DOCSLIB.ORG

AHIS370 – Egypt in the Pre- and Early Dynastic Perdiods

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
AHIS370 – Egypt in the Pre- and Early Dynastic Perdiods AHIS370 Egypt in the Pre- and Early Dynastic Periods 3 Credit points Unit Guide Semester 2, 2011 Department of Ancient History 1 Undergraduate Unit Guide Department of Ancient History AHIS370: Egypt in the Pre- and Early Dynastic Periods Semester 2, 2011 Credit Point Value: 3 Students in this unit should read this unit guide carefully at the start of semester. It contains important information about the unit. If anything in it is unclear, please consult one of the teaching staff in the unit. TEACHING STAFF Unit Convenor Name: Dr. Yann Tristant Phone: 02-9850-8851 Email: [email protected] Office: W6A 525 Consultation hours: Thursday 4-5.30pm General enquiries Name: Mrs Raina Kim Phone: 02-9850-8833 Email: [email protected] Office: W6A 540 1 CLASSES For lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations. ABOUT THIS UNIT The cultures of Pre‐and Early Dynastic Egypt represent the foundations of Ancient Egyptian civilisation. This unit examines and discusses the social organisation, material culture, art and earliest historical evidence starting with early prehistory (c. 500,000 BCE) until the end of Dynasty 2 (c. 2750 BCE). In the unit, particular attention is paid to the processes involved in the formation of the early Egyptian state. LEARNING OUTCOMES All academic programmes at Macquarie seek to develop graduate capabilities. These are: 1. Unit-specific knowledge and skills; 2. Critical, analytical and integrative thinking; 3. Problem-solving and research capability 4. Creative and innovative ; 5. Effective communication ; 6. Engaged and ethical local and global citizens; 7. Socially and environmentally active and responsible; 8. Capable of professional and personal judgement and initiative; 9. Commitment to continuous learning. Note: The numbers listed at the end of each Learning Outcome indicate how it is aligned with the Graduate Capabilities. The learning outcomes of this unit are (link to graduate capabilities in brackets): A. Knowledge and skills specific to the discipline of Egyptology (1, 2, 3 and 4). B. The ability to think critically and analytically (2, 5, 6, 7 and 8). C. The capability of problem solving and research skills (2, 3 and 8). D. The ability to think creatively and in an innovative way (2, 4, ( and 8). E. The ability to communicate effectively (5). F. An ability to digest ambiguous and complex data, and a commitment to continuous learning (1, 2, 4, 7, 8 and 9). 2 UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS This unit comprises three key elements: a 2-hour lecture; a 1-hour tutorial; and individual study and participation. The topics outlined in this unit are best explored through active participation and experiential learning, so that participating in this unit will be an interesting, challenging and fun experience. Classes, therefore, will involve tutorial activities, which include discussion groups, debates, presentations and analyses of case studies. Core topics will be discussed in an integrated lecture environment, where you are encouraged to question and comment on aspects of each topic. A student must achieve an overall mark of 50% or above to complete the unit satisfactorily. Student Workload According to Academic Senate Guidelines, student workload should be three hours per credit point per week, including the two week semester break. This means a three credit point unit should have a student work load of 135 hours. Students vary in their study patterns but as a guide, this unit’s intended approximate workload is: Activity Duration Per semester Semester Per Week Total Lectures 2 hours13 26 1.8 Tutorials 1 hour10 10 0.6 Private study 3 hours 15 45 3 Assignments preparation 27 hours 1 27 1.8 Class test preparation 26 hours 1 27 1.8 TOTAL HOURS 135 9 Attendance Students are expected to attend all classes (lectures and tutorials). Students must attend 80% of all tutorials to complete the unit unless there are extenuating circumstances such as illness, etc. A log will be taken to record attendance. Medical certificates are required for medical absences and should be given to your convenor. 