Main Content

Further ongoing projects

  • New ways to think about Ancient Science

    Co-operation of Tanja Pommerening (Marburg University) and Annette Imhausen (Frankfurt University).

  • "Dayr al-Barsha": Tombs of Nefri, Gua, Sepi I–III and Seni

    Co-operation between Tanja Pommerening (JGU Mainz, from October 2020 Philipps Universität Marburg) and Harco Willems (KU Leuven).

    The project, set up as part of the Dayr al-Barsha Project at KU Leuven, involves the uncovering, documentation, and publication of the five shaft tombs located in Zone 2 of Dayr al-Barsha, including those of Nefri, Gua, Sepi I-III, and Seni.

    The tombs were rediscovered and excavated in 1897 by Daressy and his team; the partial results, however, have only been published in an article so rudimentary that without re-excavations it is impossible to assign the significant objects, now in London, Cairo and Paris, among others, to their original context.

    The aim of the project is to
    1. compare the residual finds and fragments preserved by post-excavation at ground level with objects already in museums in order to reconstruct the original tomb furnishings of the respective tomb,
    2. determine the architecture,
    3. evaluate the objects found in the tombs integrally and in a historical-comparative context, and
    4. reflect on the stages of uncovering and backfilling in the area since antiquity.

    From March 15 to April 15, 2018, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo hosted the exhibition "Life in Death: The Middle Kingdom at Dayr al-Barsha," featuring objects from the five shafts.

    Publication on the topic

    POMMERENING, T. / H. WILLEMS (2021): Unravelling Daressy's excavations of the five shafts in front of the tomb of Djehutihotep at Dayr al-Barshā. In: W. Claes / M. de Meyer / M. Eyckerman / D. Huyge† (eds.): Remove that Pyramid! Studies on the Archaeology and History of Predynastic and Pharaonic Egypt in Honour of Stan Hendrickx. Leuven et al: Peeters, pp. 871-897.

    Link providing further information about the project "Life in Death: The Middle Kingdom at Dayr al Barsha" at Mainz University (external link; German only)

    Link to the project homepage at KU Leuven (external link)

  • e(bers)Classifiers Project

    Cooperation between Tanja Pommerening (JGU Mainz, since Oct. 2020 Philips University Marburg) and Orly Goldwasser (Hebrew University Jerusalem).

    Collaborator: Svenja Stern

    Link to the project's home page

  • Ancient Egyptian materia medica

    Around 2000 recipes, which were usually composed of several ingredients (up to 37), have been handed down from ancient Egyptian medical papyri. The structure of an ancient Egyptian recipe is similar to our modern recipe templates: the indication and measurements are usually given, the drugs to be used, the preparation instructions, the method of application and the duration of use. In addition to analysing the textual sources, knowledge of the flora, fauna, and minerals of the time is also relevant for studying the materia medica.

    Ongoing projects

    - Elective internship with re-cooking of ancient formulations

    Since 2005, cooking experiments on ancient Egyptian recipes have been carried out as part of seminars (led by Tanja Pommerening).

    Finished projects

    DFG project "The medical recipes of ancient Egypt in their transdisciplinary context from a philological, cultural-historical and pharmacological perspective" (external link; German only) (Tanja Pommerening), funded by the DFG from March 2007 to January 2008 and February 2009 to February 2010.

    Balanites aegyptiaca: Together with an interdisciplinary research group at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences, a new antimalarial drug was sought. The desert plant Balanites aegyptiaca, which is well-known in Africa and already played a special role as a medicinal plant in ancient Egypt, came into consideration here (with Annette Kaiser, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Immunology and Parasitology, University of Bonn, among others) (complete literature reference: see below; link to publication (external link)).

    Nymphaea caerulae (with Elena Marinova and Stan Hendrickx, see the publication cited below).

    Ziziphus spina Christi: This medicinal plant is very present in ancient Egyptian recipes. In collaboration with Thomas Efferth (Pharmaceutical Biology, JGU), studies were carried out on the anti-inflammatory effect of Ziziphus spina-christi extracts, combined with considerations on the effectiveness of ancient Egyptian remedies containing Christ's thorn (cf. the publication cited below).

