Anders Bettum

• Bettum, Anders (2021). Uenighetsfellesskap i museene. Nordisk Museologi. ISSN 1103-8152. 32, p. 53–67. Show summary

  The efforts for diversity and inclusion in museums during the last decades have revealed a need for knowledge and competence on how to handle disagreement and opposition. This paper shows how Lars Laird Iversen’s term communities of disagreement can be applied in museums, and examines his claim that disagreement, under given circumstances, can have a unifying effect. The study is based on discussions from a project where a network of eleven Norwegian museums participated, and on the author’s own attempts to implement communities of disagreement at his own workplace. Iversen’s model has proved useful but requires conscious adaptions that correspond to the complexity of the interface between the museum and the audience.

• Bettum, Anders (2018). Nesting (part two): Merging of layers in New Kingdom coffin decoration. In Taylor, John H. & Vendenbeusch, Marie (Ed.), Ancient Egyptian Coffins. Craft, traditions, and functionality. Peeters Publishers. ISSN 978-90-429-3465-8. p. 275–291. Show summary

  This is the second paper based on the author’s PhD dissertation ‘Faces within faces – The symbolic function of nested yellow coffins in Ancient Egypt’, which was defended at the University of Oslo in 2013. The first paper (Bettum 2017) outlined the significance of nesting and wrapping in general, and suggested an interpretation of Dynasty 19 private coffin ensembles. The present paper goes more deeply into the implications of the ‘nesting principle’ for New Kingdom coffin decoration. It will be demonstrated how nesting, in time, became so essential to coffin decoration that multiple layers were incorporated into the standardised composition of single coffins. By Dynasty 19, a flexible system had developed that allowed the full effect of a complete three- or four-piece ensemble to be expressed in a single coffin. The identification of this mechanism, which is here called the ‘merging of layers’, has proved to be an effective tool for the interpretation of complex decorative schemes. First, the main currents of symbolism found in coffins and sarcophagi are reviewed, with demonstrations of how the repetition of layers into a nest adds to this symbolism. There follow some examples of how the ‘nesting principle’ in turn affected the development of the decorative schemes of individual coffins, and how several components of the nest tended to be merged in the decoration, particularly of inner coffins.

• Bettum, Anders & Özcan, Gazi (2018). Dialog som metode - Inkluderingsstrategier ved Interkulturelt museum 2006-2016. In Bettum, Anders; Maliniemi, Kaisa & Walle, Thomas Michael (Ed.), Et inkluderende museum. Kulturelt mangfold i praksis. Museumsforlaget AS. ISSN 9788283050394. Show summary

  Artikkelen oppsummerer Interkluturelt museums arbeid med minoriteter over en tiårsperiode, med vekt på strategier for inkludering og reell medvirkning i innsamling og utstilling av minoritetskultur. To store utstillingsprosjekter beskrives, der museet har samarbeidet med til sammen åtte ulike minoritetsgrupper. Forfatterne vektlegger en økende bevissthet rundt metodikk og strategivalg gjennom perioden 2006-2016, og diskuterer problemstillinger knyttet til maktoverføring, representativitet og resiprositet. Basert på parameterne "maktoverføring" og i hvilken grad "museet egen stemme" fremmes, defineres tre overlappende metoder eller strategier: Dialogmetoden, redaktørmetoden og vertskapsmetoden.