3 Assessment tasks Linked graduate Task Weight Due date Linked unit outcomes capabilities Research Essay 40% 13 Sep. 2011 1,2,3,5 1,2,3,4,5,7 Brief description: For the essay question, see below. Word limit: 3,500 words. Linked graduate Task Weight Due date Linked unit outcomes capabilities Tutorial Paper 30% From Week 3 1,3,4,6 1,2,3,4,5,7 onwards Brief description: Short paper (20 min.) on a topic from a list of topic choices. Note: A bibliography must be submitted to the convenor 1 week prior to your presentation. Linked graduate Task Weight Due date Linked unit outcomes capabilities Class Test 20% 8 Nov. 2011 1,2,3,4,5,6 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Brief description: The Class Test is a brief examination of all major concepts covered in class. Length is one hour. Linked graduate Task Weight Due date Linked unit outcomes capabilities Preparation and 10% Every week 1,2,3,4,5,6 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 Participation Brief description: Students are required to attend all classes (lectures and tutorials), prepare the set of readings and participate in class. 4 Assignment submission Bar-coded Arts Coversheet Written work must be submitted through the Arts Student Centre (via the appropriate assignment box) on Level 1, W6A (for internal students) or via COE (for external students). Internal students must print and attach a completed coversheet to all submitted work. A personalised assignment coversheet is generated from the student section of the Faculty of Arts website at: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central/coversheet. Please provide your student details and click the Get my assignment coversheet button to generate your personalised assignment cover sheet. No other coversheets will be provided by the Faculty. Return of marked work Marked work will be returned to students via tutorials or lectures. Residuals will be available for collection from the Arts Student Centre (W6A Foyer). Examination There is no formal examination in this unit. A Class Test is set for the last week of classes. Extensions and special consideration Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought in consultation with the unit convenor and with support of documentary evidence. Essays submitted after the due date without good reasons will be penalised by a deduction of 2% a day (including weekends) of the mark gained. After five days, a mark of 0% will be assigned. Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html Applying for Special Consideration Students applying for Special Consideration circumstances of three (3) consecutive days duration, within a study period, and/or prevent completion of a formal examination must submit an on-line application with the Faculty of Arts. For an application to be valid, it must include a completed Application for Special Consideration form and all supporting documentation. The on-line Special Consideration application is found at: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central/special_consider ation. 5 REQUIRED AND RECOMMENDED TEXTS AND/OR MATERIALS The following textbooks are required: Midant‐Reynes, B., The Prehistory of Egypt (Oxford, 2000; Engl. Transl. by Ian Shaw). Teeter, E. (ed.), Before the pyramids: the origins of Egyptian civilization (Chicago, 2011). Wilkinson, T.A.H., Early Dynastic Egypt (London/New York, 1999). Recommended: Adams, B., Predynastic Egypt (Aylesbury, 1988). Adams, B. and Cialowicz, K.M., Protodynastic Egypt (Buckinghamshire, 1997). Spencer, A.J., Early Egypt: the Rise of Civilization in the Nile Valley (London, 1993). For a detailed bibliography refer to the syllabus. UNIT WEBPAGE AND TECHNOLOGY USED AND REQUIRED This unit will use Blackboard and i-lectures. UNIVERSITY POLICY ON GRADING University Grading Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html The grade a student receives will signify their overall performance in meeting the learning outcomes of a unit of study. Grades will not be awarded by reference to the achievement of other students nor allocated to fit a predetermined distribution. In determining a grade, due weight will be given to the learning outcomes and level of a unit (ie 100, 200, 300, 800 etc). Graded units will use the following grades: HD High Distinction 85-100 D Distinction 75-84 Cr Credit 65-74 P Pass 50-64 F Fail 0-49 6 ACADEMIC HONESTY Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement (http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic- statement-final.html). Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that: • All academic work claimed as original is the work of the author making the claim. • All academic collaborations are acknowledged. • Academic work is not falsified in any way • When the ideas of others are used, these ideas are acknowledged appropriately. The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty policy. Academic Honesty Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES Macquarie University provides a range of Student Support Services. Details of these services can accessed at: http://www.deanofstudents.mq.edu.au/ or http://www.campuslife.mq.edu.au/campuswellbeing Arts Student Centre Phone: +61 2 9850 6783 Email: [email protected] Office: W6A/Foyer Centre staff are there to smooth the way into university life; answer questions; give informed advice; provide a sympathetic ear; de-mystify uni ways and procedures.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Egyptian Predynastic and State Formation
    J Archaeol Res DOI 10.1007/s10814-016-9094-7 The Egyptian Predynastic and State Formation Alice Stevenson1 Ó The Author(s) 2016. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract When the archaeology of Predynastic Egypt was last appraised in this journal, Savage (2001a, p. 101) expressed optimism that ‘‘a consensus appears to be developing that stresses the gradual development of complex society in Egypt.’’ The picture today is less clear, with new data and alternative theoretical frameworks challenging received wisdom over the pace, direction, and nature of complex social change. Rather than an inexorable march to the beat of the neo-evolutionary drum, primary state formation in Egypt can be seen as a more syncopated phenomenon, characterized by periods of political experimentation and shifting social boundaries. Notably, field projects in Sudan and the Egyptian Delta together with new dating techniques have set older narratives of development into broader frames of refer- ence. In contrast to syntheses that have sought to measure abstract thresholds of complexity, this review of the period between c. 4500 BC and c. 3000 BC tran- scends analytical categories by adopting a practice-based examination of multiple dimensions of social inequality and by considering how the early state may have become a lived reality in Egypt around the end of the fourth millennium BC. Keywords State formation Á Social complexity Á Neo-evolutionary theory Á Practice theory Á Kingship Á Predynastic Egypt Introduction Forty years ago, the sociologist Abrams (1988, p. 63) famously spoke of the difficulty of studying that most ‘‘spurious of sociological objects’’—the modern state.
    [Show full text]
  • The Pennsylvania State University Schreyer Honors College
    THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY SCHREYER HONORS COLLEGE DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY PERCEPTIONS OF ANCIENT EGYPT THROUGH HISTORY, ACQUISITION, USE, DISPLAY, IMAGERY, AND SCIENCE OF MUMMIES ANNA SHAMORY SPRING 2020 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for baccalaureate degrees in Archaeological Science and Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies with honors in Archaeological Science Reviewed and approved* by the following: Claire Milner Associate Research Professor of Anthropology Thesis Supervisor Douglas Bird Associate Professor of Anthropology Honors Adviser * Electronic approvals are on file in the Schreyer Honors College. i ABSTRACT To the general public, ancient Egypt is the land of pharaohs, pyramids, and most importantly – mummies. In ancient times, mummies were created for a religious purpose. The ancient Egyptians believed that their bodies needed to be preserved after physical death, so they could continue into the afterlife. In the centuries after ancient Egypt fell to Roman control, knowledge about ancient Egyptian religion, language, and culture dwindled. When Egypt and its mummies were rediscovered during the Middle Ages, Europeans had little understanding of this ancient culture beyond Classical and Biblical sources. Their lack of understanding led to the use of mummies for purposes beyond their original religious context. After Champollion deciphered hieroglyphics in the 19th century, the world slowly began to learn about Egypt through ancient Egyptian writings in tombs, monuments, and artifacts. Fascination with mummies has led them to be one of the main sources through which people conceptualize ancient Egypt. Through popular media, the public has come to have certain inferences about ancient Egypt that differ from their original meaning in Pharaonic times.