    Publications to date

    POMMERENING, T., Ein Elixier der Jugend: Papyrus Edwin Smith Vso 4,9–5,10. Medicina nei Secoli 31/3 ( =  Fs Klaus-Dietrich Fischer, ed. by Marie-Laure Monfort / Mathias Witt) (2019), p. 447–484. [Date of publication: 20.5.2020]

    POMMERENING, T., Was verbirgt sich hinter der Quantenangabe ‚1‘ in den Rezepten für ein Maß?. In: M. Brose a.o. (Eds.): En détail – Philologie und Archäologie im Diskurs: Festschrift für Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert (ZÄS Beihefte 7), Berlin: De Gruyter 2019, p. 831–848.

    POMMERENING, T. / Steinert, U., Hilfreiche Rezepte überschreiten Grenzen: Zur Behandlung von Würmern mit der Granatapfelwurzel im Alten Ägypten und Mesopotamien. In: Medicus. Die Macht des Wissens [Kat. Speyer 2019], ed. by Alexander Schubert the the Stiftung Historisches Museum der Pfalz Speyer together with Wolfgang Leitmeyer and Sebastian Zanke, Darmstadt 2019, p. 54–55.

    POMMERENING, T., Von der Textquelle zur Interpretation: Können wir heute noch von überlieferten Rezepturen aus altägyptischer Zeit profitieren? Geschichte der Pharmazie 71 (2019), p. 11–20

    Jütte, R. / Heinrich, M. / Helmstädter, A. / Langhorst, J. / Meng, G. / Niebling, W. / POMMERENING, T. / Trampisch, H. J., Evidenz und Tradition am Beispiel der Phytopharmaka. Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie 38 (2017), p. 197–204.

    POMMERENING, T., Medical Re-enactments: Ancient Egyptian Prescriptions from an Emic View. In: G. Rosati / M. C. Guidotti (Eds.): Proceedings of the XIth Congress of Egyptologists, Florence, Italy, 23.–30.08.2015. Oxford: Archaeopress 2017, p. 519–526.

    POMMERENING, T., Classification in Ancient Egyptian Medical Formulae and its Role in Re-Discovering Comprehensive and Specific Concepts of Drugs and Effects. In: Tanja Pommerening / Walter Bisang (Eds.): Classification from Antiquity to Modern Times. Sources, Methods, and Theories from an Interdisciplinary Perspective. Berlin/Boston: de Gruyter 2017, p. 167–195.

    Jütte, R. / Heinrich, M. / Helmstädter, A. / Langhorst, J. / Meng, G. / Niebling, W. / POMMERENING, T. / Trampisch, H. J., Herbal medicinal products - Evidence and tradition from a historical perspective. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 207 (2017), S. 220–225.

    POMMERENING, T., Wege zur Identifikation altägyptischer Drogennamen – eine kritische Betrachtung. In: Peter Dils / Lutz Popko (Eds.): Zwischen Philologie und Lexikographie des Ägyptisch-Koptischen. Akten der Leipziger Abschlusstagung des Akademienprojekts "Altägyptisches Wörterbuch". (Abhandlungen der Sächsischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig. Philologisch-historische Klasse; 84, H. 3) Stuttgart/Leipzig: S. Hirzel 2016, p. 82–111.

    POMMERENING, T., Heilkundliche Texte aus dem Alten Ägypten: Vorschläge zur Kommentierung und Übersetzung. In: Annette Imhausen / Tanja Pommerening (Eds.): Translating Writings of Early Scholars in the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Methodological Aspects with Examples. (Beiträge zur Altertumskunde; 344) Berlin / New York: de Gruyter 2016, p. 175–280.

    POMMERENING, T., Milch einer Frau, die einen Knaben geboren hat. In: Panagiotis Kousoulis, Nikolaos Lazaridis (Eds.): Proceedings of the Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists. University of the Aegean, Rhodos 22–29 May 2008. 2 Vols. (Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta; 241), Leuven u.a.: Peeters 2015, p. 2083–2095.