• Bettum, Anders (2017). Nesting: The development and significance of the 'yellow coffin' ensemble. In Amenta, Alessia & Guichard, Hélène (Ed.), Proceedings first Vatican coffin conference 19-22 June 2013. Edizioni Musei Vaticani. ISSN 978-88-8271-404-8. p. 71–82. Show summary

  One of the most striking features of coffins from the Third Intermediate Period Egypt, is how they were made in sets or nests: multiple coffins stacked inside one another like Russian matryoshka dolls. This paper explores the origins, development and symbolic function of such nesting, exemplified by the first nests of yellow-type coffins

• Bettum, Anders & Skinner, Lucy Anne (2015). The Amarna Coffins Project: Coffins from the South Tombs Cemetery. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (JEA). ISSN 0307-5133. 101, p. 27–32.
• Skumsnes, Reinert & Bettum, Anders (2015). Solas rike - ikkje berre palass og tempel. Nicolay: Arkeologisk tidsskrift. ISSN 0332-8937. 127, p. 17–39. Full text in Research Archive
• Bettum, Anders (2014). Lot 14 (Sweden and Norway): the modern history of the collection and a reconstruction of the ensembles. In Sousa, Rogerio (Eds.), Body, cosmos and eternity. New research trends in the iconography and symbolism of ancient Egyptian coffins. Archaeopress Egyptology 3. ISSN 9781784910037. p. 167–186. Show summary

  This article presents some of the results of a comprehensive study of the Swedish-Norwegian part of the Bab el-Gusus discovery (Daressy’s “Lot 14”), which was presented to King Oscar II in 1893. The acquisition history of the coffin-ensembles has been reconstructed in detail with all relevant documents reproduced in transliteration and, when necessary, translation. After Lot 14 arrived in Stockholm 28 November 1893, the four coffin-ensembles, consisting of 15 components, were divided between two museums in Sweden and one in Norway. The redistribution was ostensibly random, resulting in much confusion among scholars as to which components originally belonged together. The reconstruction of the ensembles has been further complicated by the frequent reuse of coffins which took place in the 21st Dynasty. Seven of the 15 components in Lot 14 show clear evidence of reuse. Traditional art historical methods are of limited help when trying to reconstruct the scattered ensembles from Bab el-Gusus. Only the historical record, to the extent that it has been preserved, can tell which components once belonged together. Fortunately, in this case, the record has been preserved. This article offers a new and well-documented reconstruction of the four coffin-ensembles, thereby paving the way for the production of a useful catalogue. Of particular interest are the reconstructions of the full five-piece ensembles of Khonsumes (A 121) and Ankhsenmt (A7), and the rediscovery of the outer coffins belonging to these sets.

• Bettum, Anders (2010). Dismutenibtes and Aaiu. Two 25th Dynasty Coffins in Oslo. Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur. ISSN 0340-2215. 39, p. 51–65. Show summary

  The coffins of Dismutenibtes (C47708) and Aaiu (C47709) in the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo were given scholarly attention in the 1860’s and 70’s, but have not been studied since. In 2006, it was discovered that Dismutenibtes was the mother of Osirmose, whose coffins today are located in Liège and Brussels. The discovery gave the author of this article the incentive for a thorough study of the coffins and their modern history. Both coffins were donated to the museum by Giovanni Anastasi, possibly in the year 1826. From an eyewitness account recorded in a letter form 1862, it can be discerned that the coffins arrived together as one ensemble containing a single mummy. Due to the different names, a connection between the coffins was never considered by the 19th century scholars. In this article, the connection has been reexamined with regard to stylistic, textual and historic criteria. It is concluded that both coffins most probably belonged to a woman named Dismutenibtes, known also by the pet name Aaiu/ Iuiu. Along with Osirmose and his father Padiamunet, whose coffins are now in the British Museum, she was buried in an unknown family tomb in the Theban necropolis around 700 BC. The tomb must have been discovered by Anastasi’s agent in the early 19th century, and its contents distributed to Europe in two separate shipments.

• Bettum, Anders & Steiner, Pål (2003). Religiøs vold i Det gamle Egypt. DIN - Tidsskrift for religion og kultur. ISSN 1501-9934. p. 10–18.

