Josef Wegner and Vanessa Smith atta these, kno the K w ects. An example can be seen during the 20th Dynasty ( An the20thDynasty example seen during canbe ects. o ag 1200–1080 BCE), the stat E by vanessa smith Temple’sThe Mortuary andBreweries Bakeries aPharaoh Food Fit for theSoulof ften uponto provide called revenue andlaborfor state proj- o iutrlgos agl efsfiin,thesetemples were Largely self-sufficient, goods. ricultural r Despit c kme w he ing n d in 2004w e ab n s. t to employ large numbers of people andto people produce to employ large numbers of e o ou w Se the lar on,temples by were farmland provided with towns, Often associated with administration. religious combiningand civil both thestate, resentative of rep- asthelocal alsoserved They centers. religious gyptian mortuarygyptian temples ho b t n the w uilt andd osr ir se w g e e he et III’set temple. mortuary e n cular a n x umb ca the t v e at c e e o e c r d mple o rated thetombsrated inthe Valley of t vte.In order to understand ivities. o f the bak t mlsecvtd littleis emples excavated, f M e eries andbrewerieseries dine were more thanjust t Habu paidthe ca. b K p e ing preserv- theliving, communicatedpharaoh theworld of with wasalsothemeansby thedeceased which his memory, more thanamonument to Senwosrest III’s temple, mortuary the p receptiveand became to prayers by andappeals theliving. (spir t o y t les, rder in the universe. Through daily rituals thepharaoh’s Throughrituals daily rder intheuniverse. r ing ies o p e A par es andq maat t nee h iigpae received nourishment, vital it) entered plane, theliving d har ho k o f e at m b y ne aoh io r e —the ancie ea ( y le n ca. , d uant ’ me milk, o s and b f statue. 1175 BC)t vr200lae fbed 4 aso er 100 beer, of 144jars bread, over 2,000loaves of nt intheser THE OFFERINGRITUAL temple asawhole. the forpayment theupkeep andbenefit of went as asofferings, designated though rest, The presented images. directly to thedivine to be could fitinthesanctuary portion small were Thequantities such that only a triple. amountscould theseoffering days, On festival honey. and4liters of baskets, 10fruit kinds, b it the Map showing thetemple’s storeroomsand nlso eeals 0brso various 30birds of vegetables, of undles www ies o w e shena ine, r swl sbe,fw,ga,fut,vegeta- fruits, goat, fowl, aswellbeef, er, N tEyta ocp ftuh a,and law, truth, concept of nt Egyptian ume f .m ae,adsl.Freape theNew For example, andsalt. water, f . e osofrd including several vari- offered, oods use mple o r ituals wastheo ous t um.up e f Egyptology mple inscriptions recordmple inscriptions the R e amses IIIr nn.e d ff u/expedition e r n famealto ing of e c o rds thedaily 27 ka THE SHENA many different goods for distribution and payment of the temple’s workforce. Over its lifetime, the shena was completely As a non-monetary society, Egyptian wages, pensions, and rebuilt at least three times, but its primary function was always taxes were paid in kind, usually in the form of food. Dealing to bake bread and brew beer. with such bulk goods required standardized sizes and weights to ensure that employees received their fair wages. Every tem- FOODS PROCESSED IN THE SHENA ple had an economic wing known as the shena to coordinate the provisioning and distribution of these supplies. Besides Bread and beer were staple components of the Egyptian diet, cooking foods and producing some crafts, the shena also over- the offering ritual, and the currency of wages. Manufactured saw agricultural lands, animal husbandry, and trade with other from the same raw ingredients, primarily barley and emmer temples and government institutions. wheat, their production was often paired. Structures found The shena attached to Senwosret III’s mortuary temple is within the shena, such as ovens and quern (grinding stone) the first one from a late Middle Kingdom (1850–1650 BCE) emplacements for grinding grain, attest to the baking activities temple context to be excavated. Although every temple had a carried out there. Although the mortuary temple had large stor- shena, fewer than ten have been archaeologically identified, age facilities, the shena had its own internal granary to ensure the efficient production of bread and beer. Finished goods were then stored inside the temple in a series of rooms to the west of the sanctuary. As indicated by a seal impression found with the title “steward of the bread storeroom,” specific storerooms may have been dedicated to storing specific products.

Two seal impression frag- ments were discovered in the shena. Their reconstruc- tions translate as (1) “stew- ard of the bread store- room” and (2) “The beer brewer (named) Amenemhat.” Other seal impressions indicate that the shena received goods from the temple of Osiris at Abydos, from the ka chapel of Senwosret I at Abydos, and from the probable tem- ple or ka chapel dedicated to the 17th Dynasty pharaoh Sobekemsaf I.

