Richard H. Wilkinson (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199740116
- eISBN:
- 9780199933174
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199740116.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Archaeology: Classical, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
One of only a few women who ruled ancient Egypt as a king during its thousands of years of history, Tausret was the last pharaoh of the 19th dynasty (c.1200 bce), the last ruling descendent of ...
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One of only a few women who ruled ancient Egypt as a king during its thousands of years of history, Tausret was the last pharaoh of the 19th dynasty (c.1200 bce), the last ruling descendent of Ramesses the Great, and one of only two female monarchs buried in Egypt's renowned Valley of the Kings. Though mentioned even in Homer as the pharaoh of Egypt who interacted with Helen at the time of the Trojan War, she has long remained a figure shrouded in mystery, hardly known even by many Egyptologists. Nevertheless, recent archaeological discoveries have illuminated Tausret's importance, her accomplishments, and the extent of her influence. This book combines distinguished scholars whose research and excavations have increased our understanding of the life and reign of this great woman. This book utilizes recent discoveries to correctly position Tausret alongside famous ruling queens such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, figures who have long dominated our view of the female monarchs of ancient Egypt. The book brings together archaeological, historical, women's studies, and other approaches to provide a text that will be an important contribution to the literature of Egyptology.Less
One of only a few women who ruled ancient Egypt as a king during its thousands of years of history, Tausret was the last pharaoh of the 19th dynasty (c.1200 bce), the last ruling descendent of Ramesses the Great, and one of only two female monarchs buried in Egypt's renowned Valley of the Kings. Though mentioned even in Homer as the pharaoh of Egypt who interacted with Helen at the time of the Trojan War, she has long remained a figure shrouded in mystery, hardly known even by many Egyptologists. Nevertheless, recent archaeological discoveries have illuminated Tausret's importance, her accomplishments, and the extent of her influence. This book combines distinguished scholars whose research and excavations have increased our understanding of the life and reign of this great woman. This book utilizes recent discoveries to correctly position Tausret alongside famous ruling queens such as Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, figures who have long dominated our view of the female monarchs of ancient Egypt. The book brings together archaeological, historical, women's studies, and other approaches to provide a text that will be an important contribution to the literature of Egyptology.
Roland Enmarch and Verena M. Lepper (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265420
- eISBN:
- 9780191760471
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265420.001.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ...
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This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ancient literary corpus, and a more detailed analysis of context, form, and reception, have fundamentally challenged the interpretative paradigms that formerly held sway. No consensus on interpretative stance has yet emerged, and in this volume many of the foremost researchers in the field examine the overall state of work on the subject. The chapters in the present volume are intended to contribute to this development of different approaches in their application to real Egyptian texts. No single overarching theoretical framework underlies these contributions; instead they represent a multiplicity of perspectives. The range of chapters includes textual criticism; literary criticism; the social role of literature; reception theory; and the treatment of newly discovered literary texts. All contributions centre on the problems and potentials of studying Egyptian literature in a theoretically informed manner. Although major difficulties remain in interpreting a literature preserved only fragmentarily, this volume demonstrates the ongoing vitality of current Egyptological approaches to this problem. This volume also incorporates a broader cross-cultural and comparative element, providing overviews of connections and discontinuities with biblical, Classical, and Mesopotamian literatures, in order to address the comparative contexts of Ancient Egyptian literature.Less
This book reviews the numerous developments in the theoretical framework of interpretation that have taken place over recent years. The application of more theoretically informed approaches to the ancient literary corpus, and a more detailed analysis of context, form, and reception, have fundamentally challenged the interpretative paradigms that formerly held sway. No consensus on interpretative stance has yet emerged, and in this volume many of the foremost researchers in the field examine the overall state of work on the subject. The chapters in the present volume are intended to contribute to this development of different approaches in their application to real Egyptian texts. No single overarching theoretical framework underlies these contributions; instead they represent a multiplicity of perspectives. The range of chapters includes textual criticism; literary criticism; the social role of literature; reception theory; and the treatment of newly discovered literary texts. All contributions centre on the problems and potentials of studying Egyptian literature in a theoretically informed manner. Although major difficulties remain in interpreting a literature preserved only fragmentarily, this volume demonstrates the ongoing vitality of current Egyptological approaches to this problem. This volume also incorporates a broader cross-cultural and comparative element, providing overviews of connections and discontinuities with biblical, Classical, and Mesopotamian literatures, in order to address the comparative contexts of Ancient Egyptian literature.
Verena M. Lepper and Roland Enmarch
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265420
- eISBN:
- 9780191760471
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265420.003.0001
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
This introductory chapter discusses briefly the history of the study of Egyptian literature, highlighting how broader developments in the theory of literature have come to be applied within ...
