American University in Cairo AUC Knowledge Fountain Theses and Dissertations 6-1-2014 Noticing neighbors: reconsidering ancient Egyptian perceptions of ethnicity Taylor Bryanne Woodcock Follow this and additional works at: https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds Recommended Citation APA Citation Woodcock, T. (2014).Noticing neighbors: reconsidering ancient Egyptian perceptions of ethnicity [Master’s thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/905 MLA Citation Woodcock, Taylor Bryanne. Noticing neighbors: reconsidering ancient Egyptian perceptions of ethnicity. 2014. American University in Cairo, Master's thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain. https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/905 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by AUC Knowledge Fountain. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of AUC Knowledge Fountain. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. The American University in Cairo School of Humanities and Social Sciences Noticing Neighbors: Reconsidering Ancient Egyptian Perceptions of Ethnicity A Thesis Submitted to The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology, and Egyptology In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts In Egyptology By Taylor Bryanne Woodcock Under the supervision of Dr. Mariam Ayad May 2014 ABSTRACT Ethnic identities are nuanced, fluid and adaptive. They are a means of categorizing the self and the ‘other’ through the recognition of geographical, cultural, lingual, and physical differences. This work examines recurring associations, epithets and themes in ancient Egyptian texts to reveal how the Egyptians discussed the ethnic uniqueness they perceived of their regional neighbors. It employs Egyptian written records, including temple inscriptions, royal and private correspondence, stelae and tomb autobiographies, and literary tales, from the Old Kingdom to the beginning of the Third Intermediate Period.