Mark Collier

The Relative Clause and the Verb in Middle Egyptian

It is argued that the proposed reanalysis of the circumstantial sdm(.f)/sdm. n(.f) as the unconverted/non-transposed forms of the simple suffix conjugation, i.e. as verbal verb-forms, permits a satisfactory account of the occurrence of these forms in ‘virtual’ relative clauses. Within this framework, a unified account of the relative clause in Middle Egyptian, covering both the ‘real’ relative clause (better termed the ‘converted relative clause’) and the ‘virtual’ relative clause (better termed the ‘unconverted relative clause’), is presented. The majority of the properties of these clauses are derived from the interaction of general properties of clause form, unbounded dependency and pronoun omission in Middle Egyptian.

The Circumstantial SDM(.F)/SDM. N(.F) as Verbal Verb-Forms in Middle Egyptian

The current widely-accepted view of the suffix conjugation is that developed by Polotsky, according to which verb-forms are seen as transpositions of the verb, behaving as the substitutional equivalents of the non-verbal parts of speech (noun, adjective, or adverb). However, it is argued that the circumstantial sdm(.f)/sdm. n(.f) after mk and ist do not submit to a substitutional analysis as adverbial forms. In this construction, the circumstantial sdm(.f)/sdm.n(.f) (with the bare sentence with adverbial predicate and the bare pseudo-verbal construction) belong substitutionally with initial main clause formations, which are unconverted/non-transposed patterns, and contrast with genuinely converted/transposed (true subordinate) clause formations, which cannot occur after mk and ist. This suggests that the circumstantial sdm(.f)/ sdm.n(.f) should be analysed as unconverted/non-transposed forms: i.e. as the Middle Egyptian verbal sdm(.f)/sdm.n(.f). This analysis is shown to account for the well known ‘adverbial’ properties of these forms without invoking adverbial substitution.

P. BM EA 10052, Anthony Harris, and Queen Tyti

Recently rediscovered text copies of what is now P. BM EA 10052, 6.22–23 by Anthony Harris from his Notebook 5, in conjunction with surviving unpublished fragments from this section of the papyrus, identify a Queen Tyti as a Kings Wife of Ramesses III, helping to resolve a long-standing conundrum in the study of the Twentieth Dynasty royal family.

The UCL Lahun Papyri: Letters

The University College London Lahun (Middle Kingdom) papyri constitute one of the most remarkable harvests of papyri of any age. This volume communicates the content of the surviving letters and letter fragments from the Petrie excavations at Lahun in an accessible and affordable format. The letters and fragments are from original letters: model letters, letter copies, and reports are reserved for future publications. The volume is intended not only for Egyptological researchers, but also for learners in higher and further education. This mass of writing calls for a more nuanced appreciation of the roles of writing and reading, and the social reach of the written culture across the different classes, ages, genders inhabiting this architecture and landscape. (The reader will find three means of access to the original content: Printed pages with transcriptions, transliterations, and translations: A printed index: The entire collection of papyri on an accompanying CD.)