Ancient Egyptian Religion and Funerary Beliefs

CAHE66211 Ancient Egyptian Religion and Funerary Beliefs 15 Semester 1 Postgraduate Taught Level 7 Huw Twiston Davies Unit coordinator Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology & Egyptolog 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Masters/Integrated Masters P4 ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 7.5 Overview: This 15-credit module is an optional part of the part-time online master’s in Egyptology and will be taught during the first semester of the second year. This module aims to provide the students with an in-depth awareness of the types of evidence which can be employed in the study of ancient Egyptian religion and funerary beliefs. The first part of the module is concerned firstly with the concepts of divinity (what is a god?) and the physical remains of religious ritual (temples, votive stela, statues and cultic objects) as well as the links between the State and religious institutions. This part of the module will also investigate the profane roles of ancient Egyptian temples as economic powerhouses in their own right. The second part of the module investigates the ancient Egyptian attitudes to death and the Afterlife, firstly through an in-depth study of tomb architecture during different times periods, and secondly via a study of human remains (mummified corpses and skeletal assemblages) which testify to mortuary practices, as well as causes of death and post-mortem treatment of the body. The module also includes study of key pieces of funerary literature, both royal and private, such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead.  Overview: This 15-credit module is an optional part of the part-time online master’s in Egyptology and will be taught during the first semester of the second year. This module aims to provide the students with an in-depth awareness of the types of evidence which can be employed in the study of ancient Egyptian religion and funerary beliefs. The first part of the module is concerned firstly with the concepts of divinity (what is a god?) and the physical remains of religious ritual (temples, votive stela, statues and cultic objects) as well as the links between the State and religious institutions. This part of the module will also investigate the profane roles of ancient Egyptian temples as economic powerhouses in their own right. The second part of the module investigates the ancient Egyptian attitudes to death and the Afterlife, firstly through an in-depth study of tomb architecture during different times periods, and secondly via a study of human remains (mummified corpses and skeletal assemblages) which testify to mortuary practices, as well as causes of death and post-mortem treatment of the body. The module also includes study of key pieces of funerary literature, both royal and private, such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead.  The unit aims to: <div> 1. provide the students with an in-depth knowledge of religious practices and burial customs in Pharaonic Egypt.2. impart the students with an awareness of the ethical concerns involved in the study of human remains.3. study the development of Egyptian religion from prehistory to the Graeco-Roman period.4. provide the students with an understanding of the inherent bias created by the relatively high survival rate of archaeological materials from funerary contexts on the reception of ancient Egypt as a society.5. challenge the common notion of ancient Egypt as a society ‘obsessed with death’ through a rigorous study of Afterlife literature and concepts from various periods of Pharaonic history.</div>   Show understanding of the religious and funerary practices employed by the ancient Egyptians.Demonstrate knowledge of the types of evidence which can be used to study this topic.Show an awareness of the ethical implications in the study of human remains. Demonstrate ability to follow complex oral and written arguments and summarise these in a suitable manner.Demonstrate the ability to construct cogent academic arguments in a written form. Display knowledge of how to interpret ancient textual material in translation and how to utilise the gained information to form an academic argument. Demonstrate the ability to understand the limitations of textual data, as well as the ability to compare textual and physical data assemblages. Evidence the ability to conduct research independently. Week 1: Making a Religion: The Concept of Divinity in Ancient Egypt Week 2: Enclosure of the Gods: Form and Function of Temples Week 3: The Temple as an Economic Institution Week 4: Personal Piety Week 5: The Priesthood Week 6: Christian Egypt Week 7: Funerary Literature Week 8: Mummification and Royal Caches Week 9: Private Tomb Architecture: Old Kingdom Week 10: Private Tomb Architecture: New Kingdom Week 11: Abydos: Development Through Time <div style="border:1.0pt solid windowtext;mso-border-alt:solid windowtext .5pt;mso-element:para-border-div;padding:1.0pt 6.0pt 1.0pt 4.0pt;">One weekly lecture recorded by members of staff. Some lectures will use objects from the Manchester Museum collection to illustrate specific points.A weekly seminar topic provided on the Canvas discussion boards. These seminar topics are designed to stimulate debate between the students. A member of staff will monitor and guide the discussion.<o:p></o:p></div>  0 Other 100% Discussion Boards (formative) 0%Essay - 2000 words - 65%Public Facing Article - 1000 words - 35%  Discussion Board - ongoing feedbackEssay - written feedback within 15 working daysPublic Facing Article - written feedback within 15 working days <span style="font-family: "Microsoft Sans Serif","sans-serif"; layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Pre-requisites:<span style="font-family: "Microsoft Sans Serif","sans-serif"; layout-grid-mode: line; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA">Historical Studies of Ancient Egypt; Urbanism in Ancient Egypt; Art and Artists in Ancient Egypt.  N Assmann, J. 2001. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press: Ithaca. Assmann, J. 2005. Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press: Ithaca.Eaton, K. 2013. Ancient Egyptian Temple Ritual: Performance, Pattern and Practice. Routledge: New York.Germer, R. 1997. Mummies: Life after Death in Ancient Egypt. Prestel: New York.Grajetski, W. 2003. Burial Customs in Ancient Egypt: Life in Death for Rich and Poor. Duckworth: London.Hodel-Hoenes, S. 2000. Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes. Cornell University Press: Ithaca.Ikram, S. 2015. Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt. AUC Press: Cairo.Meye, S. (ed.) 2003. Egypt: Temple of the Whole World: Studies in Honour of Jan Assmann. Brill: Leiden.Quirke, S. 2015. Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt. Willey: Hoboken.Richards, J. E. 2005. Society and Death in Ancient Egypt: Mortuary Landscapes of the Middle Kingdom. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.Snape, S. R. 2011. Ancient Egyptian Tombs: The Culture of Life and Death. Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester.Taylor, J. H. 2001. Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. The British Museum Press: London.Weeks, K. R. (ed.) 2008. Valley of the Kings: the Tombs and Funerary Temples of Thebes West. VMB: Vercelli.Wilkinson, R. H. 2000. The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson: New York. 0 0 150