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This introductory chapter discusses briefly the history of the study of Egyptian literature, highlighting how broader developments in the theory of literature have come to be applied within Egyptology, and outlining the significant interpretative issues that still remain. This is particularly acute when studying a civilisation such as Ancient Egypt, with an only fragmentarily preserved literate culture, and no continuous tradition of reception to condition modern engagement with the ancient texts. The chapter reviews the approaches taken by contributors to the volume, and evaluates how they relate to recent developments in the application of theoretically informed approaches to Egyptian texts. The range of topics covered demonstrates the vitality and diversity of current Egyptological engagement with Ancient Egyptian texts.Less
This introductory chapter discusses briefly the history of the study of Egyptian literature, highlighting how broader developments in the theory of literature have come to be applied within Egyptology, and outlining the significant interpretative issues that still remain. This is particularly acute when studying a civilisation such as Ancient Egypt, with an only fragmentarily preserved literate culture, and no continuous tradition of reception to condition modern engagement with the ancient texts. The chapter reviews the approaches taken by contributors to the volume, and evaluates how they relate to recent developments in the application of theoretically informed approaches to Egyptian texts. The range of topics covered demonstrates the vitality and diversity of current Egyptological engagement with Ancient Egyptian texts.
David Gange
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265413
- eISBN:
- 9780191760464
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265413.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
The first Aswan Dam was the most controversial civil enterprise of the early British Mandate in Egypt. It was also one of the most ideologically loaded projects of a British-dominated government, ...
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The first Aswan Dam was the most controversial civil enterprise of the early British Mandate in Egypt. It was also one of the most ideologically loaded projects of a British-dominated government, which wished to be seen as both modernizing force and guardian of Egypt's heritage. In this conflicted situation, lobbies for and against the construction of the dam do not follow predictable patterns. Engineers, seeing themselves as modern parallels to the biblical Joseph, often expressed greater discomfort with the drowning of monuments than did those, including Egyptologists, whose professional concerns were with Egypt's ancient past. Initially centred around biblical imagery and the iconic temple of Philae, the debate was transformed by the emergence of concern for Egyptian prehistory and consequent attraction of new anthropological interests.Less
The first Aswan Dam was the most controversial civil enterprise of the early British Mandate in Egypt. It was also one of the most ideologically loaded projects of a British-dominated government, which wished to be seen as both modernizing force and guardian of Egypt's heritage. In this conflicted situation, lobbies for and against the construction of the dam do not follow predictable patterns. Engineers, seeing themselves as modern parallels to the biblical Joseph, often expressed greater discomfort with the drowning of monuments than did those, including Egyptologists, whose professional concerns were with Egypt's ancient past. Initially centred around biblical imagery and the iconic temple of Philae, the debate was transformed by the emergence of concern for Egyptian prehistory and consequent attraction of new anthropological interests.
Donald Malcolm Reid
- Published in print:
- 2013
- Published Online:
- January 2014
- ISBN:
- 9780197265413
- eISBN:
- 9780191760464
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265413.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
During the height of Western imperialism in Egypt from 1882 to 1922, the British ran the country and the French directed the Antiquities Service. Two contemporary artistic allegories expressed ...
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During the height of Western imperialism in Egypt from 1882 to 1922, the British ran the country and the French directed the Antiquities Service. Two contemporary artistic allegories expressed Western appropriation of the pharaonic heritage: the façade of Cairo's Egyptian Museum (1902) and Edwin Blashfield's painting Evolution of civilization in the dome of the Library of Congress (1896). The façade presents modern Egyptology as an exclusively European achievement, and Evolution presents ‘Western civilization’ as beginning in ancient Egypt and climaxing in contemporary America. The illustrated cover of an Arabic school magazine (1899) counters with an Egyptian nationalist claim to the pharaonic heritage. A woman shows children the sphinx and pyramids to inspire modern revival, and Khedive Abbas II and Egyptian educators, not European scholars, frame the scene. The careers of three Egyptologists — Gaston Maspero, E. A. W. Budge, and Ahmad Kamal Pasha — are explored to provide context for the allegories.Less
During the height of Western imperialism in Egypt from 1882 to 1922, the British ran the country and the French directed the Antiquities Service. Two contemporary artistic allegories expressed Western appropriation of the pharaonic heritage: the façade of Cairo's Egyptian Museum (1902) and Edwin Blashfield's painting Evolution of civilization in the dome of the Library of Congress (1896). The façade presents modern Egyptology as an exclusively European achievement, and Evolution presents ‘Western civilization’ as beginning in ancient Egypt and climaxing in contemporary America. The illustrated cover of an Arabic school magazine (1899) counters with an Egyptian nationalist claim to the pharaonic heritage. A woman shows children the sphinx and pyramids to inspire modern revival, and Khedive Abbas II and Egyptian educators, not European scholars, frame the scene. The careers of three Egyptologists — Gaston Maspero, E. A. W. Budge, and Ahmad Kamal Pasha — are explored to provide context for the allegories.