    [Show full text]
  • In Early Egypt: Towards a Prehistoric Perspective on the Narmer Palette
    Cambridge Archaeological Journal http://journals.cambridge.org/CAJ Additional services for Cambridge Archaeological Journal: Email alerts: Click here Subscriptions: Click here Commercial reprints: Click here Terms of use : Click here Rethinking ‘Cattle Cults’ in Early Egypt: Towards a Prehistoric Perspective on the Narmer Palette David Wengrow Cambridge Archaeological Journal / Volume 11 / Issue 01 / April 2001, pp 91 ­ 104 DOI: 10.1017/S0959774301000051, Published online: 05 September 2001 Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0959774301000051 How to cite this article: David Wengrow (2001). Rethinking ‘Cattle Cults’ in Early Egypt: Towards a Prehistoric Perspective on the Narmer Palette. Cambridge Archaeological Journal, 11, pp 91­104 doi:10.1017/S0959774301000051 Request Permissions : Click here Downloaded from http://journals.cambridge.org/CAJ, IP address: 144.82.107.37 on 30 Jan 2013 Cambridge Archaeological Journal 11:1 (2001), 91–104 Rethinking ‘Cattle Cults’ in Early Egypt: Towards a Prehistoric Perspective on the Narmer Palette David Wengrow The Narmer Palette occupies a key position in our understanding of the transition from Predynastic to Dynastic culture in Egypt. Previous interpretations have focused largely upon correspondences between its decorative content and later conventions of élite dis- play. Here, the decoration of the palette is instead related to its form and functional attributes and their derivation from the Neolithic cultures of the Nile Valley, which are contrasted with those of southwest Asia and Europe. It is argued that the widespread adoption of a pastoral lifestyle during the fifth millennium BC was associated with new modes of bodily display and ritual, into which cattle and other animals were incorporated.
    [Show full text]
  • Egyptian and Greek Water Cultures and Hydro-Technologies in Ancient Times
    sustainability Review Egyptian and Greek Water Cultures and Hydro-Technologies in Ancient Times Abdelkader T. Ahmed 1,2,* , Fatma El Gohary 3, Vasileios A. Tzanakakis 4 and Andreas N. Angelakis 5,6 1 Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Aswan University, Aswan 81542, Egypt 2 Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic University, Madinah 42351, Saudi Arabia 3 Water Pollution Research Department, National Research Centre, Cairo 12622, Egypt; [email protected] 4 Department of Agriculture, School of Agricultural Science, Hellenic Mediterranean University, Iraklion, 71410 Crete, Greece; [email protected] 5 HAO-Demeter, Agricultural Research Institution of Crete, 71300 Iraklion, Greece; [email protected] 6 Union of Water Supply and Sewerage Enterprises, 41222 Larissa, Greece * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 2 October 2020; Accepted: 19 November 2020; Published: 23 November 2020 Abstract: Egyptian and Greek ancient civilizations prevailed in eastern Mediterranean since prehistoric times. The Egyptian civilization is thought to have been begun in about 3150 BC until 31 BC. For the ancient Greek civilization, it started in the period of Minoan (ca. 3200 BC) up to the ending of the Hellenistic era. There are various parallels and dissimilarities between both civilizations. They co-existed during a certain timeframe (from ca. 2000 to ca. 146 BC); however, they were in two different geographic areas. Both civilizations were massive traders, subsequently, they deeply influenced the regional civilizations which have developed in that region. Various scientific and technological principles were established by both civilizations through their long histories. Water management was one of these major technologies. Accordingly, they have significantly influenced the ancient world’s hydro-technologies.
