HIST 351

Introduction to Ancient

Credits: 3.0 Contact hours: 45

This is a syllabus based on a popular course in our program prior to the program’s suspension in mid-2013. In reopening our Cairo program, we are both developing new courses and updating successful courses from past semesters. This syllabus is meant to be representative of this course. A fully updated version with new content and materials will not be available until closer to the start of the term in which it will run.

Aims and Objectives of the Course: Students should leave this course with a basic understanding of ancient Egyptian civilization, as well as what influence it still has on modern culture. The course also aims to make ancient Egyptian civilization appear less distant and strange to students. It includes extensive discussion of cultural relativism meant to engage the students in the idea any cultural practice, taken out of context, could seem peculiar, eccentric, or even grotesque. The course introduces the students to historiography and enables them to read ’s history with a critical eye.

Course Description: This course surveys ancient Egyptian civilization from approximately 5000 BC, when Neolithic culture begins on the , to 30 BC, when Egypt becomes part of the Roman Empire. Students will be introduced to the history, art and architecture, and religious beliefs of the ancient Egyptians, as well as all aspects of daily life in ancient Egyptian times. The class will also consider the influence of ancient Egypt in modern culture. There will be field trips to pyramid sites and to the Cairo Museum, TBA.

Learning outcomes for the course By the completion of this course, students will be able to:  Demonstrate a basic understanding of important aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization  Describe the continued impact of ancient Egyptian civilization on modern culture  Discuss the importance of history, how it is written, and be able to read it with a critical eye  Explain how archaeology can increase one's understanding of an ancient civilization

Knowledge This course is designed to assist students to acquire and demonstrate knowledge about:  Ancient Egyptian history  Ancient Egyptian geography  Ancient Egyptian religion  Ancient Egyptian language and literacy

 Ancient Egyptian literature  Ancient Egyptian art and architecture  Ancient Egyptian culture and society  Historiography  Archaeology

Skills This course is designed to assist students in acquiring or enhancing the following skills:  Writing well-structured papers  Critical thinking Attitudes This course is designed to encourage development of the following attitudes:  A willingness and openness to understand a culture that is very different from one’s own  Critical reading of history books, and knowledge that historians are not always objective

Required Reading 1) Textbook(s):  Ikram, S., Ancient Egypt: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, New York, 2010  Baines, J. and Jaromir Malek, Atlas of Ancient Egypt, The American University in Cairo Press, Cairo, 2005 2) Other reading:  Baines, “Literacy and Ancient Egyptian Society,” Man, New Series, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Sept. 1983), Royal Archaeological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland, London, 1983, pp. 572- 599  Bierbrier, M.L., The Tomb-builders of the Pharaohs. C. Schribner, New York, 1984  Bloch, M., The Historian’s Craft: Reflections on the Nature and Uses of History and the Techniques and Methods of those who Write it, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., Toronto, 1953  Brewer, D.J. and Emily Teeter, Egypt and the Egyptians, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2007  Lichtheim, M., Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, Vol. I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1975  Lichtheim, M., Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, Vol. II: The New Kingdom, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1976  Lichtheim, M., Ancient Egyptian Literature: A Book of Readings, Vol. III: The New Late Period, University of California Press, Berkeley, 1980  Miner, H., “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” American Anthropologist, Vol. 58, No. 3, Blackwell Publishing, 1956, pp. 503-507  Quirke, S., Ancient Egyptian Religion, British Museum Press, London, 1992  Robins, G., The Art of Ancient Egypt, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1997  Scott, D.A., Megan Dennis, Narayan Khandekar, Joy Keeney, David Carson and Lynn Swartz Dodd, “An Egyptian Cartonnage of the Graeco-Roman Period: Examination and Discoveries, Studies in Conservation, Vol. 48, No. 1, International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, London, 2003, pp. 41-56  Shaw, I., Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000

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Assessment Overview Description Weight Due Date Attendance and Participation 15% TBD Assignment 1 (Map) 10% TBD Midterm Exam 25% TBD Assignment 2 (Paper) 25% TBD Final Exam 25% TBD

Assessment Tasks 1) Attendance & Participation Students are expected to attend all regularly scheduled classes. In this course you are permitted two (2) unexcused absences (absences not caused by illness). If you have more than two unexcused absences, your total grade for the course will be lowered by 1.5% for each additional unexcused absence. In other words, three unexcused absences will lower your final grade by 1.5%, four unexcused absences by 3%, etc. You are expected to make up for any missed work during your absence. All students are expected to have read thoughtfully the assigned readings and should come to class prepared to participate and make substantive contribution to the class discussions. The Attendance & Participation grade will depend on both the quality and the quantity of student’s comments and questions and shall account for 15% of the total grade.