Mary Orr
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199258581
- eISBN:
- 9780191718083
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258581.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This book studies in English of Flaubert's least well‐known masterpiece, the final version of his Tentation de saint Antoine (1874). Thanks to Foucault, the work has the reputation of being an arcane ...
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This book studies in English of Flaubert's least well‐known masterpiece, the final version of his Tentation de saint Antoine (1874). Thanks to Foucault, the work has the reputation of being an arcane and erudite ‘fantastic library’ or, thanks to genetic criticism, of being a ‘narrative’ of Flaubert's personal aesthetic (l'oeuvre de toute [s]a vie’). By presuming instead no necessary knowledge to read the text, its versions or its intertexts, this book sets out to offer new readings of the seven tableaux which comprise it, and new ways of interpreting the work as a whole. By arguing that Flaubert was imagining his own epoch through the eyes of a visionary saint in the 4th‐century AD, the dialogues between religion and science that are the dynamic of the work (and the two parts of this study) are elucidated for the first time. Moreover, by also arguing for the meticulous accuracy and imaginative representations of the science of the work, this book proposes in the ‘remapping’ analogy of its title that Flaubert's Tentation is a paradigm of 19th‐century French, and indeed European, ‘literary science’. For 19th‐century French and Flaubert specialists, as well as for curious new readers of the Tentation, this book thus challenges received critical wisdom on a number of fronts. It is through his unlikely protagonist‐visionary, Antoine, that Flaubert's ‘realism’, ‘anti‐clericalism’, and ‘orientalism’ can be given new airings. Through the religious and scientific dialogues of Flaubert's 1874 text this book argues that his ‘temptation’ was to write a vita of his times.Less
This book studies in English of Flaubert's least well‐known masterpiece, the final version of his Tentation de saint Antoine (1874). Thanks to Foucault, the work has the reputation of being an arcane and erudite ‘fantastic library’ or, thanks to genetic criticism, of being a ‘narrative’ of Flaubert's personal aesthetic (l'oeuvre de toute [s]a vie’). By presuming instead no necessary knowledge to read the text, its versions or its intertexts, this book sets out to offer new readings of the seven tableaux which comprise it, and new ways of interpreting the work as a whole. By arguing that Flaubert was imagining his own epoch through the eyes of a visionary saint in the 4th‐century AD, the dialogues between religion and science that are the dynamic of the work (and the two parts of this study) are elucidated for the first time. Moreover, by also arguing for the meticulous accuracy and imaginative representations of the science of the work, this book proposes in the ‘remapping’ analogy of its title that Flaubert's Tentation is a paradigm of 19th‐century French, and indeed European, ‘literary science’. For 19th‐century French and Flaubert specialists, as well as for curious new readers of the Tentation, this book thus challenges received critical wisdom on a number of fronts. It is through his unlikely protagonist‐visionary, Antoine, that Flaubert's ‘realism’, ‘anti‐clericalism’, and ‘orientalism’ can be given new airings. Through the religious and scientific dialogues of Flaubert's 1874 text this book argues that his ‘temptation’ was to write a vita of his times.
Donald Malcolm Reid
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9789774166891
- eISBN:
- 9781617976759
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774166891.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
The sensational discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamun's tomb, close on the heels of Britain's declaration of Egyptian independence, accelerated the growth in Egypt of both Egyptology as a formal ...
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The sensational discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamun's tomb, close on the heels of Britain's declaration of Egyptian independence, accelerated the growth in Egypt of both Egyptology as a formal discipline and of 'pharaonism'—popular interest in ancient Egypt—as an inspiration in the national struggle for full independence. Emphasizing the three decades from 1922 until Nasser's revolution in 1952, this follow-up to Whose Pharaohs? looks at the ways in which Egypt developed its own archaeologies—ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic. Each of these four archaeologies had given birth to, and grown up around, a major antiquities museum in Egypt. Later, Cairo, Alexandria, and Ain Shams universities also joined in shaping these disciplines. The closely-related history of tourism—including Thomas Cook & Son, Nile steamers, and the famous Shepheard's Hotel—also receives careful attention. For Egyptians, developing their own expertise in fields dominated by the French, Germans, and British was often also an expression of nationalism. Egyptians who valued archaeology also had to defend it against the minority of their compatriots for whom pharaonic antiquity represented only alien and idolatrous darkness before the dawning of Islam. In 1952, Nasser's revolution put an end to ninety-four years of French direction of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, and four years later the Suez War rang down the curtain on British colonialism in Egypt.Less
The sensational discovery in 1922 of Tutankhamun's tomb, close on the heels of Britain's declaration of Egyptian independence, accelerated the growth in Egypt of both Egyptology as a formal discipline and of 'pharaonism'—popular interest in ancient Egypt—as an inspiration in the national struggle for full independence. Emphasizing the three decades from 1922 until Nasser's revolution in 1952, this follow-up to Whose Pharaohs? looks at the ways in which Egypt developed its own archaeologies—ancient Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Coptic, and Islamic. Each of these four archaeologies had given birth to, and grown up around, a major antiquities museum in Egypt. Later, Cairo, Alexandria, and Ain Shams universities also joined in shaping these disciplines. The closely-related history of tourism—including Thomas Cook & Son, Nile steamers, and the famous Shepheard's Hotel—also receives careful attention. For Egyptians, developing their own expertise in fields dominated by the French, Germans, and British was often also an expression of nationalism. Egyptians who valued archaeology also had to defend it against the minority of their compatriots for whom pharaonic antiquity represented only alien and idolatrous darkness before the dawning of Islam. In 1952, Nasser's revolution put an end to ninety-four years of French direction of the Egyptian Antiquities Service, and four years later the Suez War rang down the curtain on British colonialism in Egypt.
