descri$tion is essentially confined to mentionin; the destr4ction ha$$ened /ith the <ssyrian invasion at the end of the 6/entyfifth Dynasty, /hen Mendes /as 04rned.

6he $redominance of history is also $art of cha$ter nine and ten. 6here are certainly interestin; notes, s4ch as that the tem$le follo/ed the model of the Processional tem$le of 6he0an tradition, instead of 0ein; similar to those at )ais and B4to. Iet, some $lans /o4ld 0e /elcome, =4st to ;ive an idea of those differences, as the tem$le of )ais is com$letely destroyed and certainly in not the most famo4s tem$le that is 8no/n 0y any reader. Cha$ter ten is essentially a list of )aite officials lin8ed to Mendes, 04t there is no descri$tion of the city itself. 6his is D4ite stran;e, as some of the 04ildin;s disc4ssed in the s4ccessive cha$ter /ere started or 04ilt d4rin; the )aite Period itself. 6he last three cha$ters are the history of the city from the Persian $eriod 4$ to the late <ntiD4ity. 6he chronolo;ical di;ression at the 0e;innin;s serves D4ite /ell to frame the historical sit4ation, reachin; the 0e;innin;s of the 6hirtieth Dynasty @cha$ter elevenC. 6he cha$ter is the lon;est in descri0in; the archaeolo;ical discoveries done in recent years: a /areho4se /ith 1ree8 and Phoenician am$horae /as fo4nd, a ne/ temenos /all /as 04ilt 0y *ectane0o ( to $rotect a;ainst invasions, a ne/ JiKsancta sanctor4mJiK and the naos co4rt /ith fo4r monolithic shrines devoted to the fo4r avatars of the ram ;od: Re, )h4, 1e0 and Osiris /ere 04ilt. 6he naos co4rt /as started in the )aite Period, as the s4rvivin; naos can 0e dated to <masis. Mendes had a ne/ ma4sole4m of the rams, /hich lasted 4ntil mid of fo4rth cent4ry BC, and a second com$lex /as the 04rial $lace of the mothers of the rams. One of Redford9s ma=or field/or8 activities /as the excavation of *eferites9 masta0a tom0, /ith /alls reliefs re$resentin; him in front of Ba-ne0-d=ed. 6hose reliefs are re$resented in some of the 0oo8 ill4strations. < reconstr4ction of *eferites9 tom0, the ma=or discovery of the recent excavations, /o4ld have 0een /elcomed. 6he existence of a scholarly $40lication certainly remedies to that, at least for the fe/ scholars a0le to access it, or the very fe/ a0le to afford to 04y it 55"77. <s the 0oo8 is $resented as ;eneral acco4nt to the city, the 0oo8 s4ffers for s4ch a0sence. 6he final t/o cha$ters of the 0oo8 deal ra$idly /ith the history of the site, as the destr4ctions ha$$ened at the 0e;innin;s of the )econd Persian Period, and the ;eneral decadence follo/in; the first Ptolemies is narrated. Of the Ptolemaic Period, the stela of Mendes @ -! BCC descri0es the 0enefactions to/ard the tem$le, d4e to Ptolemy ((9s attention. D4rin; the Ptolemaic $eriod, Mendes and its sister city 6hm4is /ere im$ortant, in $artic4lar d4rin; the third cent4ry BC, as 1ree8s also resided there. >ith the 0e;innin;s of the second cent4ry BC ho/ever, Mendes s4ffered a decline, mostly coincident /ith the re0ellions ha$$enin; in the Delta re;ion. 6he Mendesian 0ranch of the *ile also lost its stren;th and meandered to/ard east, therefore 6hm4is s4$$lantin; Mendes and in the second cent4ry C:, the city /as almost desert, /ith the tem$le and cemeteries com$letely in r4ins 0e the early Christian times. <s ;eneral comment, the 0oo8 s4ffers for t/o different instances. Eirst of all, there is an excessive extension of the historical $art. ( certainly 0elieve that the entire history of :;y$t and Mendes co4ld have 0een com$ressed in t/o initial cha$ters, leavin; the rest of the 0oo8 devoted to the $ro$er archaeolo;ical disc4ssion. Moreover, the 0oo8 seems to 0e only on the excavations led 0y Redford, /ith the $revio4s excavations almost 4nmentioned in the chronicle of the acco4nts 55 77. <s the readershi$ of the 0oo8 itself are not s$ecialists, this sort of $artiality ;ives an overvie/ of the site far from 0ein; com$lete, or scholarly so4nd. <mon;st the discoveries earlier than Redford9s, only the Mendes stela receives D4ite attention, 04t any reader /o4ld have 0enefited in havin; the standin; <masis naos descri0ed for instance, as it is the ma=or mon4ment still on site. <nother concern is the D4ality of some ill4strations. Eor most $art, D4ality of $hotos, $lans or ill4strations is certainly the ones yo4 /o4ld ex$ect from a scholarly $40lication, 04t in fe/ cases, the D4ality of the ma$ or dra/in; is the one from a draft $40lication @fi;s. .'; &."& for instanceC. >hile /e can ;o over s4ch small details, of a 0i;;er concern is the style of the lan;4a;e 4sed. )ome modern ex$ressions enter into the 0oo8: A6he mana;erial D4alities of the head of state in <ncient :;y$t /ere a decisive factor in the s4ccessf4l r4nnin; of 0oth ;overnment and the economy: Pharaoh /as in fact a divine C:O. <nd if :;y$t /as to avert disaster it co4ld scarcely afford a cent4ry of the same incom$etent mana;er, divine or other/iseB @$a;e # C. May0e a 0it old school, ( /o4ld have $referred a more normal $arallel, as a modern C:O does not have any moral res$onsi0ility to/ard his /or8ers, /hile a $haraoh had the /ell 0ein; of his s40=ects as one of his d4ties. 55&77 Moreover, the 4sa;e of modern terms, /hile it may loo8 4sef4l to introd4ce some conce$ts, ;ives the @/ron;C im$ression that it is $ossi0le to $arallel old and modern instit4tions. >hatever my com$lains are, the 0oo8 has certainly to 0e a$$reciated for ;ivin; a vie/ L altho4;h not com$lete L of an ancient :;y$tian city, its history and its excavations.

