Archaeology of Egypt and Nubia (course I) - classes

The course covers basic research problems related to the archaeology of ancient Egypt and Nubia. The topics are grouped into the following categories: Religion, Tombs and Cemeteries, Temples, “Artistic” Production, Houses and Settlements, Materials and Technology, Society, and Field Archaeology.

During the classes, students become acquainted with the most important hypotheses, publications, and debates related to each research problem

from the list below. Students are expected to prepare one topic on their own and present it to the class. Each presentation is followed by a discussion, supplementary material delivered by the teacher, and a brief overview of the most important publications for studying the particular

topic.

Students become familiar with methods of critically assessing different groups of sources by comparing textual evidence with material remains.

Other assignments include texts during class, preparing description cards of different categories of artefacts, as well as demonstrating the proper

use of the most important tools used in the study of ancient Egypt/Nubia (such as the OEB database).

Topics discussed during classes:

EGYPT:

1. Religion

● Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Religion

● Funerary Beliefs

● Religion of the Amarna Period

● Egyptian Magic

2. Tombs and Cemeteries

● Tomb Construction and Decoration

● Evolution of Ancient Egyptian Tombs

● Human Mummies

● Animal Mummies

● Burial Equipment

3. Temples

● Evolution of Ancient Egyptian Temples

● Ancient Egyptian Festivals

● Temple Administration

● Case Study 1: God’s Wives of Amun

● Case Study 2: Karnak and Luxor

4. “Artistic” Production

● Introduction to the “Art” of Ancient Egypt

● Birth of Pharaonic Art

● Ancient Egyptian Sculpture

● Rock Art

● Ancient Egyptian Literature

5. Houses and Settlements

● General Introduction to Settlement Archaeology in Egypt

● Case Study 1: Old Kingdom Settlement of Pyramid Builders in

Giza

● Case Study 2: Middle Kingdom Town of Kahun

● Case Study 3: New Kingdom Tomb Builders of Deir el-Medina

● Case Study 4: Amarna – City of the Aten

● Case Study 5: Egyptians and Greeks in Naucratis

● Case Study 6: Alexandria by Egypt

6. Materials and Technology

● Stone

● Pottery

● Egyptian Faience

● Glass

● Metals

● Textiles

● Agriculture

7. Society

● Economy of Ancient Egypt

● Position of Women

● Power, Kingship, and Queenship

● Ancient Egyptian Warfare

8. Field Archaeology in Egypt

NUBIA:

Various aspects of archaeological research on the basis of different types

of publications:

1. Cultural changes - continuity and discontinuity

2. Funerary rites (on the example of Group A, Kerma culture and

Egyptian domination)

3. Social relations (on the example of Kerma culture, Napatan

period)

4. Visual arts - Napatan period, Meroitic perioderiod

4. Cultural changes-continuity and discontinuity

Egypt:

1. K.A. Bard (ed.), Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient

Egypt, London-New York 1999

2. B.J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt. Anatomy of a Civilization, London

2018

3. M. Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, London 1997

4. A.B. Lloyd (ed.), A Companion to Ancient Egypt, Chichester-

Malden 2010

5. N. Moeller, The Archaeology of Urbanism in Ancient Egypt:

From the Predynastic Period to the End of the Middle Kingdom,

New York 2016

6. P.T. Nicholson, I. Shaw (eds), Ancient Egyptian Materials and

Technology, Cambridge 2000

7. N. Reeves, R.H. Wilkinson, The Complete Valley of the Kings.

Tombs and Treasures of Egypt’s Greatest Pharaohs, London

1996

8. G. Robins, Women in Ancient Egypt, London 1993

9. G. Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, London 2000

10. I. Shaw, E. Bloxam (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology,

Oxford 2020

11. S. Snape, The Complete Cities of Ancient Egypt, London 2014

12. J.H. Taylor, Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, London

2001

13. E. Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt, Cambridge 2011

14. J. Tyldesley, Egypt. How a Lost Civilization Was Rediscovered,

London 2005

15. R.H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient

Egypt, London 2003

16. R.H. Wilkinson, The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt,

London 2000

Nubia:

1. M. Baud (ed.), Méroé. Un empire sur le Nil, Paris 2010

2. T. Eide, T. Hägg, R.H. Pierce, L. Török, Fontes Historiae

Nubiourum. Textual Sources for the History of the Middle Nile

Region Between the Eighth Century BC and the Sixth Century

AD I. From the Eighth to the Mid-Fifth Century BC, Bergen

1994

3. P. Lacovara, Ancient Nubia. African Kingdoms on the Nile,

Cairo 2012

4. R. Morkot, The Black Pharaohs: Egypt’s Nubian Rulers, London

2000.

5. L. Török, The Kingdom of Kush. Handbook of the Napatan-

Meroitic Civilization, Leiden 1997

6. L. Török, Between Two Worlds: the Frontier Region between

Ancient Nubia and Egypt, 3700 BC-AD 500, Leiden 2009

7. D. Valbelle, C. Bonnet, The Nubian Pharaohs: Black Kings on

the Nile, Cairo 2007

8. D.A. Welsby, The Kingdom of Kush: the Napatan and Meroitic

Empires, London 1998.

9. D.A. Welsby, J.R. Anderson, Sudan: Ancient Treasures: an

Exhibition of Recent Discoveries from the Sudan National

Museum, London 2004

Additional readings will be given during the course.

Knowledge:

- The student knows the basic terminology associated with the Egyptian

and Nubian archaeology (K_W02).

- The student knows the basics of ancient Egyptian and Nubian

civilisations (K_W05).

- The student knows the latest discoveries and theories related ancient

Egypt and Nubia (K_W08).

- The student knows basic methods of analysis and interpretation of data

from scientific publications (K_W11)

- The student has a general knowledge about ancient Egyptian materials

and technologies (K_W15)

Skills:

- The student knows how to analyze, judge, select and use information

concerning archaeology of Egypt and Nubia (K_U01).

- The student knows how to obtain knowledge and develop scientific

skills in Egyptian and Nubian archaeology (K_U05).

- The student can recognize different types of ancient Egyptian scripts

(K_U08)

- The student knows how to prepare speech and digital presentation

about different aspects of ancient Egypt and Nubia (K_U017)

Social competence:

- The student appreciates the unique values of archaeological sources and

their role in reproducing the past of man (K_K02).

- the student can critically assess the interpretation of archaeological and

historical sources with an awareness of the multifaceted interpretation

(K_K04).

Requirements to pass the class:

- Presentation of one topic from the list

- One written tests per semester

- Mandatory attendance (two absences are acceptable).

Additional credit for active participation in classes.