Wafaa El Saddik and Rüdiger Heimlich
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789774168253
- eISBN:
- 9781617978173
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774168253.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
Growing up in Egypt's Nile Delta, the author was fascinated by the magnificent pharaonic monuments from an early age, and as a student dreamed of conducting excavations and working in the Egyptian ...
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Growing up in Egypt's Nile Delta, the author was fascinated by the magnificent pharaonic monuments from an early age, and as a student dreamed of conducting excavations and working in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. At a time when Egyptology was dominated by men, especially those with close connections to the regime, the author was determined to succeed, and secured grants to study in Boston, London, and Vienna, eventually becoming the first female general director of the country's most prestigious museum. The author launched the first general inventory of the museum's cellars in its more than 100-year history, in the process discovering long-forgotten treasures, as well as confronting corruption and nepotism in the antiquities administration. In this very personal memoir, the author looks back at the history of Egypt and asks, what happened to the country? Where did Nasser's bright new beginning go wrong? Why did Sadat fail to bring peace? Why did the Egyptians allow themselves to be so corrupted by Mubarak? And why was the Muslim Brotherhood able to achieve power? But the author's first concern remains: How can the ancient legacy of Egypt truly be protected?Less
Growing up in Egypt's Nile Delta, the author was fascinated by the magnificent pharaonic monuments from an early age, and as a student dreamed of conducting excavations and working in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. At a time when Egyptology was dominated by men, especially those with close connections to the regime, the author was determined to succeed, and secured grants to study in Boston, London, and Vienna, eventually becoming the first female general director of the country's most prestigious museum. The author launched the first general inventory of the museum's cellars in its more than 100-year history, in the process discovering long-forgotten treasures, as well as confronting corruption and nepotism in the antiquities administration. In this very personal memoir, the author looks back at the history of Egypt and asks, what happened to the country? Where did Nasser's bright new beginning go wrong? Why did Sadat fail to bring peace? Why did the Egyptians allow themselves to be so corrupted by Mubarak? And why was the Muslim Brotherhood able to achieve power? But the author's first concern remains: How can the ancient legacy of Egypt truly be protected?
Koenraad Donker van Heel
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9789774167737
- eISBN:
- 9781617978159
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774167737.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
The so-called Will of Naunakhte (1154 BCE) has become rightly famous in Egyptology. Naunakhte was a woman from the New Kingdom village of Deir al-Medina who made a statement in court about her ...
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The so-called Will of Naunakhte (1154 BCE) has become rightly famous in Egyptology. Naunakhte was a woman from the New Kingdom village of Deir al-Medina who made a statement in court about her inheritance. So what really happened to her eight surviving children, four of whom were daughters? By carefully studying the documents mentioning members of the family and including all the material mentioning the women of the New Kingdom village of Deir al-Medina and other sources, the book puts to the forefront the remarkable role played by ordinary women in ancient Egypt. The book is an unprecedented view into the lives of these ordinary women and the status of divorce and marriage in Deir al-Medina at the time.Less
The so-called Will of Naunakhte (1154 BCE) has become rightly famous in Egyptology. Naunakhte was a woman from the New Kingdom village of Deir al-Medina who made a statement in court about her inheritance. So what really happened to her eight surviving children, four of whom were daughters? By carefully studying the documents mentioning members of the family and including all the material mentioning the women of the New Kingdom village of Deir al-Medina and other sources, the book puts to the forefront the remarkable role played by ordinary women in ancient Egypt. The book is an unprecedented view into the lives of these ordinary women and the status of divorce and marriage in Deir al-Medina at the time.
James K. Hoffmeier
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195130881
- eISBN:
- 9780199853403
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195130881.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The Joseph story became a testing ground to determine whether Egyptology had anything to contribute to Pentateuchal studies. This chapter does not offer a complete history of the investigation of the ...