    Kadioglu, O. / Jacob, S. / Bohner, S. / Naß, J. / Saeed, M. E. / Khalid, H. / Merfort, I. / Thines, E. / POMMERENING, T. / Efferth, T., Evaluating ancient Egyptian prescriptions today: Anti-inflammatory activity of Ziziphus spina-christi. Phytomedicine 23 (2016), p. 293–306.

    POMMERENING, T., Bäume, Sträucher und Früchte in altägyptischen Listen - eine Betrachtung zur Kategorisierung und Ordnung. In: Susanne Deicher, Erik Maroko (Eds.): Die Liste. Ordnungen von Dingen und Menschen in Ägypten. Berlin: Kulturverlag Kadmos 2015, p. 125–166.

    POMMERENING, T., Die SsAw-Lehrtexte der heilkundlichen Literatur des Alten Ägypten. Tradition und Textgeschichte. In: Daliah Bawanypeck, Annette Imhausen (Eds.): Traditions of Written Knowledge in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. Proceedings of Two Workshops Held at Goethe-University, Frankfurt/Main in December 2011 and May 2012. (Alter Orient und Altes Testament; 403) Münster: Ugarit Verlag 2014, p. 7–46.

    POMMERENING, T., Altägyptische Rezepte - Eine diachrone Betrachtung. Geschichte der Pharmazie 64 (2012 [Heft 3]), p. 33–38.

    Kusch, P. / Deininger, S. / Specht, S. / Maniako, R. / Haubrich, S. / POMMERENING, T. / Kong Thoon Lin, P. / Hoerauf, A. / Kaiser, A., In Vitro and In Vivo Antimalarial Activity Assays of Seeds from Balanites aegyptiaca: Compounds of the Extract Show Growth Inhibition and Activity against Plasmodial Aminopeptidase. Journal of Parasitology Research, vol. 2011, Article ID 368692, 9 pages, 2011.

    POMMERENING, T., βούτυρος 'Flaschenkürbis' und κουροτόκος im Corpus Hippocraticum, De sterilibus 214: Entlehnung und Lehnübersetzung aus dem Ägyptischen. Glotta 86 (2010), p. 40–54.

    POMMERENING, T. / Marinova, E. / Hendrickx, S., The Early Dynastic origin of the Water-lily motif. Chronique d'Égypte LXXXV, fasc. 169–170 (2010), p. 14–40.

    POMMERENING, T., Krankheit und Heilung (Ägypten). In: Michael Bauks / Klaus Koenen (Eds.): Das wissenschaftliche Bibellexikon im Internet (WiBiLex; external link; German only), Alttestamentlicher Teil. 2009.

    POMMERENING, T., Überlegungen zur Wirksamkeit altägyptischer Arzneimittel aus heutiger Sicht. In: Karola Zibelius Chen / Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert (Eds.): „Von reichlich ägyptischem Verstande.“ Festschrift für Waltraud Guglielmi zum 65. Geburtstag. (Philippika. Marburger altertumskundliche Abhandlungen; 11) Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 2006, p. 103–112.

    POMMERENING, T., Altägyptische Heilpflanzen - eine Perspektive für die moderne Phytotherapie? Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie 26 (2005), p. 61–65.

    POMMERENING, T., Altägyptische Rezepturen metrologisch neu interpretiert. Berichte zur Wissenschaftsgeschichte 26 (2003), p. 1–16. [awarded with the Jerry Stannard Memorial Award 2005]

    Posterpräsentationen

    Baeten, J. / Paul, M. / Marinova, E. / Hendrickx, S. / POMMERENING, T. / de Vos, Dirk / Jauch, J. / Friedman, R., Grave Goods in Predynastic Hierakonpolis, Egypt: Botanical and Molecular Approaches to Identify Plant Substances. 39th Symposium on Archaeometry, 28.5. to 1.7.2012, Leuven, Belgien.

  • Embalming and Mummification

    A mummy is a human corpse or animal carcass preserved with skin, hair and flesh, regardless of whether it was created naturally or artificially.
    In Egypt, the careful physical preservation and care of the deceased was essential for the spiritual survival of the deceased.
    Today's knowledge of Egyptian mummification techniques is based on the reports of the Greek historian Herodotus, on scientific analyses of the mummies and embalming remains as well as on written remains from Egyptian times on the embalming ritual and embalming substances.

