The thesis focuses on the group of deities with solar aspects in the period of the Old Kingdom (ca. 2592-2118+25 BC). For this research, five gods were selected: Atum, Shu, Kheprer, Nefertum and Weneg. They were either linked to the sun cycle and light (Atum and Kheprer, evening and morning sun respectively, Shu), or to some particular plants (Nefertum to water lily and Weneg to the so-called wng-plant). Some of the deities under survey also represented a part of the so- called Heliopolitan cosmogony and cosmology. A number of Old Kingdom sources (Pyramid Texts, tomb decoration and burial equipment with special focus on the funerary domains and offering formulae, royal names and epithets, personal names, royal annals and administrative sources, namely seals and sealings, papyri from Wadi el-Jarf, Gebelein and Abusir, and titles) are analysed, taking into consideration the attestations for the individual gods and the information concerning the links of the deities to the sun and their solar aspects. Likewise, the roles and functions of these divinities, and their relation to other divine beings are studied. Further research questions are in which social spheres these gods appeared and where they were venerated, if exclusively in Heliopolis and its vicinity, or if there were diverse sanctuaries...

In recent years, research on the field of ancient Egyptian economy in its earliest historical forms has grown quickly. Despite previous efforts in the last decades, the nature of the ancient Egyptian economic system has not yet been satisfactorily defined. Ancient Egypt had, like the majority of preindustrial societies, a pre-eminently agrarian economy. Amongst the agricultural products acquired from the Egyptian land, cereals stood out due to their economic significance. Grain and cereal-based products, such as bread and beer, were used as a medium of exchange and a basis for wages. The aforementioned importance of cereals must have made their management and storage a matter of priority. The storage of food staples is always of utmost importance as it is a key component of food distribution, which is an important means of executing power and accomplishing the goals by specific actors in a system (Paulette 2013: 106). Despite the significance of grain storage for the understanding of socio-economic and power relations in a given society, no comprehensive macro-study on grain storage in ancient Egypt has been undertaken. Thus, the main goal of this work is to obtain a new multi-faceted picture of grain storage in ancient Egypt. More precisely, the study focuses on an extensive historical span...

1 The Pyramid Complex of Djedkare-Isesi at South Saqqara and its Decorative Program Mohamed Megahed Abstract The present thesis aims to publish pyramid complex of King Djedkare and its decorative program for the first time. The rule of King Djedkare was very significant and many important changes happened in the Egyptian state during his time. He is known to have reorganized the royal mortuary cults of his predecessors in Abusir; the remains of the papyrus archives discovered in three mortuary temples in Abusir are to a great extent related to this reorganization, as most of the preserved papyrus fragments come from the time of this king. Besides the other available evidence from his reign, numerous finds were discovered in the king's pyramid complex, which have, however, not been published until now. These include fragments of relief decoration and the present study thus can help us better understand and interpret the development of royal relief at the end of the Fifth Dynasty. The thesis is divided into five chapters, the first chapter provides a guideline to the thesis and its catalogue, and presents an up to date state of research on the decoration of the royal mortuary complexes of the Old Kingdom. Another section in this chapter is devoted to the methods that the author followed during his...

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