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The Joseph story became a testing ground to determine whether Egyptology had anything to contribute to Pentateuchal studies. This chapter does not offer a complete history of the investigation of the Joseph story, nor does it present an exhaustive Egyptological analysis of the Egyptian backgrounds to the narrative. A major monograph would be required to accomplish this task. However, inasmuch as the Joseph story is central to the “Egypt in Israel” tradition, the chapter is obliged to pay attention to this remarkable narrative. Consequently, the chapter is limited to a brief sketch of some of the key works that have integrated Egyptological data with the Genesis material, a discussion of some recent form- and literary-critical developments, and a summary of the most compelling Egyptian data, including some new material. Some conclusions are then drawn.Less
The Joseph story became a testing ground to determine whether Egyptology had anything to contribute to Pentateuchal studies. This chapter does not offer a complete history of the investigation of the Joseph story, nor does it present an exhaustive Egyptological analysis of the Egyptian backgrounds to the narrative. A major monograph would be required to accomplish this task. However, inasmuch as the Joseph story is central to the “Egypt in Israel” tradition, the chapter is obliged to pay attention to this remarkable narrative. Consequently, the chapter is limited to a brief sketch of some of the key works that have integrated Egyptological data with the Genesis material, a discussion of some recent form- and literary-critical developments, and a summary of the most compelling Egyptian data, including some new material. Some conclusions are then drawn.
Eleanor Dobson
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781474476249
- eISBN:
- 9781474495967
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474476249.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature
This book unearths a rich tradition of creative flexibility, collaboration and mutual influence between literary culture and Egyptology from the late nineteenth century to the early decades of the ...
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This book unearths a rich tradition of creative flexibility, collaboration and mutual influence between literary culture and Egyptology from the late nineteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the aftermath of the high-profile discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. The first book-length study to focus in depth on the symbiotic relationship between literature and Egyptological culture, it analyses the works of Egyptologists including Howard Carter and E. A. Wallis Budge alongside those of their literary contemporaries such as H. Rider Haggard and Marie Corelli. Combining literary criticism with book history and reception studies, it incorporates a number of archival primary sources which have, until now, escaped critical attention, and reads canonical literature alongside works by lesser-known authors, to ascertain the proliferation of twin Egyptological and literary interests. It was across this period, this book shows, that as a result of the public fervour stirred up by its gilded discoveries and the ancient language that its scholars had so recently deciphered, its high-profile practitioners (both expert and amateur) and its wide range of associations in the cultural consciousness (from magic and longevity, to sexual desire and horror), that Egyptology and its cultural offshoots infiltrated the libraries, lives and minds of an extraordinarily eclectic audience.Less
This book unearths a rich tradition of creative flexibility, collaboration and mutual influence between literary culture and Egyptology from the late nineteenth century to the early decades of the twentieth century, culminating in the aftermath of the high-profile discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. The first book-length study to focus in depth on the symbiotic relationship between literature and Egyptological culture, it analyses the works of Egyptologists including Howard Carter and E. A. Wallis Budge alongside those of their literary contemporaries such as H. Rider Haggard and Marie Corelli. Combining literary criticism with book history and reception studies, it incorporates a number of archival primary sources which have, until now, escaped critical attention, and reads canonical literature alongside works by lesser-known authors, to ascertain the proliferation of twin Egyptological and literary interests. It was across this period, this book shows, that as a result of the public fervour stirred up by its gilded discoveries and the ancient language that its scholars had so recently deciphered, its high-profile practitioners (both expert and amateur) and its wide range of associations in the cultural consciousness (from magic and longevity, to sexual desire and horror), that Egyptology and its cultural offshoots infiltrated the libraries, lives and minds of an extraordinarily eclectic audience.
Jason Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9789774165993
- eISBN:
- 9781617976520
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774165993.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Ancient History / Archaeology
The discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, ...
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The discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, who constructed the picture of ancient Egypt that we have today, recovered the Egyptian past while inventing it anew, and made a lost civilization comprehensible to generations of enchanted readers and viewers thousands of years later. This, the first of a three-volume survey of the history of Egyptology, follows the fascination with ancient Egypt from antiquity until 1881, tracing the recovery of ancient Egypt and its impact on the human imagination in a saga filled with intriguing mysteries, great discoveries, and scholarly creativity. Wonderful Things affirms that the history of ancient Egypt has proved continually fascinating, but it also demonstrates that the history of Egyptology is no less so. Only by understanding how Egyptology has developed can we truly understand the Egyptian past.Less
The discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, who constructed the picture of ancient Egypt that we have today, recovered the Egyptian past while inventing it anew, and made a lost civilization comprehensible to generations of enchanted readers and viewers thousands of years later. This, the first of a three-volume survey of the history of Egyptology, follows the fascination with ancient Egypt from antiquity until 1881, tracing the recovery of ancient Egypt and its impact on the human imagination in a saga filled with intriguing mysteries, great discoveries, and scholarly creativity. Wonderful Things affirms that the history of ancient Egypt has proved continually fascinating, but it also demonstrates that the history of Egyptology is no less so. Only by understanding how Egyptology has developed can we truly understand the Egyptian past.