    Interview

    As part of the exhibition "Mummies. Secrets of Life" (external link; German only) at REM Mannheim with Prof. Dr Tanja POMMERENING, Prof. Dr Hiram Kümper and Prof. Dr Wilfried Rosendahl. Published as audio podcast "Was uns Mumien erzählen" on SWR2 on 12 October 2018.

    Projects to date

    Member of the "German Mummy Project" (external link) of the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen Mannheim (since 2006).

    Collaboration in the conception of the Egyptological and pharmaceutical-historical part of the exhibition "Mummies - the dream of eternal life" of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums (REM) Mannheim (30.09.–18.05.2008); travelling exhibition (international) since 2008.

    Collaboration and scientific advisory board for the conception of the Egyptological part of the exhibition "Schädelkult" of the Reiss-Engelhorn Museums (REM) Mannheim (02.10.2011–29.04.2012)

    Focal points: Embalming, Mumia vera, linking scientific and cultural-historical aspects.

    Publications to date

    As part of the exhibition "Mumien - der Traum vom ewigen Leben" (Mummys - the dream of eternal life) several articles by Egyptologists from Mainz have been published.

    Exhibition catalogue

    Alfried Wieczorek / Michael Tellenbach / Wilfried Rosendahl (Ed.): Mumien - Der Traum vom ewigen Leben. Exhibition catalogue of Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen/Museum für Archäologie, Völkerkunde und Naturkunde (Mannheim). (Publication of Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen; 24) Mainz: Zabern 2007.

    English version published as: Alfried Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (Eds.): Mummies of the world. München a.o.: Prestel 2010.

    Articles

    BUDDE, D., Mumie und Särge des Nes-pa-Kai-schuti. In: , p. 340–344. [English version: The Mummy and Coffins of Nes-pa-kai-schuti, p. 329-333.]

    FRAGATA (ex. Wenzel), D., Tot oder lebendig? Menschlich oder unmenschlich? - Mumien im Film, p. 261–268.

    FRAGATA (ex. Wenzel), D., "Wie grausig ist die Entdeckung einer Mumie?" - Mumiensachbücher für Kinder und Jugendliche, p. 269–277.

    HOHNECK, H., Tiermumien und Tierkult im Alten Ägypten, p. 89–94. [English version: Animal Mummies and the Worship of Animals in Ancient Egypt, p. 92–97.]

    POMMERENING, T., Mumien, Mumifizierungstechnik und Totenkult im Alten Ägypten - eine chronologische Übersicht, p. 71–88. [Updated English version: Mummies, Mummification Techniques, and the Cult of the Dead in Ancient Egypt. A Chronological Overview, p. 74–91.]

    POMMERENING, T., Mumia - vom Erdwachs zum Allheilmittel, p. 191–199. [English version: Mumia - From Ozocerite to Cure-All, p. 190–197.]

    POMMERENING, T., The Egyptian mummies from Basel (with Wilfried Rosendahl, Heather Gill-Robinson, Gerhard Hotz), p. 326–328. [Only published in the English catalogue]

    Further publications

    Zesch, S. / Madea, B. / POMMERENING, T. / Panzer, S. / Henzler, T. / Polfer, M. / Janssen, S. / Friedrich, R. / Lindauer, S. / Rosendahl, W., Blunt force trauma: an exceptional example of an ancient Egyptian mummy head. Anthropologischer Anzeiger 77 (2020), p. 75–82. [doi: 10.1127/anthranz/2020/1060 (external link)]

    Zesch, S. / POMMERENING, T. / Rosendahl, W., Mord und Medizin im alten Ägypten. Ein außergewöhnliches Fallbeispiel aus dem German Mummy Project. Mannheimer Geschichtsblätter 34 (2018), p. 133–137.

    Zesch S. / Madea, B. / POMMERENING, T. / Panzer, S. / Henzler, T. / Polfer, M. / Rosendahl, W., Tödliches Schädeltrauma: ein Mumienkopf offenbart einen Mord im alten Ägypten. In: W. Rosendahl / B. Madea (Eds.): Tatorte der Vergangenheit. Archäologie und Forensik. Darmstadt: Theiss 2017, p. 113–117.