55"77 )ee Redford, D.B., JiK:xcavations at Mendes. Mol4me ". 6he Royal *ecro$olisJiK, Feiden, Brill, !!#. 55 77 Gol2, R. H., )/an Gall, :. and Bothmer, B. M, JiKMendes (JiK, Cairo, <merican Research Center in :;y$t, "+-!; de Me4lenaere, G., MacHay, P. <., JiKMendes ((JiK, >arminster : <ris N Philli$s "+,. are the t/o other ma=or $40lication of the site. )adly, the first is not mentioned in the notes to cha$ters and f4rther readin;s at the end of the vol4me. 55&77 6he lan;4a;e /as also a com$lain for Redford9s JiK<8henaten. 6he Geretic PharaohJiK, Princeton, Princeton University Press, "+-#, as ;iven 0y :aton-Hra4ss, M., A<8henaten vers4s <8henatenB, JiKBi0liotheca OrientalisJiK #, @"++!C, '#"-''+. ( am certainly the one favo4ra0le to modern theoretical frame/or8s in ancient st4dies, cf. 1o22oli, R. JiK6he >ritin; of Gistory in <ncient :;y$t d4rin; the Eirst Millenni4m BC @ca. "!,!-"-! BCC. 6rends and Pers$ectivesJiK, Fondon, 1oldenho4se, !!.. B4t ( am a;ainst excessive sim$listic vie/s.

6a0le of Contents: Fist of (ll4strations vii Fist of )ide0ars xiii Preface xv (ntrod4ction xvii Fist of <00reviations xxi Cha$ter One: 6he Be;innin;s " Cha$ter 6/o: 6he <dvent of Gor4s Cha$ter 6hree: (n the 6ime of the Residence "Cha$ter Eo4r: 6he Colla$se # Cha$ter Eive: 6he Mysterio4s Cent4ries: 6he Middle Hin;dom 'Cha$ter )ix: Mendes 4nder the :m$ire Pharaohs ., Cha$ter )even: 6he 1reat Chiefs of the Mesh/esh +' Cha$ter :i;ht: :;y$t in the 6ime of 6ro40les """ Cha$ter *ine: 6he Ram, Ford of D=edet " # Cha$ter 6en: 6he )aite Revival "&Cha$ter :leven: Mendes, the Ca$ital of :;y$t "## Cha$ter 6/elve: 6he 1reat Disaster ",+ Cha$ter 6hirteen: D4s8 and Dar8ness: 6he :nd of Mendes "-*otes and E4rther Readin;s "" (ndex &"