Jill Kamil
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160615
- eISBN:
- 9781617970184
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160615.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the ...
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Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the field. This book presents not only a biography of this important scholar, but a survey of Egyptian archaeology in the twentieth century in which Habachi's work is measured against that of his best-known contemporaries —among them Selim Hassan, Ahmed Fakhry, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr, and Gamal Mokhtar. The account of Habachi's major discovery, the Sanctuary of Heqaib on Elephantine in 1946, was shelved by Egypt's Antiquities Department for thirty years. When it was finally released for publication, it became the subject of a heated controversy between Habachi and a western scholar that was never resolved. To construct a picture of Labib Habachi, the book draws on a wide range of sources, including a long personal acquaintance with the subject. Tracing the arc of Habachi's career, the book sets his life's work in its full context, providing a perspective on the development of Egyptian Egyptology and the sometimes fraught relationship between Egypt's scholars and the western archaeological establishment. In this fresh look at Habachi's contributions to Egyptology are examples of academic and social elitism, rivalries between scholars, cultural arrogance, and discrimination.Less
Labib Habachi, Egypt's most perceptive and productive Egyptologist, was marginalized for most of his career, only belatedly receiving international recognition for his major contributions to the field. This book presents not only a biography of this important scholar, but a survey of Egyptian archaeology in the twentieth century in which Habachi's work is measured against that of his best-known contemporaries —among them Selim Hassan, Ahmed Fakhry, Abdel Moneim Abu Bakr, and Gamal Mokhtar. The account of Habachi's major discovery, the Sanctuary of Heqaib on Elephantine in 1946, was shelved by Egypt's Antiquities Department for thirty years. When it was finally released for publication, it became the subject of a heated controversy between Habachi and a western scholar that was never resolved. To construct a picture of Labib Habachi, the book draws on a wide range of sources, including a long personal acquaintance with the subject. Tracing the arc of Habachi's career, the book sets his life's work in its full context, providing a perspective on the development of Egyptian Egyptology and the sometimes fraught relationship between Egypt's scholars and the western archaeological establishment. In this fresh look at Habachi's contributions to Egyptology are examples of academic and social elitism, rivalries between scholars, cultural arrogance, and discrimination.
Kees van der Spek
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9789774164033
- eISBN:
- 9781617970917
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774164033.003.0005
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Much of what characterizes the people of al-Qurna today is not only inherent in the physical aspects of the surrounding landscape, but also the historical process of archaeological recognition and ...
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Much of what characterizes the people of al-Qurna today is not only inherent in the physical aspects of the surrounding landscape, but also the historical process of archaeological recognition and interpretation that has resulted in the culturally constructed characterization of the Theban foothills. This perspective immediately directs the attention to the historically situated development of western academic involvement with the Theban west bank, necessitating a global perspective in explanation of the particular cultural constructions that resulted from the contact with foreign interests. This chapter argues that the communities of the Luxor west bank represent a case in which the emergence of the originally western academic practice of Egyptology acted as one of those external formational processes, and that it is in this light that the al-Qurna material, at least in part, must be presented and understood.Less
Much of what characterizes the people of al-Qurna today is not only inherent in the physical aspects of the surrounding landscape, but also the historical process of archaeological recognition and interpretation that has resulted in the culturally constructed characterization of the Theban foothills. This perspective immediately directs the attention to the historically situated development of western academic involvement with the Theban west bank, necessitating a global perspective in explanation of the particular cultural constructions that resulted from the contact with foreign interests. This chapter argues that the communities of the Luxor west bank represent a case in which the emergence of the originally western academic practice of Egyptology acted as one of those external formational processes, and that it is in this light that the al-Qurna material, at least in part, must be presented and understood.
Pierre-Philippe Fraiture
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- January 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781800348400
- eISBN:
- 9781800852266
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3828/liverpool/9781800348400.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
When they set out to colonize Africa, Europeans were faced with the pressing issue of mastering the African multilingual landscape. This chapter explores the role of languages and language policies ...