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• Bettum, Anders (2021). Nytt blikk på Det gamle Egypt. Pax Forlag. ISBN 978-82-530-4053-0. 335 p. Show summary

  Med sine pyramider, faraoer, mumier og hieroglyfer er det få kulturer som stimulerer nysgjerrigheten og fantasien mer enn Det gamle Egypt. Men hvordan så hverdagslivet ut for oldtidens kvinner og menn langs Nilen, selve livsåren i det samfunnet vi fortsetter å la oss fascinere av? Hvordan levde de, og hva tenkte de om livet og døden? Og hvordan har det gått til at vi vet så mye om den imponerende sivilisasjonen de klarte å skape? Nå samles for første gang på 70 år kunnskapen om denne kulturen på norsk, i en bredt anlagt innføringsbok. Mot et geografisk bakteppe trekker egyptolog Anders Bettum opp de store linjene i den gammelegyptiske historien og gir smakebiter av egyptisk språk, religion, politikk og litteratur. Et av bokens mange høydepunkter er fortellingen om dechiffreringen av hieroglyfene, andre er møtet med en familie fra arbeiderlandsbyen Deir el-Medina og funnet av Tutankhamons grav. Det gamle Egypt har stor plass i vår moderne bevissthet og historieforståelse. Det samme gjaldt også i antikken, som i likhet med ettertiden har tillagt de gamle egypterne en særlig visdom. Egypt har utøvd en magisk tiltrekningskraft på både vitenskapsmenn, antikvitetssamlere og gravrøvere, grupper det ikke alltid har vært like lett å skille mellom. Også slikt får vi vite mer om i denne boken, der forfatteren til slutt trekker tråder frem til dagens politiske situasjon hvor den nasjonalistiske faraonismen kniver med panarabisme og islamisme om forrang i egypternes identitetsfølelse. OMTALE «Boken er en skikkelig tour de force om det gamle Egypt, oppfinnsomt skrevet og med dyptpløyende utlegninger om det gammelegyptiske verdensbildet, dagligliv, religion, arkitektur og ikke minst historie. Boken er lettlest – og passer for et bredt publikum … Siden Bettum skriver svært godt, klarer han å trekke leseren med dit hvor ‘historien kommer til live, og skillet mellom ‘oss’ og ‘dem’ forsvinner’. Forbilledlig.» Kjetil Vikene, Forskerforum

• Lindhagen-Prusac, Marina; Bettum, Anders; Collins, Kristin Bornholdt & Sættem, Anette (2020). Følelser i antikken og det gamle Egypt. Kulturhistorisk museum. ISBN 9-788280-842060. 329 p.
• Bettum, Anders; Maliniemi, Kaisa & Walle, Thomas Michael (2018). Et inkluderende museum. Kulturelt mangfold i praksis. Museumsforlaget AS. ISBN 9788283050394.
• Bettum, Anders (2007). Våre hellige rom. Seks religioner på vandring. Oslo museum/ Kontur media/ Yggdrasil forlag. 121 p.
• Bettum, Anders (2002). Mumien Lever! Evig liv i Det gamle Egypt. Universitetets kulturhistoriske museer. ISBN 82-8084-008-7. 76 p.

