This volume, which is the third part of Topographical Bibliography VIII, Objects of Provenance Not Known, presents accessible references for unprovenanced stelae dating from the beginning of the Dynastic Period to the end of Dynasty XVII. The coverage includes monuments in museums and private collections, as well as those which have surfaced in sales and auctions only to disappear from sight once again.
Volume VIII, Parts 3 and 4, provide the first comprehensive survey of unprovenanced stelae ever undertaken. The classification and dating is the product of original research by Jaromir Malek, with assistance from Elisabeth Fleming, Alison Hobby, and Diana Magee, as well as input from specialists in many institutions. The number and range of the stelae open up many new areas for further research, making possible an altogether fuller coverage of the material than has been possible hitherto. This volume contains extensive indices.
The first seven volumes of the Topographical Bibliography list ancient Egyptian monuments still in situ, those found in controlled excavations, ot those for which the original location can be established with certainty. There are, however, enormous numbers of objects of unknown provenance, including some of the greatest importance. Systematic records of excavations in Egypt began in the 1860s, but digging for monuments had been going on for at least half a century before that. Volume VIII complements Volumes I-VII by providing access to this unprovenanced material. Parts 1-2 cover statues of all periods. Part 4 covers stelae from Dynasty XVIII to the end of the Roman Period.