    Panzer, S. / Zesch, S. / POMMERENING, T. / Henzler, T. / Rosendahl, W., Trauma, Tod und Totenbehandlung – ein altägyptischer Mumienkopf aus dem Nationalmuseum für Geschichte und Kunst Luxemburg. RöFö - Fortschritte auf dem Gebiet der Röntgenstrahlen und der bildgebenden Verfahren 188 (2016), p. 957–959.

    Zesch, S. / POMMERENING, T. / Madea, B. / Henzler, T. / Friedrich, R. / Rosendahl, W., Zur interdisziplinären Untersuchung ägyptischer Mumienobjekte aus dem Nationalmuseum für Geschichte und Kunst Luxemburg. In: Maggy Nagel, Michel Polfer (Eds.): „Von den Ufern des Nil nach Luxemburg..." Altägyptische Objekte in den Sammlungen MNHA. (Publications du Musée national d'histoire et d'art - Luxembourg; 26) Luxemburg: MNHA 2015, p. 131–152.

    POMMERENING, T. / Hotz, G. / Gill-Frerking, H. / Rosendahl, W., Ägyptische Mumien aus dem Naturhistorischen Museum Basel. In: Alfred Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (Eds.): Mumien. Der Traum vom ewigen Leben. 2. partially revised edition. (Publication by Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen; 24) Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft 2015, p. 328–331.

    Rosendahl, W. / Alt, K. W. / Rühli, F. / Gill-Frerking, H. / Hotz, G. / POMMERENING, T., Overleven na de dood. Mummies uit Egypte. In: Vincent T. van Vilsteren (Ed.): Mummies. Overleven na de dood. (Internationale archeologie in het Drents Museum; 6) Zwolle: WBooks/Assen: Drents Museum 2014, p. 74–81.

    POMMERENING, T. / Bergmann, A., Embalming. In: Hans-Josef Klauck et al. (Eds.): The Encyclopedia of the Bible and its reception VII. Berlin / New York: de Gruyter 2013, p. 797–800.

    POMMERENING, T. / Hendrickx, S., Kopf und Schädel im Alten Ägypten. In: Alfried Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (Eds.): Schädelkult. Kopf und Schädel in der Kulturgeschichte des Menschen. (Publication by Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen; 41) Regensburg: Schnell + Steiner 2011, p. 86–95.

    Rosendahl, W. / Gill-Robinson, H. / Hotz, G. / POMMERENING, T., The Egyptian mummies from Basel. In: Alfried Wieczorek, Wilfried Rosendahl (Eds.): Mummies of the world. München a.o.: Prestel 2010, p. 326–328.

    Harbort, J. / Gürvit, Ö. / Beck, L. / POMMERENING, T., Extraordinary dental findings in an Egyptian mummy skull by means of Computed Tomography. PalArch's Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 1, 1 (2008), p. 1–8.

    POMMERENING, T., Mumia vera seu Aegyptiaca - „Sie wird noch hier und da in den Apotheken gefordert". Zeitschrift für Phytotherapie 29 (2008), p. 43f.

    POMMERENING, T., Ägyptische Mumia - ein fragwürdiges Medikament. Damals (8-2007), p. 70–73.

    Poster

    Zesch, S. / Hotz, G. / POMMERENING, T. / Rosendahl, W., Wrapping Decayed Corpses in Graeco-Roman Egypt - A Graeco-Roman Child Mummy from the Natural History Museum of Basel, Switzerland. Fifth International Congress for Young Egyptologists, 15. to 19.9.2015, Vienna, Austria.

    Zesch, S. / POMMERENING, T. / Madea, B. / Henzler, T. / Friedrich, R. / Polfer, M. / Rosendahl, W., Anthropologisch-forensische Untersuchung eines ägyptischen Mumienkopfes aus dem Nationalmuseum für Geschichte und Kunst Luxemburg (). 47. Ständige Ägyptologenkonferenz, 10. to 12.7.2015, Trier.

State of information: September 2024

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