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When they set out to colonize Africa, Europeans were faced with the pressing issue of mastering the African multilingual landscape. This chapter explores the role of languages and language policies in francophone sub-Saharan Africa (AOF and Belgian Congo) and pays attention to the biopolitical arsenal deployed by imperial administrations to manage linguistic issues. By focussing on the works of some Third Republic figures like Louis Faidherbe, Onésime Reclus, and Maurice Delafosse, it is shown that strict evolutionist taxonomies were used to foster the predominance of French and assign a vehicular role to African languages such as Swahili, Fula and Wolof. The cultural assimilation engendered by colonialism bore witness to the emergence of Francophonized African scholars such as Cheikh Anta Diop and Amadou Hampâté Bâ who, after WW2, promoted African languages to fulfil their anti-colonial and pan-Africanist agenda. This project of linguistic decolonization is explored via a close examination of Nations nègres et culture by C.A. Diop. His promotion of Wolof, a programme set in motion against Senghorian francophonie, is still ongoing now as demonstrated by the Céytu translation project initiated by Boubacar Boris Diop in 2016.Less
When they set out to colonize Africa, Europeans were faced with the pressing issue of mastering the African multilingual landscape. This chapter explores the role of languages and language policies in francophone sub-Saharan Africa (AOF and Belgian Congo) and pays attention to the biopolitical arsenal deployed by imperial administrations to manage linguistic issues. By focussing on the works of some Third Republic figures like Louis Faidherbe, Onésime Reclus, and Maurice Delafosse, it is shown that strict evolutionist taxonomies were used to foster the predominance of French and assign a vehicular role to African languages such as Swahili, Fula and Wolof. The cultural assimilation engendered by colonialism bore witness to the emergence of Francophonized African scholars such as Cheikh Anta Diop and Amadou Hampâté Bâ who, after WW2, promoted African languages to fulfil their anti-colonial and pan-Africanist agenda. This project of linguistic decolonization is explored via a close examination of Nations nègres et culture by C.A. Diop. His promotion of Wolof, a programme set in motion against Senghorian francophonie, is still ongoing now as demonstrated by the Céytu translation project initiated by Boubacar Boris Diop in 2016.
Jason Thompson
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774162879
- eISBN:
- 9781617970214
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774162879.003.0010
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
During the seventy-three days spent at Thebes during Edward William Lane's visit, he made a scrupulous immersion in Egyptology. The Valley of the Kings is a large wadi which today is clearly defined ...
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During the seventy-three days spent at Thebes during Edward William Lane's visit, he made a scrupulous immersion in Egyptology. The Valley of the Kings is a large wadi which today is clearly defined as a natural stone portal. During those two and a half months, Lane worked at most of the major Theban sites, and devoted most of his time to three places. Although he spent most of his week at Thebes, he still researched and visited all the different places at the Valley of the Kings.Less
During the seventy-three days spent at Thebes during Edward William Lane's visit, he made a scrupulous immersion in Egyptology. The Valley of the Kings is a large wadi which today is clearly defined as a natural stone portal. During those two and a half months, Lane worked at most of the major Theban sites, and devoted most of his time to three places. Although he spent most of his week at Thebes, he still researched and visited all the different places at the Valley of the Kings.
Marilyn Booth
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780748694860
- eISBN:
- 9781474408639
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748694860.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Literature
This chapter introduces the book at the centre of this study, a mammoth biographical dictionary of 453 world women published in Arabic in Cairo 1893-6 at Egypt’s government printing press; and its ...
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This chapter introduces the book at the centre of this study, a mammoth biographical dictionary of 453 world women published in Arabic in Cairo 1893-6 at Egypt’s government printing press; and its author, Zaynab Fawwaz, an immigrant from southern Lebanon to Egypt who wrote on gender politics in the press and also wrote two novels, a play and some poetry. The chapter places this book in the context of scholarship on gender politics, feminism, nationalism and anti-colonialism, and early feminist discourse in the Arab region and especially Egypt. In that context, the fin-de-siècle interest in ancient history – Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Semitic – evident in Egypt’s and Arabic Ottoman publications, receives attention as it relates to Fawwaz’s outlook on women’s history.Less
This chapter introduces the book at the centre of this study, a mammoth biographical dictionary of 453 world women published in Arabic in Cairo 1893-6 at Egypt’s government printing press; and its author, Zaynab Fawwaz, an immigrant from southern Lebanon to Egypt who wrote on gender politics in the press and also wrote two novels, a play and some poetry. The chapter places this book in the context of scholarship on gender politics, feminism, nationalism and anti-colonialism, and early feminist discourse in the Arab region and especially Egypt. In that context, the fin-de-siècle interest in ancient history – Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, Semitic – evident in Egypt’s and Arabic Ottoman publications, receives attention as it relates to Fawwaz’s outlook on women’s history.
Michael Shaw
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781474433952
- eISBN:
- 9781474477000
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9781474433952.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, Criticism/Theory
This chapter argues that fin-de-siècle occultism was a key component of Scottish cultural revivalism in the late-Victorian period. Discussing a range of figures – including Patrick Geddes, S. L. ...
