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2022/2023

History and Civilisation of Egypt

Code: 104209 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2500241 Archaeology OT 3 2
2500241 Archaeology OT 4 2
2503702 Ancient Studies OB 1 2

Contact

Name:
Jose Lull García
Email:
jose.lull@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
No
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Prerequisites

There are not

Objectives and Contextualisation

1) Understanding the historical processes that took place in the Nile Valley since the Neolithic (6th millennium)
until the Roman period, taking into account both internal dynamics and international contexts.


2) Knowing the most important aspects of Egyptian civilization: society and economy, religion and spirituality,
gender and identity, language and writing, urbanism and architecture, material culture and visual culture, "sciences" and
techniques.


3) To know and be able to interpret the main written sources (in translation), archeological and iconographic of
ancient Egypt.

Competences

    Archaeology
  • Contextualizing and analysing historical processes.
  • Managing the main methods, techniques and analytic tools in archaeology.
  • Students must be capable of communicating information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialised and non-specialised audiences.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
    Ancient Studies
  • Apply the main methods, techniques and instruments of historical analysis.
  • Be able to express oneself orally and in writing in the specific language of history, archaeology and philology, both in one's own languages and a third language.
  • Recognise the impact of some important aspects of the ancient world in contemporary culture and society.
  • Students must develop the necessary learning skills to undertake further training with a high degree of autonomy.
  • Students must have and understand knowledge of an area of study built on the basis of general secondary education, and while it relies on some advanced textbooks it also includes some aspects coming from the forefront of its field of study.
  • Understand and interpret the evolution of ancient societies in the Mediterranean – from Egyptian civilisation to the disbanding of Western imperial Rome – through analysis of the political, historical, social, economic and linguistic factors.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Analyse the historical processes that lead to armed conflict.
  2. Analyse the key issues that help to approach the study of historical phenomena from a gender perspective.
  3. Carrying out oral presentations using appropriate academic vocabulary and style.
  4. Critically assessing the models explaining the ancient times.
  5. Effectively expressing themselves and applying the argumentative and textual processes of formal and scientific texts.
  6. Explain the main historical events in Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman world.
  7. Explain the main historiographic debates on antiquity.
  8. Identifying the context of the historical processes.
  9. Identifying the specific methods of History and its relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
  10. Identifying the specific methods of history and their relationship with the analysis of particular facts.
  11. Knowing the main historiographical debates concerning the Middle Ages.
  12. Mastering the diachronic structure of the past.
  13. Preparing an oral and written discourse in the corresponding language in a proper and organized way.
  14. Reading historical texts written in several formats.
  15. Relate the historical texts to their archaeological contexts.
  16. Submitting works in accordance with both individual and small group demands and personal styles.
  17. Using the specific interpretational and technical vocabulary of the discipline.

Content

UNIT 1 Introduction to Egyptology
History and historiography of Egyptology
Periodization and chronology
Natural environment: geography and geology
Case Study: The Nile


UNIT 2 Origin of the State in the Nile Valley
Neolitization
Appearance and consolidation of the State: from Predynastic to Dynastic


UNIT 3 Appearance of writing in the Nile Valley
Egyptian writings
The hieroglyphic system
The first evidence of writing in the Nile Valley: documents and problems

UNIT 4 The III millennium
The Old Kingdom or the Age of the Pyramids
Memphis and the Memphite necropolis
Political and religious aspects
Social and economic aspects
Case Study: How were the pyramids built?

UNIT 5 The II millennium (I)
The Middle Kingdom
Political and literary aspects
Social and economic aspects
Egypt and Nubia: Kerma
Egypt and the Orient: the Hyksos

UNIT 6 The II millennium (II)
The New Kingdom or the Egyptian Empire (I)
Political, military and diplomatic aspects
Social and economic aspects
Case Study: Hatshepsut

UNIT 7 The II millennium (III)
The New Kingdom or the Egyptian Empire (II)
The Amarna Era: politics and religion
The ramésida culture
Social and economic aspects
Case Study: The Battle of Qadesh

UNIT 8 The Peoples of the Sea
The crisis of 1200 in the eastern Mediterranean
Egypt and the Peoples of the Sea
The Libyan Question

UNIT 9 The first millennium (I)
The Late Epoch: Egyptians, Libyans, Ethiopians, Assyrians, and Persians
The Kingdom of Kush
Social and economic aspects
Case Study: Egypt and the Bible

UNIT 10 The first millennium (II)
Alexandre and Egypt
Ptolemaic Egypt
Political and economic aspects
cultural aspects
Case Study: The Ptolemaic Temples

UNIT 11 The Egyptian religion
the pantheon
The problem of Egyptian mythology
The funerary world
The doctrine of pharaonic kingship
Temples and rituals
Case Study: Cosmogony

UNIT 12 Art, architecture and urbanism in Egypt
egyptian art
Civil and military architecture and urban planning: cities and fortresses
Funerary architecture: royal and private tombs

