This new analysis of the interaction between graffiti and their physical context examines the functionality of rock inscriptions for the ancient Egyptians and finds that the annexation and redefinition of the landscape was a key factor motivating the production of rock art and rock inscriptions spanning the Egyptian Predynastic and Dynastic Periods. Casting off the modern, negative, connotations of “graffiti,” new research comparing ancient and modern graffiti traditions—including a proper understanding of the territorial and artistic implications of modern “gang” graffiti—illuminates certain functional parallels and assists in the formulation of a new framework based on Alfred Gell’s theory on the material agency of art and subsequent critiques. In this framework graffiti simultaneously mark territorial boundaries and work actively to create and maintain territory on an ongoing basis. The application of the framework to an ancient Egyptian case study illuminates the dynamic relationship between rock inscriptions and site formation.

对涂鸦与其物理环境之间相互作用的这一新分析检验了古埃及人岩石铭文的功能，并发现对景观的吞并和重新定义是促使产生横跨埃及王朝和古代埃及的岩石艺术和岩石铭文的关键因素。王朝时期。摒弃“涂鸦”的现代，负面，内涵，一项比较古代和现代涂鸦传统的新研究（包括对现代“帮派”涂鸦的领土和艺术含义的正确理解）阐明了某些功能上的相似之处，并有助于拟定一种涂鸦。基于阿尔弗雷德·盖尔（Alfred Gell）关于艺术的物质中介的理论和随后的批评的新框架。在此框架中，涂鸦同时标出了领土边界，并积极地不断创建和维护领土。该框架在古埃及案例研究中的应用阐明了岩石铭文与遗址形成之间的动态关系。