In this interdisciplinary study, Leire Olabarria examines ancient Egyptian society through the notion of kinship. Drawing on methods from archaeology and sociocultural anthropology, she provides an emic characterisation of ancient kinship that relies on performative aspects of social interaction. Olabarria uses memorial stelae of the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom (ca.2150–1650 BCE) as her primary evidence. Contextualising these monuments within their social and physical landscapes, she proposes a dynamic way to explore kin groups through sources that have been considered static. The volume offers three case studies of kin groups at the beginning, peak, and decline of their developmental cycles respectively. They demonstrate how ancient Egyptian evidence can be used for cross-cultural comparison of key anthropological topics, such as group formation, patronage, and rites of passage.

‘… the book … offers a new approach to ancient Egyptian kinship capable of sidestepping some of the limitations that previous studies have encountered, notably the paucity of evidence that makes it difficult to address traditional kinship questions such as marriage rules or the exact delineations of different emic categories of kin groups.’

Rune Nyord Source: Journal of Near Eastern Studies

‘… in-depth application of theories from a range of subject areas … Recommended.’

N. Mactague Source: Choice

‘… this is an interesting and thought provoking study that generates genuinely novel social analyses.’

Tom Landvatter Source: African Archaeological Review