THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Postgraduate (History, Classics and Archaeology)

Postgraduate Course: Egypt and its neighbours during the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) (online) (PGHC11537)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeOnline Distance Learning AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryDuring the New Kingdom (1550-1067 BCE), pharaonic Egypt reached its greatest extent, having expanded its borders both to Nubian territories in the south and to the Levant in the northeast. In this course we will discuss the different ways in which the Egyptians maintained control in these areas, to which degree the Egyptian presence influenced the local traditions and vica versa, what impact these encounters had on the Egyptian culture itself.
Course description While the ideology, and also the logistics behind the Egyptian military campaigns to the Levantine region and Nubia showed many similarities, the methods of maintaining control over these areas were markedly different. Nubia, parts of which was already under Egyptian control before the New Kingdom, became under direct Egyptian rule during this period. The Egyptian control in the Levant was upheld through the establishment of garrison towns as well as with a complex alliance system with local rulers. These different Egyptian approaches resulting from different geopolitical factors had an effect on the degree of interactions between locals and resident Egyptians. Through the presentation of various case studies, such as the garrison town Beth Shean in the Levant, or the settlement of Tombos in Nubia, we will discuss the interactions between local populations and the representatives of the Egyptian states, whether and how Egyptian concepts influenced local religious and artistic traditions and vice versa, and what were the long term effects (if any) of the Egyptian dominance in these regions.

This course will allow students to become familiar with the foreign relations of pharaonic Egypt in the 2nd millennium BCE, and the archaeology of selected archaeological sites in Nubia (modern Sudan) and of the Levante (modern Israel, Jordan and Lebanon). The participants will become aware of the challenges while reconstructing ethnic and cultural identities of past societies and also will also reflect our modern biases while discussing the methods of imperialism of an ancient empire.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Archaeology courses at Grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.

** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course **
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  18
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Online Activities 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework:
3,000 word essay (70%)
1,000 word short review (20%)
Weekly forum posts (10%)
Feedback Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours for this course or by appointment.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. show a deep knowledge of the ancient Egyptian foreign policy during the 2nd millennium BCE.
  2. critically engage with the most important theories on ethnic and cultural identity and to apply those to archaeological material from Egypt, Sudan and the Levant.
  3. demonstrate the ability to locate sources relating to Egyptological research.
  4. demonstrate an understanding of the varieties of approaches to understanding, constructing, and interpreting the past.
  5. demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence.
Reading List
Bar, S.; Kahn, D. and Shirley, J. J. (eds.) 2011. Egypt, Canaan and Israel: history, imperialism, ideology and literature. Proceedings of a conference at the University of Haifa, 3-7 May 2009. Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 52. Leiden; Boston: Brill.

Kilani, M. 2019. Byblos in the Late Bronze Age: interactions between the Levantine and Egyptian worlds. Harvard Semitic Museum publications; Studies in the archaeology and history of the Levant 9. Leiden; Boston: Brill.

Moreno García, J.C. 2018. Ethnicity in ancient Egypt: an introduction to key issues. Journal of Egyptian History 11 (1-2), 1-17.

Morris, E. 2005. The architecture of imperialism: military bases and the evolution of foreign policy in Egypt's New Kingdom. Probleme der Ägyptologie 22. Leiden; Boston: Brill.

Mumford, G. 2014. Egypt and the Levant. In: M. L. Steinerand A. E. Killebrew (eds.), The Oxford handbook of the archaeology of the Levant, c. 8000-332 BCE. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 69-89.

Raue, Dietrich (ed.) 2019. Handbook of ancient Nubia, 2 vols. Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter.

Schneider, T. 2010. Foreigners in Egypt: Archaeological evidence and cultural context. In: W. Wendrich (ed.), Egyptian Archaeology. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 143-163.

Schneider, T. 2003. Foreign Egypt, Egyptology and the concept of cultural appropriation. Ägypten und Levante 13, 155-162.

Smith, S. T. and M.R. Buzon 2014. Colonial entanglements: "Egyptianization" in Egypt's Nubian empire and the Nubian Dynasty. In: J.Anderson and D.A. Welsby (eds.), The Fourth Cataract and beyond: proceedings of the 12th International Conference for Nubian Studies. Leuven; Paris; Walpole, MA: Peeters, 431-442.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills - Producing logical and structured arguments supported by relevant evidence.
- Masteringbibliographical, library and IT-based online research skills.
- Ability to design and execute a sustained piece of written work.
- Ability to question cultural assumptions.
- Gaining an understanding how human beings have shaped and been shaped by social, cultural and environmental contexts.
- Ability to critique texts by scholars in light of the time and social circumstances of their writing.
- Ability to evaluate critically one's own and others' opinions, from an appreciation of the practice of archaeology in its changing theoretical, methodological, professional, ethical, and social context.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Zsuzsanna Vegh
Tel: (0131 6)50 4620
Email: zvegh@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: Lindsay.Scott@ed.ac.uk
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