This volume presents the papers given at an international conference on "Functional Aspects of Egyptian Ceramics within their Archaeological Context", which was held from 24th to 25th July, 2009 at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, UK. The aim of this conference was to discuss Egyptian pottery in different archaeological contexts and the employment of ceramics for understanding these deposits. At the same time some archaeological contexts were utilised to gain insights into the function of pottery, in order to integrate both approaches. The papers cover domestic, funerary, festival, and ritual contexts and the ceramic finds within them. Additional topics are the widely neglected reuse of pottery and how ceramic material can be interpreted in its wider socio-economic context. The case studies discuss pottery derived from many sites in Egypt from the Delta in the north to Elephantine in the south, and cover a chronological range from the Old Kingdom to the Coptic period. This broad approach ensures that the focus was on the role of Egyptian pottery within past societies as seen through various types of archaeological contexts. This volume provides archaeological and ceramic insights that are significant beyond Ancient Egypt.Ancient Memphis 'Enduring is the Perfection' brings together some of the latest findings regarding Egypt's first capital. The twenty-two papers that comprise the volume were originally presented in August 2008 during a conference held at Macquarie University, Sydney, in which both international speakers and scholars from across Australia examined the administrative functions of Memphis, its social structure, demography, art, material culture, religious institutions, and mortuary beliefs from the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period to the end of the New Kingdom. Collectively, the papers provide a fascinating overview of one of the most important cities in dynastic history and reveal the potential of ancient Memphis for achieving a greater understanding of Egypt's socio-political and cultural development.