    [Show full text]
  • Early Hydraulic Civilization in Egypt Oi.Uchicago.Edu
    oi.uchicago.edu Early Hydraulic Civilization in Egypt oi.uchicago.edu PREHISTORIC ARCHEOLOGY AND ECOLOGY A Series Edited by Karl W. Butzer and Leslie G. Freeman oi.uchicago.edu Karl W.Butzer Early Hydraulic Civilization in Egypt A Study in Cultural Ecology Internet publication of this work was made possible with the generous support of Misty and Lewis Gruber The University of Chicago Press Chicago and London oi.uchicago.edu Karl Butzer is professor of anthropology and geography at the University of Chicago. He is a member of Chicago's Committee on African Studies and Committee on Evolutionary Biology. He also is editor of the Prehistoric Archeology and Ecology series and the author of numerous publications, including Environment and Archeology, Quaternary Stratigraphy and Climate in the Near East, Desert and River in Nubia, and Geomorphology from the Earth. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London ® 1976 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 1976 Printed in the United States of America 80 79 78 77 76 987654321 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Butzer, Karl W. Early hydraulic civilization in Egypt. (Prehistoric archeology and ecology) Bibliography: p. 1. Egypt--Civilization--To 332 B. C. 2. Human ecology--Egypt. 3. Irrigation=-Egypt--History. I. Title. II. Series. DT61.B97 333.9'13'0932 75-36398 ISBN 0-226-08634-8 ISBN 0-226-08635-6 pbk. iv oi.uchicago.edu For INA oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu CONTENTS List of Illustrations Viii List of Tables ix Foreword xi Preface xiii 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Wyatt Proof.Qxd
    Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections Review Inscribed in Clay: Provenance Study of the Amarna Letters and Other Ancient Near Eastern Texts Yuval Goren, Israel Finkelstein, and Nadav Na’aman Emery and Claire Yass Publications in Archaeology Institute of Archaeology, Tel Aviv University (2004) Reviewed by Mary F. Ownby Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge A!&'% "' This review discusses the important results of the petrographic analysis of the Amarna tablets presented by Yuval Goren, Israel Finkelstein, and Nadav Na’aman. Particular attention is given to summarizing some of their key findings, which highlight the poten - tial for scientific analysis of clay objects to provide relevant and otherwise unattainable information on the specifics of human history. This book is a key resource for any individual studying the political relationships between Egypt and the Near East, the historical events of the Late Bronze Age, or the geopolitical layout of the empires and city-states in this region, and offers a promising new approach to ceramic petrography in general. ith Inscribed in Clay: Provenance Study of the petrographically determined provenance can assist in contextual - Amarna Letters and other Ancient Near Eastern izing the written information. As Inscribed in Clay demonstrates, WTexts , Y. Goren, I. Finkelstein, and N. Na’aman pres - both types of analysis shed significant light on the geopolitical sit - ent a compelling new combination of archaeological science, his - uation of the time. tory, and textual analysis. At the core of their work is an innova - e 384 pages of the book are divided into sixteen chapters, tive application of ceramic petrography and chemical analysis to an appendix, a supplement, references, and an index.
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    International Journal of Current Advanced Research ISSN: O: 2319-6475, ISSN: P: 2319-6505, Impact Factor: 6.614 Available Online at www.journalijcar.org Volume 8; Issue 02(D); February 2019; Page No. 17349-17356 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijcar.2019.17356.3288 Research Article IMPORTANCE OF DATE PALM CULTIVATION IN INDIA Hiralal Jana and Debabrata Basu Department of Agricultural Extension, Faculty of Agriculture, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, Mohanpur Burdwan, West Bengal, India ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Dates are the fruit of a desert palm tree. It is one of the few crops that grow in the desert. Received 4th November, 2018 Date palms have been described as the “tree of life." The trees grow very large; produce Received in revised form 25th fruit for a long time; and can survive long droughts and extremely high temperatures. December, 2018 According to an old Egyptian saying "A date palm is the only creation of God that Accepted 18th January, 2018 resembles man. Unlike other trees, a date palm gives more as it grows older." Education is Published online 28th February, 2019 the most important tool to bring changes in human behavior and thus to implement the recommended agronomic practices of crops that are important for the improvement of production and productivity. The agronomic practices of date palm production such as Key words: propagation and irrigation methods and plant spacing employed by farmers are traditional Date Palm, Neglected plant, Promising and inappropriate for the production of date palm which is inherited from generation. The Cultivars, Propagation, protection, production, farmers use local varieties that are low yielders as well as low in quality.