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This chapter argues that fin-de-siècle occultism was a key component of Scottish cultural revivalism in the late-Victorian period. Discussing a range of figures – including Patrick Geddes, S. L. Macgregor Mathers and John Duncan, I demonstrate that occultism supported and defined cultural nationalism in Scotland in numerous ways, as it did in Ireland. A sub-chapter focuses on Egyptomania in Scotland and I argue here that the international craze for Egypt had particular resonance in Scotland due to Scotland’s ‘Scota Pharoah’ foundation myth. I then assess key occult societies and their intersections with neo-Jacobitism, a movement that spoke well to cultural revivalists’ nostalgia for the House of Stuart. The chapter also uncovers Geddes’s plan to create a Celtic occult society, not dissimilar to W. B. Yeats’s Order of Celtic Mysteries, in Edinburgh.Less
This chapter argues that fin-de-siècle occultism was a key component of Scottish cultural revivalism in the late-Victorian period. Discussing a range of figures – including Patrick Geddes, S. L. Macgregor Mathers and John Duncan, I demonstrate that occultism supported and defined cultural nationalism in Scotland in numerous ways, as it did in Ireland. A sub-chapter focuses on Egyptomania in Scotland and I argue here that the international craze for Egypt had particular resonance in Scotland due to Scotland’s ‘Scota Pharoah’ foundation myth. I then assess key occult societies and their intersections with neo-Jacobitism, a movement that spoke well to cultural revivalists’ nostalgia for the House of Stuart. The chapter also uncovers Geddes’s plan to create a Celtic occult society, not dissimilar to W. B. Yeats’s Order of Celtic Mysteries, in Edinburgh.
Jill Kamil
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160615
- eISBN:
- 9781617970184
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160615.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Tracing the role of the Egyptians in the study of Egyptology requires an insight into the political and social forces that forged modern Egypt. Like Alexander the Great, who presented himself as ...
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Tracing the role of the Egyptians in the study of Egyptology requires an insight into the political and social forces that forged modern Egypt. Like Alexander the Great, who presented himself as Egypt's liberator from Persian rule, Napoleon Bonaparte, is said to have unchained the opening to Egypt's past. French rule is considered to be one of the most significant contributions of France to Egypt's development. Unfortunately, the period of French rule ended early thanks to the British fleet under Lord Nelson which arrived off the Egyptian coast in 1801 and sank the French fleet at anchor in Abukir Bay. In spite of their short rule, French influence had a lasting effect on Egypt and its development of national identity. Furthermore, Muhammad Ali, an Ottoman officer, set out to modernize the country by introducing European technology and he crushed rival Ottoman and Mamluk commanders.Less
Tracing the role of the Egyptians in the study of Egyptology requires an insight into the political and social forces that forged modern Egypt. Like Alexander the Great, who presented himself as Egypt's liberator from Persian rule, Napoleon Bonaparte, is said to have unchained the opening to Egypt's past. French rule is considered to be one of the most significant contributions of France to Egypt's development. Unfortunately, the period of French rule ended early thanks to the British fleet under Lord Nelson which arrived off the Egyptian coast in 1801 and sank the French fleet at anchor in Abukir Bay. In spite of their short rule, French influence had a lasting effect on Egypt and its development of national identity. Furthermore, Muhammad Ali, an Ottoman officer, set out to modernize the country by introducing European technology and he crushed rival Ottoman and Mamluk commanders.
Joseph Mélèze Modrzejewski
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198262626
- eISBN:
- 9780191682360
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198262626.003.0004
- Subject:
- Law, Legal History
Papyrus – an Egyptian plant from the Cyperaceae family – served as the fundamental media in communicating written information during the Antiquity period. While the term ‘papyrology’ is used to refer ...
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Papyrus – an Egyptian plant from the Cyperaceae family – served as the fundamental media in communicating written information during the Antiquity period. While the term ‘papyrology’ is used to refer to texts that are mainly expressed in Greek or in Latin, the texts expressed in Egyptian are studied through a specific branch called ‘Egyptology’. Upon the discovery of numerous texts of this nature, several documents were also discovered that contained vital information regarding legal rules and regulations, administrative and private correspondence. This chapter attempts to look into such findings and how these documents explain the way in which Jewish legal problems and situations were managed initially.Less
Papyrus – an Egyptian plant from the Cyperaceae family – served as the fundamental media in communicating written information during the Antiquity period. While the term ‘papyrology’ is used to refer to texts that are mainly expressed in Greek or in Latin, the texts expressed in Egyptian are studied through a specific branch called ‘Egyptology’. Upon the discovery of numerous texts of this nature, several documents were also discovered that contained vital information regarding legal rules and regulations, administrative and private correspondence. This chapter attempts to look into such findings and how these documents explain the way in which Jewish legal problems and situations were managed initially.
