2012 Das Alte Ägypten

Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Geschichte kompakt, Darmstadt 2012, 154 pages

This book covers more than 4000 years of ancient Egypt from the paleolithicum to the conquest by Alexander the Great. Laid out as a comprehensive overview of Egyptian history, this volume is based on written and archaeological sources in the light of recent research. In addition to the chronology of ancient Egypt, this book focuses on cultural history and makes the reader familiar with current and emerging fields of research. The book includes sections on topics of perennial interest presenting in-depth discussions of various archaeological sites, texts, religion and daily life.


Der Band erläutert die Geschichte und die Entwicklungen des Alten Ägypten vom Jahr 3300 v. Chr. an und reicht bis zur Eroberung durch Alexander den Großen und damit dem Ende der Pharaonenzeit. Anhand der Königslisten vollzieht der Autor den Fortgang der Geschichte nach und verliert dabei nicht den Blick für die Individuen, welche die Geschicke des Reiches lenkten. Neben der Chronologie wird jedoch insbesondere der kulturellen Entwicklung des Alten Ägypten (Sprache, Schrift, Kunst, Literatur) Rechung getragen, denn neben den reinen historischen Fakten ist die Geschichte Ägyptens vor allem eine Kulturgeschichte, die sich selbst zwischen den großen Epochen des Alten, Mittleren und Neuen Reiches fortsetzte. Erstmals werden auch Zeugnisse der Alltagskultur herangezogen, welche die Geschichte aus nicht offizialisierter Perspektive erfahrbar machen.

2011 Cultural Memory and Identity in Ancient Societies, CMHA 1

first volume in the series Cultural Memory and History in Antiquity (CMHA)

Introduction - Bommas / 1. The Ancient Egyptian Scene of 'Pharaoh Smiting His Enemies': An Attempt to Visualise Cultural Memory? - Luiselli / 2. Silent Voices? Cultural Memory and the Reading of Inscribed Epigram in Classical Athens - Livingstone / 3. Becoming Roman in Varro's de lingua Latina - Spencer / 4. Jewish Memory and Identity in the First Century AD: Philo and Josephus on Dreams - Harrisson / 5. Pausanias' Egypt - Bommas / 6. Forgetting to Remember in the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt - Boozer / 7. Sculpture, Text and Recall: Viscountess Harriet Fitzharris' Memorial in Christchurch Cathedral, Dorset - Harlow, Laurence and White.

2010: What did the ancient Egyptians do for me? Linking the Past and Present, London

the author of this book is Patrick Catel, a writer of non-fiction books for children, I was only the consultant.

The title speaks for itself. If you ever wanted to know what the Golden Gate Bridge has to do with ancient Egypt, this book is for you. Great fun!

2010 Sacred and Profane. Treasures of ancient Egypt from the Myers Collection, Eton College and University of Birmingham

co-edited with Eurydice Georganteli

This book also serves as a catalogue for the exhibition "Sacred and Profane" at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts (17 June 2010 to end of January 2012). It conatins articles written by E. Geoganteli, M.M. Luiselli, Michael Sharpe and myself.

2008 J. Assmann together with M. Bommas/A. Kucharek, Altägyptische Totenliturgien vol. III : Osirisliturgien in den Papyri der Spätzeit, Winter publishers Heidelberg

vol. 3 contains mortuary liturgies and Osiris liturgies mainly from the Greco-Roman times but obviously also discussions of related Pyramid Text spells.

2005 Heiligtum und Mysterium: Die Verbreitung der Isiskulte in der Ägäis, Sonderband der ANTIKEN WELT/Zaberns Bildband zur Archäologie, von Zabern-publishers Mainz

the German amazon link contains two reviews

2005 J. Assmann together with M. Bommas/A. Kucharek, Altägyptische Totenliturgien vol. II: Totenliturgien des Neuen Reiches, Winter-publishers Heidelberg

vol. 2 deals with mortuary liturgies and spells from the New Kingdom

2003 Grab und Totenkult im Alten Ägypten, Beck-publishers Munich

co-edited with H. Guksch and E. Hofmann

2002 Ägyptische Mysterien?, Wilhelm Fink publishers, Munich

co-edited with Jan Assmann

2002 J. Assmann together with M. Bommas, Altägyptische Totenliturgien vol. I: Totenliturgien in den Sargtexten des Mittleren Reiches, Winter-publishers Heidelberg

vol. 1 deals with mortuary liturgies in the Coffin texts

2000 Der Tempel des Chnum der 18. Dyn. auf Elephantine, Dissertation Universität Heidelberg 2000

This is the major part of my PhD dissertation (excluding photographs and line drawings). You can download it from the internet for free. Those who are interested in an update can check M. Bommas, Der Tempel des Chnum des Neuen Reiches: Dekoration, in: G. Dreyer et alii, Stadt und Tempel von Elephantine, 31./32. Grabungsbericht, MDAIK 61, 2005, 44-51 and plate 15b

1999: Die Mythisierung der Zeit. Die beiden Bücher über die altägyptischen Schalttage des magischen pLeiden I 346, Göttinger Orientforschungen IV. Reihe Ägypten 37, Harrassowitz-publishers Wiesbaden

This book is a re-edition of 18th Dynasty papyrus dealing with epagomenal days, incl. a palaeography, faksimiles etc. It is aimed at replacing B.H. Stricker's edition in OMRO 39 from 1948 which contained 15 pages (plus valuable photographs). I am currently working on some late fragments with astonishing parallels to pLeiden I 346 from the collection of Prof. S. Pernigotti.

1998: Die Heidelberger Fragmente des magischen Papyrus Harris, Schriften der Philosophisch-historischen Klasse der Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften

this is an editio princeps of those fragments of the famous magical Papyrus Harris that are kept in Heidelberg (recto and verso). The other part, actually the beginning of the ms. is kept at the British Museum.