This volume contains the Proceedings of a conference held in October
2007 at Leiden University on the Libyan Period in Egypt. The study of
the Third Intermediate Period, and most notably its chronology, has
become stuck in controversies ever since publications by David Aston,
Anthony Leahy, John Taylor and others raised doubts as to the chronology
presented in Kitchen's seminal study The Third Intermediate Period in
Egypt (1972). There was clearly need to discuss the controversial
aspects of the chronology and culture of the period with all the parties
involved. The timely nature of the conference was confirmed by the
enthusiastic response from those colleagues who were invited to
participate. In the end, a total of 24 speakers presented in front of an
audience of some 120 scholars and students hailing from fifteen
different countries. It was thought that the chronological issues
surrounding Dynasties 21-24, the Libyan Period, should be the principal
focus of discussion, because it is here that the largest uncertainties
still remain. In addition, several scholars were invited to present
recent archaeological finds from their own field work. Only by
considering new material may we hope to solve the remaining problems,
and new insights into the Libyan Period are likely to emerge from the
combined study of a wide variety of sources. The topics of controversy
lie mainly in the realm of chronology. Apart from this, several papers
deal with the cultural developments of the period. An interesting joint
theme that emerges from these is the appearance of archaism in the art
of the second half of the Libyan Period. Several papers include comments
on a newly found interest in the proportions and iconography from the
classical periods of the past, notably of the Middle Kingdom.