    [Show full text]
  • Dancing and the Beginning of Art Scenes in the Early Village Communities of the Near East and Southeast Europe
    Cambridge Archaeological Journal 8:2 (1998), pp. 207-37 Dancing and the Beginning of Art Scenes in the Early Village Communities of the Near East and Southeast Europe Yosef Garfinkel Dancing is depicted in the earliest art of the ancient Near East. It appears in many variations from the ninth to the sixth millennium BP over a vast geographical range. This article discusses the dancing performance, the social context of the dance and cognitive aspects of the dancing scenes. Ethnographic observations are used in order to gain a wider view of dancing and dancing scenes in pre-state societies. A correlation can be observed between art, symbolism, religion and social organization. Ethnographic observations on the ritual and reli- visual, kinesthetic, and aesthetic aspects of human gious activities of pre-state societies emphasize the movement with (usually) the aural dimension of importance of speech, singing and dancing. Bloch musical sounds and sometimes poetry. Dance is created out of culturally understood symbols within Wrote of this situation: 'I very much doubt that an social and religious contexts, and it conveys infor- event observed by an anthropologist which did not mation and meaning as ritual, ceremony, and en- contain these three elements would ever be described tertainment. For dance to communicate, its audience by him as a ritual. In other words these phenomena must understand the cultural conventions that deal have been implicitly taken as the distinguishing with human movement in time and space. (Kaeppler marks of ritual' (Bloch 1989, 21). In the case of pre- 1992,196) historic pre-state societies, speech and singing are lost for ever, but some evidence of dancing has sur- Dancing is an activity which is not limited to hu- vived through art objects.
    [Show full text]
  • MOST ANCIENT EGYPT Oi.Uchicago.Edu Oi.Uchicago.Edu
    oi.uchicago.edu MOST ANCIENT EGYPT oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu Internet publication of this work was made possible with the generous support of Misty and Lewis Gruber MOST ANCIE NT EGYPT William C. Hayes EDITED BY KEITH C. SEELE THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO & LONDON oi.uchicago.edu Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 65-17294 THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO & LONDON The University of Toronto Press, Toronto 5, Canada © 1964, 1965 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published 1965. Printed in the United States of America oi.uchicago.edu WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HAYES 1903-1963 oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu INTRODUCTION WILLIAM CHRISTOPHER HAYES was on the day of his premature death on July 10, 1963 the unrivaled chief of American Egyptologists. Though only sixty years of age, he had published eight books and two book-length articles, four chapters of the new revised edition of the Cambridge Ancient History, thirty-six other articles, and numerous book reviews. He had also served for nine years in Egypt on expeditions of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the institution to which he devoted his entire career, and more than four years in the United States Navy in World War II, during which he was wounded in action-both periods when scientific writing fell into the background of his activity. He was presented by the President of the United States with the bronze star medal and cited "for meritorious achievement as Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. VIGILANCE ... in the efficient and expeditious sweeping of several hostile mine fields.., and contributing materially to the successful clearing of approaches to Okinawa for our in- vasion forces." Hayes' original intention was to work in the field of medieval arche- ology.
