Aegean - Egyptian relations c 1900 -1400 BC Volume 1 Marsia Bealby University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. i Respice, adspice, prospice ii AEGEAN – EGYPTIAN RELATIONS (c 1900-1400 BC) by MARIA ASPASIA BEALBY * * * A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF FILOSOPHY Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham May 2014 iii ABSTRACT This thesis explores the mechanisms of relations between the Aegean (focusing on Crete and Aegean islands such as Thera) and Egypt (including the Hyksos) from 1900 to 1400 BC. A fundamental tool has been the creation of a searchable database of the portable finds (at the moment, a unique resource) classified as Aegean, Egyptian, Aegeanising, Egyptianising, etc. In addition, the Avaris frescoes and the Aegean processional scenes in Thebes were examined in detail. Two approaches were applied to this evidence of Aegean-Egyptian interactions: World Systems Theory, applied here consistently and in depth (as opposed to earlier, broader discussions of Eastern Mediterranean interactions) and, for the first time in this field, Game Theory. The principles of this approach have been tested and found valid for this data. In contrast to World Systems Theory, Game Theory highlights the role of individuals in Aegean-Egyptian interactions, and not solely the roles of states. It has also enabled the exploration of the causes behind historical events and the mutual benefits of contact, as well as emphasising the factors that promoted mutual stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. As a result it has been possible to show that the Aegeans were key players in Eastern Mediterranean relations. iv To Martin who is always beside me along my path v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is a pleasure to thank all those who made this thesis possible. There are many people who helped me during this long and intense endeavour, and I do not only refer to the process of writing the doctoral thesis, but also the sixteen years of academic studies that took me to get here. First I would like to thank my supervisor, Ken Wardle, for his continuous support during the Ph.D. I also thank my family, who supported me through my studies. Thank you all for giving me wings to fulfil my dream. To Louise Hitchcock (University of Melbourne) I am indebted for providing me with a role model. Louise has frequently shared with me her knowledge and enthusiasm and words are not enough to express how much she has encouraged me in my research. Louise has a unique ability to make me feel better and smile, even though she lives thousands of miles away from me. From 1999 to 2004, I was blessed to be an undergraduate student at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece. Among the university staff, I would like to thank Costis Davaras, Eleni Mantzourani and Lilian Karali; last, but not least, Eirini Peppa-Papaioannou, who offered me the chance to study Naucratis for my undergraduate dissertation, and introduced me to 'all things Aegean-Egyptian'. vi Since 2004, when I first started my postgraduate studies in Birmingham, the University of Birmingham, the staff of Birmingham Archaeology and the old 'Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity' (now Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology) have provided me with support, equipment and knowledge. Special thanks go to Roger White and Simon Buteux, who encouraged my Egyptological interest by letting me work with Egyptian material during my Practical Archaeology Masters Degree, and, in particular, during my Masters dissertation which was about tomb KV5 in the Valley of the Kings. With regard to the understanding of how international relations work, I recently received knowledge and inspiration from part of the MOOC course 'Cooperation in the contemporary world', run by the University of Birmingham. I would also like to thank Martin Bommas, for his assistance and advice, and for teaching me Middle Egyptian Hieroglyphics. Words fail to express my indebtedness to the following people, who have all provided assistance and advice in the past: Eric Cline, Malcolm Wiener, Manfred Bietak, Rita Lucarelli, John Younger, Pietro Militello, Mimika Kriga, Shelley Wachsmann, Vassilis Chrysikopoulos; Tsao Cevoli, Robert (Bob) Arnott, Tom Hobbs, Georgia (Zeta) Xekalaki, Ian Shaw, Helen Goodchild, Gemma Marakas, Juliette Harrisson, Maria Nilson and John Ward, Irene Forstner-Müller, Lyn Green, Katerina Aslanidou, David Newsome, Maria Shaw, Nicki Adderley; Nicole Hansen; Katerina Koltsida-Vlachou, Nigel Hetherington, Sandy MacGillivray, Joseph Emmett Clayton, Tiziano Fantuzzi, Mark Lauria, Sarah Shepherd, Stephen Cross, Paula Veiga, Maarten Horn, Lara Weiss, Neri Sami, Suzanne Bojtos, Cheryl Hart, Anna Kathrin Hodgkinson, Birgit Schiller, vii Dylan Bickerstaffe, Marzenia Kowalska, Steve Harvey, Virpi Perunka, Muhammad Abuzaid, Marina Ugarković, Valia Papanastasopoulou-Kasri, Mary Crowther, Judith Weingarten, Rasha El-Mofatch (who kindly translated the extended abstract of this thesis in Arabic), Ruth Humphreys, David Rohl, Robert Porter, Daniel Kolos, Ilia Annosov, Mostafa Wazery, Ellie Simmance, Ken Griffin, Meg Gundlach, Susanne Woodhouse, Bob Partridge, Brian Carter Broadus, Steven Gregory, Rosalind Park, Dan Boatright, Beth Ann Judas, Ian Gonzalez, Lyla Pinch Brock, Marco Perale, Henning Franzmeier, Felix Höflmayer, Diamantis Panagiotopoulos, Nadine Moeller, Constance von Rüden, Jenny Palmer, Millie Millward and Carl Graves and generally all the research postgraduates of the Institute of Archaeology and Antiquity, now CAHA (2007-2014). If I have forgotten anyone please forgive me. Lucia Gahlin and Robert Morkot have advised me during the course of the distance- learning Certificate in Egyptology (University of Exeter) from 2006 to 2008. In the last five years of my studies, I have also received guidance from the members of two forums: AEGEANET and EEF. I would like to express my gratitude to Egypt Exploration Society, the Petrie Museum, the British Museum (Department of Greece and Rome and Department of Egypt and the Sudan), the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities, the Theban Mapping Project, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, the Herakleion Museum, the Chania Museum, the Hagios Nikolaos Museum, the Greek Ministry of Culture, the British School at Athens and Villa Amalia at Knossos, who let me access their archaeological viii material and libraries. The following societies and organisations deserve a big 'thank you' for offering me the chance to present my research in public: IAA Forum and Rosetta IAA (University of Birmingham), Worcester Anglo-Hellenic Club, Three Counties Ancient History Society, Trent Valley Egyptology Society, Leicester Ancient Egypt Society, Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt, the Greek Club in Birmingham, the British Museum and Birkbeck University of London, and www.arxaiologia.gr. Erasmus Darwin House in Lichfield, the Petrie Museum in London, as well as the South Asasif Conservation Project, and the University of the People (UoPeople) deserve my acknowledgements for offering me the opportunity to work with some truly wonderful people. This study would not be possible without the regular 'laughter-therapy', support and advice that I received from Spyros Skouvaras and Tony Ryder. Martin, who has stood by me day by day since 2004, has offered his abiding patience and support. Lastly, I would like to thank my furry and feathery friends: Giraffiti, Queen, Lemoni and Fraoula, which are my pets and 'little spirits of positiveness'. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS OF VOLUME ONE Table of Contents Preliminaries..........................................................................Latin numbering i to lxvi INTRODUCTION........................................................................................................1 I. Preface.......................................................................................................................2 II. How this thesis works.............................................................................................4 III. Synopsis.................................................................................................................5 IV. Some clarifications on terminology........................................................................7 V. Objective.................................................................................................................15 VI. Limitations............................................................................................................15 VII. Methodology and research questions..................................................................18 Who 'pulled the strings' in Aegean - Egyptian relations? The palaces and institutions? Or extra-institutional individuals?..............................................................................19 Between c 1900-1400 BC, were Aegean - Egyptian relations direct or indirect?......19 In a world system