2) Map assignment (Please use Baines and Malek for this):

Draw a map of Egypt and Nubia. It must be the size of the paper of this syllabus, or able to be folded into that size. Put the following on the map:

Nile, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Gulf of , Eastern Desert, Sinai, Western Desert, First and Second Cataracts, Branch, Branch, Fayum, Kharga, Dakhla, Baharia and Siwa Oases, Lower Nubia, Kush (Upper Nubia).

Add the following sites, and mention what resource/commodity was found there:

Wadi el-Natrun, Gebel Ahmar, Turah, Fayum, Serabit el-Khadim, Hatnub, Gebel el-Silsila, Nubian Desert, (just put granite).

Add the following sites, and in a box off to the side put why it was important during the period(s) indicated in parentheses. For example, Deir el-Medina (New Kingdom) [workmen's village].

Memphis (Old Kingdom), (Old Kingdom), Saqqara (Old Kingdom), Abydos (throughout ancient Egyptian history), Thebes (New Kingdom), Deir el-Medina (New Kingdom), Dahshur (Old and Middle Kingdoms), Meidum (Old Kingdom), Lisht (Middle Kingdom), Kahun/Lahun (Middle Kingdom), Buhen (Middle Kingdom), Semna (Middle Kingdom), Per-Ramses (same location as Tell el-Dab'a/Qantir) (New Kingdom), Heliopolis (Old Kingdom), Tell el-Amarna (New Kingdom), Elephantine (Old to New Kingdom), (Third Intermediate Period), (Graeco-Roman Period), (Ptolemaic), Dendera (Ptolemaic), (New Kingdom), Valley of the Kings (New Kingdom), Hierakonpolis (Predynastic Period), Buto (Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods), Herakleopolis/Ihnasya el-Medina (First Intermediate Period).

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Maps that are late will be penalized 10 points (out of 100) for each day that they are turned in after the announced deadline.

3) Paper: Research paper of at least 3500 words on a topic approved by the instructor. The research paper will constitute 25% of the semester grade for this course. Students should make appointments to meet with the instructor before the end of week 8 to discuss proposed paper topics. Prior to the meeting students should submit a proposed topic described in approximately 100 words and an indication of the sources available. Papers must have at least 5 sources outside the assigned reading. Papers that are less than 3500 words will be penalized 10 points (out of 100). Papers that are late will be penalized 10 points for each day that they are turned in after the announced deadline. The grade for the paper will be divided as follows: 5% Initial Proposal (Due TBD) 5% Paper outline and sources (Due TBD) 10% Rough Draft (Due TBD) 80% Paper (Due TBD)

4) Midterm Exam: Students are expected to read all the assigned readings and study the material well in preparation for the exam, which will constitute 25% of the semester grade for this course.

5) Final Exam: Students are expected to read all the assigned readings and study the material well, in preparation for the final exam, which will constitute 25% of the semester grade for this course. The final exam will not be comprehensive; it will cover only the material covered after the Midterm Exam.