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook for Deir El-Ballas Pottery Training Manual 2018
    HANDBOOK FOR DEIR EL-BALLAS POTTERY TRAINING MANUAL 2018 Translated by Ashraf Senussi I. An Introduction to Egyptian Pottery Pottery appeared early in the Nile Valley at around 8000 years ago in the Khartoum Mesolithic. The pottery of the Predynastic Period in Upper Egypt is closely related to the ceramics of the Neolithic Sudan while in the north at early sites in the Fayuum and at Merimde it follows the traditions of the Levantine Neolithic cultures. Imported Palestinian wavy-handled jars gave W. M. F. Petrie the inspiration to develop seriation, the analysis of the stylistic development of pottery, which has become a principal tool of archaeologists ever since. The earliest pottery in the Nile Valley was made from the mud of the river and is called Nile silt ware. It will fire a reddish color when heated due to iron compounds in the clay combining with oxygen. However, in areas where the surface was covered, the iron would reduce and become black. At first this was a random phenomenon, but potters soon were able to adjust the placement of the pots in the kiln to create all black, all red or blacktopped red pottery that was to become a standard class of vessels in the early Predynastic Period. All black and all red vessels could also be produced and during the Naqada II Period some of the red fired vessels were decorated with a white pigment in patterns that included naturalistic motifs and even scenes of ritual activity that show regional variation. These kilns could only reach a temperature of about 500-800°C but the development of kilns made of specially made bricks in the later Predynastic could reach temperatures of 850-1000°C and allowed them to fire a harder, denser clay made from the whitish marl of the desert.
    [Show full text]
  • Telling Times: Time and Ritual in the Realization of the Early Egyptian State
    Telling Times: Time and Ritual in the Realization of the Early Egyptian State Alice Stevenson Abstract The increasing use of Bayesian-modeled absolute chronologies has met with calls for more sophisticated accounts of not just our perception of archaeological time, but also of past temporal experience. Using a case study of fourth-millennium BC Egypt this article seeks to address this. It is a period that has long been perceived through a detailed relative framework, a legacy of Flinders Petrie’s development of seriation. Yet this legacy imparted more than a framework, for its origins within nineteenth- century cultural evolutionism veiled an explanatory apparatus that encourages linear and gradualist narratives of Predynastic development. By setting a new series of absolute dates within a historically-informed critique of relative dating it is possible to question previous assumptions concerning tempos of change. This does not obviate relative typologies, however. Rather it encourages us to ask new questions as to what they might represent. It is argued that in evaluating new absolute measurements of time with reference to ritual activity that distinctive temporalities in the transformation of society can be discerned, ones in which world’s first territorial state became a social reality for past communities. Introduction When the glass floor of human antiquity was finally broken in a deep gravel pit in St Acheul, France, in April 1859 (Gamble & Kruszynski 2009), what was exposed was a controversial abyss of possible time (Murray 1993, 175). While Victorian society gave this temporal expanse a point of reference—providing it with a perceived direction and an assumed regular rate of progression—its details remained largely obscure and unintelligible.
    [Show full text]
  • Before the Pyramids Oi.Uchicago.Edu
    oi.uchicago.edu Before the pyramids oi.uchicago.edu before the pyramids baked clay, squat, round-bottomed, ledge rim jar. 12.3 x 14.9 cm. Naqada iiC. oim e26239 (photo by anna ressman) 2 oi.uchicago.edu Before the pyramids the origins of egyptian civilization edited by emily teeter oriental institute museum puBlications 33 the oriental institute of the university of chicago oi.uchicago.edu Library of Congress Control Number: 2011922920 ISBN-10: 1-885923-82-1 ISBN-13: 978-1-885923-82-0 © 2011 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. Published 2011. Printed in the United States of America. The Oriental Institute, Chicago This volume has been published in conjunction with the exhibition Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization March 28–December 31, 2011 Oriental Institute Museum Publications 33 Series Editors Leslie Schramer and Thomas G. Urban Rebecca Cain and Michael Lavoie assisted in the production of this volume. Published by The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago 1155 East 58th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 USA oi.uchicago.edu For Tom and Linda Illustration Credits Front cover illustration: Painted vessel (Catalog No. 2). Cover design by Brian Zimerle Catalog Nos. 1–79, 82–129: Photos by Anna Ressman Catalog Nos. 80–81: Courtesy of the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford Printed by M&G Graphics, Chicago, Illinois. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Service — Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984 ∞ oi.uchicago.edu book title TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword. Gil J.
    [Show full text]