The volume "Non-textual marking systems in Ancient Egypt (and
Elsewhere)" is the outcome of a research linkage between Humboldt
University Berlin and Warsaw University, funded by the Alexander von
Humboldt Foundation. It aims to summarize the present state-of-the-art
about non-textual marking systems in Pharaonic Egypt and to clear the
way for a possible future analysis of the subject on a broader,
cross-cultural level. The focus is on Ancient Egyptian examples, but
non-textual marking systems like pot marks, mason's marks, brick marks
and other identity marks are known from many cultures and periods from
Prehistoric to modern times. The broad variability of use and function
of these marking systems which occur irrespectively of whether or not
the particular community has a script is illustrated by case studies and
by a close comparison of material originating from different time
periods and from various places in Egypt and elsewhere.