UNIT 13 "Sciences" and techniques in ancient Egypt
Medicine
Astronomy and the reckoning of time
Numbering and mathematics
Geography and cartography
Case Study: The Egyptian Sky

UNIT 14 Gender and identity in ancient Egypt
Egyptology and gender studies
Men and women: gender roles
Birth, childhood, adult life, old age and death
the sexuality

Methodology

The subject will involve three types of training activities:
1) Guided activities: theoretical and practical classes (case studies).
2) Supervised activities: debates, questions, discussions and exchanges of opinions in class, which may be
proposed by teachers or the result of student concerns or interventions.
3) Autonomous activities: readings, study of sources, assignments (see Assessment) and preparation for the final exam.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Practical classes (case studies) 15 0.6 1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 16, 15, 17
Theoretical classes 30 1.2 1, 2, 4, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17
Type: Supervised      
Class discussions 5 0.2 1, 2, 4, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17
Type: Autonomous      
Homeworks (text commentary and reading summary: see Assessment) and preparation for the exam 68 2.72 1, 2, 4, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17

Assessment

 

The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.

The evaluation will consist of three parts:

1) Commentary on primary sources: textual source (in translation) and archaeological or iconographic source on asame problem to relate: 25%.

2) Bibliographic review of one of the 4 compulsory readings: 25%.

3) Final exam: 50%.

Activities 1 and 2 will be delivered in doc or pdf format and must conform to the following editing parameters: TypeTimes New Roman font 12 pt; simple line spacing; default margins; full name and NIU top right.

Students will be required totake four compulsory readings throughout the semester. To carry out activity 2 they will have to choose one, but all four will take the exam.

To pass the subject you must pass the final exam. The minimum grade for the final exam to be considered passed is a 5.

 In the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for this activity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.

 In the event that tests or exams cannot be taken onsite, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB’s virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams, etc. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.


On carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such areview will take place.

Students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items. To participate in the recovery exam, students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities, the weight of which is equivalent to a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade.

 

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Bibliographic summary of one of the 4 compulsory readings 25% 15 0.6 1, 2, 4, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17
Commentary on primary sources 25% 15 0.6 1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17
Final exam 50% 2 0.08 1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 7, 6, 5, 3, 8, 10, 9, 16, 15, 14, 17

Bibliography

Agut, D.; Moreno García, J.C. 2016. L'Égypte des pharaons. De Narmer à Dioclétien. 3150 av.J.-C.-284
apr.J.-C. Mondes Anciens. París: Belin.


Baines, J.; Málek, J. 1980. Atlas of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Phaidon (trad. esp. 2000. Atlas cultural de Egipto.
Dioses, templos y faraones. Barcelona: Folio).


Bard, K.A. 2015. An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.are.uab.cat/lib/UAB/detail.action?docID=1895714


Cervelló Autuori, J. 2015, 2016. Escrituras, lengua y cultura en el antiguo Egipto. El espejo y la lámpara 11.
Bellaterra: Publicacions UAB.

https://lectura.unebook.es/viewer/9788494516344


Kemp, B.J. 1989; 2005. Ancient Egypt. Anatomy of a Civilization. Londres-Nova York: Routledge (trad. esp.
de la 1ª ed. 1992. Antiguo Egipto. Anatomía de una civilización. Barcelona: Crítica).

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.are.uab.cat/lib/uab/reader.action?docID=3060661


Lloyd, A.B. (ed.) 2010. A Companion to Ancient Egypt. 2 vols. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.are.uab.cat/lib/uab/reader.action?docID=537389


Lull, J. 2004, 2006, 2016. La astronomía en el antiguo Egipto. Valencia: Universitat de València.

https://lectura.unebook.es/viewer/9788437086323/6

Moreno García, J.C. 2004. Egipto en el Imperio Antiguo (2650-2150 antes de Cristo). Barcelona: Edicions
Bellaterra.


Parra, J.M. (ed.) 2009. El antiguo Egipto. Sociedad, economía, política. Madrid: Marcial Pons.

https://elibro.net/es/ereader/uab/42919

Payraudeau, F. 2020. L’Égypte et la Vallée du Nil. Tome 3. Les époques tardives (1069-332 AV. J.-C.).París: puf.

Shaw, I. (ed.) 2000. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press (trad. esp. 2007.
Historia del antiguo Egipto. Madrid: La Esfera de los Libros).


Hölbl, G. 2001. A History of the Ptolemaic Empire. Londres-Nova York: Routledge (ed. orig. 1994. Geschichte
des Ptolemäerreiches. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft).

Vandorpe, K. (ed.) 2019.  A Companion to Greco-Roman and Late Antique Egypt. New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell

https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.are.uab.cat/doi/book/10.1002/9781118428429

Software

 The student will uise the moodle classroom of the UAB virtual campus, and the TEAMS program in the case of virtual classes or tutorials.