Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Ancient Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara, 2950-350 BCE

FAIN: FEL-257873-18

Elaine A. Sullivan
Regents of the University of California, Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA 95064-1077)

Preparation of a digital monograph investigating the ancient Egyptian burial site of Saqqara (2950-350 BCE) comparatively through time and space.

Ancient landscapes are a major focus of study in the field of archaeology, with research centered on the interaction between humans, culture, and the natural and built environment at sites around the world. While clearly of great interest to scholars, these past places remain elusive. The archaeological sites we visit today are palimpsests, the result of thousands of years of change, both architectural and environmental. The born-digital monograph Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara addresses ancient ritual landscape from a unique perspective, utilizing emerging 3D technologies to examine development at the complex, multi-period archaeological site of Saqqara, Egypt. Harnessing the temporal layering abilities of the 3D environment, it demonstrates how 3D modeling allows archaeologists to approach questions of meaning and human experience in now-disappeared landscapes in new ways.

Associated Products

Constructing the sacred: Visibility and ritual landscape at the Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara (Book)
Title: Constructing the sacred: Visibility and ritual landscape at the Egyptian necropolis of Saqqara
Author: Elaine A. Sullivan
Editor: Friederike Sundaram
Abstract: Utilizing 3D technologies, Constructing the Sacred addresses ancient ritual landscape from a unique perspective to examine development at the complex, long-lived archaeological site of Saqqara, Egypt. Sullivan focuses on how changes in the built and natural environment affected burial rituals at the temple due to changes in visibility. Flipping the top-down view prevalent in archeology to a more human-centered perspective puts the focus on the dynamic evolution of an ancient site that is typically viewed as static. Sullivan considers not just individual buildings, but re-contextualizes built spaces within the larger ancient landscape, engaging in materially-focused investigations of how monuments shape community memories and a culturally-specific sense of place, thus incorporating the qualitative aspects of human perception. 3D models promise to have great potential for research in a broad range of artifact- and object-based research, yet current technology does not allow for a robust environment of engaging with complex objects that change over time. This publication is among the first to push the boundaries to include interactive 3D models that can be navigated both spatially and temporally.
Year: 2020
Primary URL: http://constructingthesacred.org/
Secondary URL: https://www.sup.org/digital/
Secondary URL Description: The press homepage
Access Model: open access
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Type: Single author monograph
ISBN: 978-1-5036-033
Copy sent to NEH?: No

Prizes

Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology
Date: 6/1/2022
Organization: Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
Abstract: Constructing the Sacred: Visibility and Ritual Landscape at the Egyptian Necropolis of Saqqara was selected to receive the AIA's Award for Outstanding Work in Digital Archaeology

Roy Rosenzweig Prize for Innovation in Digital History
Date: 11/3/2020
Organization: American Historical Association

Saqqara in 3D: A New Look at an Ancient Site (Article)
Title: Saqqara in 3D: A New Look at an Ancient Site
Author: Elaine Sullivan
Abstract: Using 3D modeling to understand an ancient site in a new way.
Year: 2021
Primary URL: http://www.asor.org/anetoday/2021/01/saqqara-3d
Primary URL Description: American Schools of Oriental Research's monthly web magazineThe Ancient Near East Today (Jan 2021)
Access Model: open access
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: The Ancient Near East Today
Publisher: American Schools of Oriental Research

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