Egypt and Beyond: Essays Presented to Leonard H. Lesko upon His Retirement from the Wilhour Chair of Egyptology at Brown University, June 2005.

• Author: Peck, Willjam H.
• Position: Book review

Egypt and Beyond: Essays Presented to Leonard H. Lesko upon His Retirement from the Wilhour Chair of Egyptology at Brown University, June 2005. Edited by STEPHEN E. THOMPSON and PETER DER MANUELIAN. Providence: DEPARTMENT OF EGYPTOLOGY AND ANCIENT WESTERN ASIAN STUDIES, BROWN UNIVERSITY, 2008. Pp. xxxi + 340, illus. $90. [Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co., Oakville, CT.]

The occasion for the presentation of a festschrift can be motivated by the celebration of retirement, a birthday, or simply the acknowledgement of a distinguished career. In the case of Leonard Lesko two of these qualifications apply, retirement and distinction. As an eminent scholar who has made his many contributions to the study of Egyptology and who has also guided students for most of his career--first at the University of California, Berkeley and then at Brown University--Lesko well deserves this tribute of contributions from colleagues, former students, and friends. Although the essays are predominantly concerned with the interpretation of Egyptian texts, reflecting the honoree's special interest, some take up art historical concerns and a few are completely outside the field of Egyptology.

As a tribute this volume is somewhat unusual in that it contains a lengthy biographical "sketch" by his wife, Barbara S. Lesko, former co-student and long-time colleague. This serves to place his career in a context of scholars and teachers who were his contemporaries as welt as to give some personal insights into his avocations and interests beyond Egyptology. This is followed by an extensive bibliography of Lesko's written works, covering both scholarly and popular material to 2007. The individual contributions follow, in alphabetical order by name of author:

Mariam F. Ayad provides a new and useful translation and commentary on the selection of Pyramid Texts found in the chapel of Amenirdis I at Medinet Habit, demonstrating the persistence of their use in Dynasty Twenty-five.

An article by Guitty Azarpay describes a group of Pahlavi economic texts in the Bancroft Library of the University of California at Berkeley dating generally to A.D. 700-1100.

Lanny Bell's contribution is a lengthy re-visitation of the Egyptian papyri "translated" by Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, and their role in the development of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

J. E Borghouts deals with a group of magical texts from Deft el Medina that all have to do with...