Graffiti in the pyramid precinct of Sneferu at Meidum — legacy records

Book

This publication introduces legacy records (archival records created by earlier researchers) related to secondary epigraphy (or ‘graffiti’ and ‘dipinti’) in the pyramid precinct attributed to Sneferu in Meidum, Egypt. It opens with an introduction to the research topic of secondary epigraphy and to the research history of Meidum’s graffiti and dipinti.

Following the introduction, Part I provides an overview of the archaeological and epigraphic activities in Meidum, addressing in detail the registering, documenting, and publishing of the Meidum visitors’ graffiti and dipinti. Its main sections cover the activities of W. M. F. Petrie and F. Ll. Griffith, P. Newberry, A. J. Rowe, and eventually B. G. Gunn and J. Černý. Historical records provide access to the ancient material and an insight into historical methods of epigraphy.

Part II of the volume presents a catalogue of graffiti and dipinti, utilising legacy records of Egyptologists and epigraphers, chiefly the unpublished corpus created by Battiscombe Gunn. The catalogue is organised into two main parts: the pyramid temple and the pyramid entrance passage. Each catalogue entry contains information on the location of the texts and images, their description, edition, and commentary. The corpus consists predominantly of New Kingdom visitors’ inscriptions, which contain a broader range of titles of the visitors and are more elaborate than most similar text groups.

Finally, Part III contains an interpretive essay, including quantitative and qualitative analysis of the material. The corpus of visitors’ texts at Meidum highlights the mobility of professional groups in ancient Egypt, their social identity and legitimation, demonstrated also by the visitors’ investment in the production of the graffiti, as some of the texts show careful calligraphy and are of considerable length.

Appendices provide facsimiles of the archive records from the collections of the Griffith Institute Archive, University of Oxford, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Art and Archaeology, Philadelphia.

Authors: Navratilova, H; Hassan, K

• Publication status: In press
• Publisher: Abercromby Press
• Publication date: 2026-09-30
• ISBN: 9781912246410
• Language: English
• Keywords: epigraphy; graffiti; archives; Egyptology