Investigating Cartonnage Craftsmanship in the Western Egyptian Desert: the CRAFT Project

Description

Cartonnage mummy masks, foot-cases, and full body covers often feature amongst the principal elements within the funerary goods found in Graeco-Roman elite burials. However, apart from a few select works, a study that systematically investigates cartonnage from the Egyptian Western Desert remains a desideratum.
The recently funded MSCA H2020 CRAFT Project (Cartonnage Regionalism in the Ateliers of the Fayum Territory, Project ID 101033437) focuses on the investigation of Graeco-Roman funerary cartonnage from the Fayum Oasis. Through an Egyptological approach combined with high-resolution 3D reconstructions of artefacts preserved in international museums as well as non-invasive archaeometric investigations, CRAFT will investigate the manufacturing of these funerary artefacts. The project builds upon previous work carried out in the Dakhleh and Kharga Oases, in order to obtain a fuller understanding of the stylistic features, regional workshops, and craftsmanship techniques used throughout the Western Egyptian Desert. This paper will present an overview of the project and the first preliminary results.

Period	4 Sept 2024
Held at	University of Memphis, United States of America, Tennessee
Degree of Recognition	International