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• Skumsnes, Reinert Vikjord & Bettum, Anders (2021). Hverdagsliv i det gamle Egypt: Episode 3 - Til sengs med de gamle egypterne. [Radio]. Studio 2, NRK P2.
• Bettum, Anders; Maliniemi, Kaisa & Walle, Thomas Michael (2018). Et inkluderende museum. Kulturelt mangfold i praksis. In Bettum, Anders; Maliniemi, Kaisa & Walle, Thomas Michael (Ed.), Et inkluderende museum. Kulturelt mangfold i praksis. Museumsforlaget AS. ISSN 9788283050394. p. 9–21.
• Skinner, Lucy-Anne; Stevens, Anna; Bettum, Anders; Rogge, Corina; Winkels, Alexandra & Gerisch, Rainer (2016). Piecing together coffins of the non-elite at Amarna. In Strudwick, Helen & Dawson, Julie (Ed.), Ancient Egyptian Coffins. Past, present, future. Oxbow Books. ISSN 978-1-78570-918-0. p. 212–212.
• Bettum, Anders; Stevens, Anna; Skinner, Lucy-Anne; Rogge, Corina; Gerisch, Rainer & Winkels, Alexandra (2016). Piecing together coffins of the non-elite at Amarna.
• Bettum, Anders (2012). Store norske leksikon/ Det gamle Egypt.
• Bettum, Anders (2009). Svar på utstillingsanmeldelse av Våre hellige rom. Tidsskrift for kulturforskning. ISSN 1502-7473. 8(1), p. 51–53.
• Bettum, Anders (2008). Daphna Ben-Tor: Scarabs, Chronology, and interconnections - Egypt and Palestine in the Second Intermediate Period. ACTA ORIENTALIA (København). ISSN 0001-6438. 69, p. 337–340.
• Bettum, Anders (2007). Våre hellige rom og det nye religiøse landskapet i Oslo. Byminner. ISSN 0007-7631. 52(4), p. 40–45.
• Bettum, Anders (2007). Grønland som religiøs møteplass. Byminner. ISSN 0007-7631. 52(1), p. 46–53.
• Bettum, Anders & Steiner, Pål (2003). The Egyptian collections in Oslo and Bergen. Papyrus Tidsskrift for Dansk Ægyptologisk Selskab. ISSN 0903-4714. 23(1).
• Bettum, Anders (2001). Osirishymnen/ To hymner til solguden/ Den store Atonhymnen, Den egyptiske dødeboken og tekster om livetsvei. De norske bokklubbene. ISSN 82-525-4107-0. p. 25–44. Show summary

  Boken innholder religiøse og enkelte ikke-religiøse tekster som gir et innblikk i gammelegyptiske tanker om livet, døden og livet etter døden.

• Bettum, Anders (2013). Faces within Faces – The Symbolic Function of Nested Yellow Coffins in Ancient Egypt. 07 Gruppen. Show summary

  This study focuses on the layered structure of Ancient Egyptian mummies and coffin ensembles. The nested structure, which often has been compared with Russian dolls or Chinese boxes, is very characteristic for Egyptian elite burials. The core of the source material consists of 10 private coffin ensembles from the late 18th to the early 2151 Dynasties. These objects have been studied in light of theories related to'wrapping' as material culture, were layered or nested structures from various cultures have been interpreted. There is a remarkable similarity in the way the nested structure has been utilized. It typically reoccurs in the construction of sacred space. The structure of the coffin ensembles follows a duality of symbolism which can be retrieved in the individual coffins: 1) as a representation of the deceased, and; 2) as a representation of the space in which the transformation or rebirth of the deceased was believed to take place. The burial of the child-king Tutankhamun is a case in point. His nest of coffins contained three anthropoid coffins and five rectangular sarcophagi shaped as shrines. Furthermore, his mummy demonstrates well how the nested structure seen in the coffin ensemble continued inside the mummy, where artificial facades or attires had been constructed between the layers of bandages. In private coffins from the New Kingdom, the two main themes merge into one decorative scheme, where the primary decoration represents the mummy and the secondary decoration represents the mythological space surrounding it. This tendency to merge layers is typical. From the 19th Dynasty and onwards, four such layers can be recognized in one and the same coffin. This system created a flexibility that made it possible for people from lower social strata to copy the nested structure of elite coffin ensembles in a single coffin. In the examples above, the layered structure of the coffin ensembles can be explained by the different symbolic functions of the individual layers..More often, however, the same decorative scheme is repeated throughout the post` Such nests canin part be explained by numerical symbolism. The numbers three and four often reoccur, numbers that were closely associated with the daily and yearly cycle of the sun god. Another plausible explanation is that the nesting structure should be regarded as a symbol in its own right, one that embedded its contents with meaning associated with inaccessibility, process and divine power.

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