The ancient Egyptians preferred their bread in the form of Plan showing the shena’s three different construction phases. breadsticks—sometimes over a meter in length—baked in long ceramic cylinders called bread molds or as large flat even fewer have been investigated, and none have been pub- loaves—sometimes a meter in diameter—formed on bread lished. Recent textual studies reveal some of the functions of trays. Bread molds and bread trays had standardized shapes h the shena. Our excavations at the shena substantiate that it and sizes to ensure equal portions for wages. It was frequently t i m provisioned the temple, feeding on-duty staff and producing necessary to break the bread molds in order to remove the S a s s e n a V

28 volume 48, number 2 expedition The discovery of large numbers of flint knives and animal bones also indicates that meat processing took place within the shena. Although the large majority of these remains came from cows, we also found sheep, goat, gazelle, dog, donkey, and pig remains. Fish procurement and processing was another shena activ- ity as indicated by copper fishhooks, limestone and ceramic fishing net weights, and fish bones from catfish, tilapia, and Nile perch. Fruits and vegetables were also components of the offering and of wages. We hope that soil samples taken from within the shena will eventually yield seeds or other material to help us discern any plants that were also processed there.

These three ceramic types were among the most common found in the shena: (1) the top and bottom of a cylindrical bread mold (never found intact), (2) a beer jar, and (3) a bread tray.

breadsticks whole. As a result we recovered about 17,200 bro- ken bread molds, as well as numerous bread trays from the shena debris. Another seal impression reveals that a man named Amenemhat brewed the beer for the temple. Unlike bakeries, which have ovens, beer brewing did not require specific archi- tectural features. Beer was made in large storage jars where mashed grain and water could ferment for a couple of days. The resulting watery porridge, though not very alcoholic, was

rich in nutrients. A version of this porridge-beer, called bouza, Copper fishhooks were recovered from the shena. is still made in Egypt today. The porridge mixture was then strained and poured into beer beakers of a standard volume, roughly equivalent to a modern pint, to ensure the equal dis- CRAFT PRODUCTION IN THE SHENA tribution of beer rations to workers. Excavations in the shena unearthed about 12,500 beer beakers. Wine was another important beverage processed in the The shena also witnessed craft production. Copper slag and shena. Used as an offering in the daily ritual, this luxury item copper implements suggest that metal objects were at least was imported primarily from the Nile Delta and the Fayum modified, if not actually made, here. The presence of whorls where grapes were cultivated and fermented. It arrived in large and copper needles may indicate that linen—used to anoint storage jars sealed with mud stoppers. We recovered hundreds and clothe the pharaoh’s statue and also to pay temple work- of stoppers from the shena, indicating that the wine was prob- ers—may have also been produced here. And with the high h t ably decanted at the shena into smaller containers before send- incidence of ceramic debris generated from broken bread i m

S ing it on to the temple. molds, it seems likely that the shena would also have had its a s s e n a V

www.museum.upenn.edu/expedition 29 institutions. religious of the economic organization andadministrative ourunderstandinghow of archaeological study canfurther BCE)—mig 30 v shena The o The middlephaseofthe a aefrteacetEyta tt.Orivsiaino the Ourinvestigation of state. tax basefor theancient Egyptian andcoordinated the cultendowments, and private mortuary pensions, paidtheir wages, itprovided work for laborers, cult, and processingthatsustained thetemple’s offerings thedivine Besidesprocuring thestate economies. andpeasant and with each other temples interacted with Through itEgyptian Egypt. diat f D ound at w anessa smith prmn fNear Languages andCivilizations. Eastern of epartment n e THE CRUXOF THE EGYPTIAN ECONOMY l means t she volume 48, number 2 expedition number volume 48, y at Senwosret III’s temple presents of a glimpse mortuary t na o A the easto mar was thecr ht ha o p na d r o v d e is aP uc se ur shena f r e v ing the18thD xo economic relations inancient ux of p the e h.D. candidate in Egyptology inPenn’s candidate inEgyptology h.D. ott d had akilnandquernemplacement. this pur r.Thelarge circular oven imme- ery. she na —almost id p ose. ynast y e ( nt ca. ical t 1370–1355 o kilns to theMortuaryTemple ofSenwosretIIIatAbydos.” Abydos.” Organization oftheTemple Nfr-KA ofSenwosretIIIat Wegner, Josef,Vanessa Smith,andStineRossel.“The (2004):20-22. Bulletin oftheAmericanResearchCenterinEgypt S For FurtherReading mith, Vanessa. “RecentExcavationsofthe Ägypten undLevante 10 (2000):83-125. S hena a 186 djacent

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