Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William. J. Murnane.

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

Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William. J. Murnane. Edited by PETER J. BRAND and LouisE COOPER. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, vol. 37. Leiden: BRILL, 2009. Pp. xiii + 237, plates. $179.

Bill Mumane, as he was known by almost everyone, was one of the most exceptional Egyptologists of recent years. His unfortunate and sudden early death at age fifty-five ended an all too short career filled with prior accomplishments and promise of things to come. In the more usual course in academia he would have lived to a considerable age, retired, and been honored by his colleagues and friends with a festschrift composed of scholarly contributions that would surely have been of interest to him. Since this was not the case, a memorial volume to honor his memory was suggested by Richard Fazzini of the Brooklyn Museum. Peter Brand, former student and colleague, carried out the project and coedited the resulting work, a collection composed of contributions from a truly international group of scholars. Several of the essays concern the Amarna Period, an area of particular interest to Bill, or relate to his work in the temples of Luxor, but none of them would have been foreign to his wide-ranging interests, experience, and expertise.

Brand, in his introduction, sketches Bill's academic background, epigraphic work, and impressive list of scholarly publications, with some personal reminiscences and anecdotes, better to paint a more complete picture of Bill the scholar, teacher, and amazing human being. Lorelei Corcoran offers a "fond remembrance" of Bill based on the eulogy she gave at his funeral. Many of the contributors refer to his varied scholarly interests, profound knowledge, and his seminal publications, but for those who regretfully did not know him personally the accomplishments of William J. Murnane will have to remain his...