Under the pharaohs, Ankhtawy designated the necropolis of Memphis, an ancient capital of Egypt. Ankhtawy, which also refers to the cliff stretching along the plateau of Saqqara, is the name chosen for the series created by Caracara Edition and dedicated to the discoveries and publications of the French Egyptologist Alain Zivie.

For more than 25 years, Alain Zivie has directed the French Archaeological Mission of the Bubasteion at Saqqara. He and his team have made a series of major discoveries in the middle of the cliff of Ankhtawy, also known as the Bubasteion, a name referring to the Memphite sanctuary of the cat goddess Bastet.

These efforts have led to the discovery of some twenty rock-cut tombs belonging to high officials who held office in the reigns of the pharaohs Amenophis III (Amenhotep III), Amenophis IV (Amenhotep IV) who became Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Ramesses II, and Merneptah. That is to say, in Dynasties 18 and 19 of the New Kingdom, the most brilliant period in Egyptian history.

Outstanding among these personalities are the celebrated Maïa, foster mother of King Tutankhamun and mistress of the harem, in fact Princess Meritaten; the vizier Aper-El and his son the generalissimo Huy; as well as the painter Thothmes, an exceptional artist; and Raïay, alias Hatiay, treasurer of the temple of Aten at Memphis. Not to omit Netjerwymes, alias Parakhnawa, high steward of Memphis, ambassador, and negotiator of the peace between Egyptians and Hittites.

The Ankhtawy series is devoted to the scientific publication of these remarkable tombs, including all their inscriptions (with transliteration and translation). The series entitled The Tombs of the Bubasteion at Saqqara was inaugurated in November 2009 with a long-awaited work whose conclusions have not passed unnoticed: La tombe de Maia, mère nourricière de Toutânkhamon et grande du harem. It will continue with, among others, La tombe de Touthmes, directeur des peintres dans la Place de Maât and La tombe d’Aper-El, vizir et père du dieu.

Caracara Edition’s Ankhtawy series also includes previous works by Alain Zivie, assuring their continued availability. Thus, Les Tombeaux retrouvés de Saqqara (2003), an English translation of which was published in 2007 by Caracara Edition: The Lost Tombs of Saqqara.

All these works can be ordered on the site www.caracaraedition.com by credit card with secure electronic payment, by wire transfer, or by bank check. On the site, booksellers will find a special place to contact us and purchase books with the usual trade discount.