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Course Schedule

Week Topic(s) to be Learning Outcome(s) Preparation/ Assignments/ covered Addressed Readings Work Due Introduction to the Know the geography of Ikram 2010, pp. 1-21 Week 1 course ancient Egypt. Baines and Malek, pp. 12-21 Geography, Know the resources of Bloch 1953 (in preparation for Environment and ancient Egypt. weeks 3 and 4) Resources History of Understand how and Ikram 2010, pp. 23-51 Week 2 Egyptology when interest in ancient Baines and Malek, pp. 106-107 Egyptomania Egypt began. and 222-223 Understand the Bloch 1953 (in preparation for influence ancient Egypt week 3) has on modern culture and how it is manifested. Sources and Understand how the Ikram 2010, pp. 53-68 Week 3 Methodologies history of ancient Egypt Bloch 1953 was written. Understand how any history is written and how historians work. History of ancient Have a basic knowledge Shaw 2000, pp. 1-16 Map Week 4 Egypt of ancient Egyptian Ikram 2010, pp. 69-114 assignment history. Baines and Malek, pp. 30-55 due Have a basic Miner, H., “Body Ritual Among understanding of what is the Nacirema,” American meant by “cultural Anthropologist, Vol. 58, No. 3, relativism.” Blackwell Publishing, 1956, pp. 503-507 Week 5 History of ancient Continued from above. Continued from above. Egypt (continued)

Ancient Egyptian Have a basic Ikram 2010, pp. 115-163 Initial paper Week 6 Religion understanding of ancient Baines and Malek, pp. 209-21 proposal due Egyptian religion and the Lichtheim, Vol. II, pp. 81-85 (“The changes it went through. Great Hymn to Osiris”) Lichtheim, Vol. II, pp. 96-100 (“The Great Hymn to the Aten”) Lichtheim, Vol. II, pp. 124-126 (“The Judgment of the Dead: The Declaration of Innocence”) Lichtheim, Vol. I, pp. 163-169 (“The Dispute Between a Man and his Ba”) Art of Ancient Understand the Brewer and Teeter 2007, pp. Paper outline Week 7 Egypt principles of ancient 189-207 and sources Egyptian art. Baines and Malek, pp. 56-64 due Understand the function Robins 1997, pp. 12-29 of ancient Egyptian art. Week 8 SPRING BREAK (varies from NO CLASSES term to term) Week 9 Art of Ancient See and appreciate Classes to be held at the Egypt continued original ancient Egyptian Egyptian Museum works of art.

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Week Art of Ancient See and appreciate Classes to be held at the Paper rough 10 Egypt continued original ancient Egyptian Egyptian Museum draft due works of art. Writing and Have a basic Brewer and Teeter 2007, pp. Midterm Exam Week Literacy understanding of the 127-147 11 different writing systems Baines, Literacy in Ancient Egypt of ancient Egypt and Lichtheim, Vol. II, pp. 167-178 how they work. (“Be a Scribe”) Understand the importance of writing to the ancient Egyptians. Have a basic understanding of the issue of literacy in ancient Egypt. Be introduced to the different genres of ancient Egyptian texts. Society and A basic understanding of Ikram 2010, pp. 165-188 Week Government the ancient Egyptian Baines and Malek, pp. 202-3 12 government system. A Lichtheim, Vol. I, pp. 18- 23 (“The basic understanding of Autobiography of Weni”) how ancient Egyptian society functioned. Week Town Life and A basic understanding of Ikram 2010, pp. 189-217 Paper due 13 Country Life ancient Egyptian Bierbrier 1982, pp. 65-83 settlement sites and how they are organized. A basic understanding of life in ancient Egyptian towns and villages, with a special emphasis on Deir el- Medina. Daily Life A basic understanding Ikram 2010, pp. 219-273 Week of different aspects of Lichtheim, Vol. II, pp. 135-146 14 ancient Egyptian daily (“The Instruction of Any”) life. Lichtheim, Vol. III, pp. 156-159 (“The Lion in Search of Man”) Week Death in Ancient A basic understanding of Ikram 2010, pp. 275-299 15 Egypt the mortuary beliefs and Baines and Malek, pp. 138-141 Final Exam practices of the ancient and 217-221 Egyptians. Quirke 1992, pp. 141-170 Week Reflection Week A basic understanding of 16 Experimental how Experimental David A. Scott et al, “An Egyptian Archaeology Archaeology can be Cartonnage of the Graeco- Make a used to understand the Roman Period: Examination and Cartonnage Mask past. Discoveries”, Studies in Learn how to make a Conservation, Vol. 48, No. 1, cartonnage mask using International Institute for ancient Egyptian Conservation of Historic and techniques. Artistic Works, London, 2003, pp. 41-56

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