Logo UAB
2023/2024

Egyptian Texts I

Code: 44498 ECTS Credits: 10
Degree Type Year Semester
4315555 Egyptology OB 1 A

Contact

Name:
Josep Cervello Autuori
Email:
josep.cervello@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject. Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2023.

Teachers

Marc Orriols Llonch

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The general objective of this module is twofold. The aim is, on the one hand, to progressively train the student in the translation, grammatical analysis and cultural interpretation of Middle Egyptian literary and funerary texts in hieroglyphic and hieratic script; and on the other hand, to introduce him/her to the literature of ancient Egypt and its main works, read in translation. These are the contents and activities to be worked on:

1) Translate, analyze and interpret passages of Middle-Egyptian literary texts of low-medium difficulty in hieroglyphic and hieratic script.

2) Translate, analyze and interpret passages of Middle-Egyptian literary and funerary texts of medium-high difficulty in hieroglyphic and hieratic script.

3) Know the history of Egyptian literature from the Old Kingdom to the Greco-Roman period, its genres, and its most important creations, which will be read in translation and commented.


Competences

  • Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  • Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  • Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  • Critically interpret texts as historical and cultural sources.
  • Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  • Read, translate, parse, interpret texts critically and edit antiguoegipcios, medioegipcios and neoegipcios of different genres and on different media.
  • Teaming up with special sensitivity interdisciplinarity.
  • That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  2. Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  3. Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  4. Critically interpret Middle Egyptian text sources (and Ancient Egyptian) of a medium to high level of difficulty.
  5. Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  6. Medioegipcias critically interpret textual sources (and antiguegipcias) of low-medium difficulty.
  7. Teaming up with special sensitivity interdisciplinarity.
  8. That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  9. Translate and interpret Middle Egyptian texts of medium-high difficulty in hieroglyphics and hieratic.
  10. Translate and interpret texts medioegipcios low-medium difficulty hieroglyphic writing.

Content

This module consists of two subjects:

1) Middle Egyptian literary and religious texts (from October to May)

2) Egyptian literature (from February to April)

SUBJECT 1: MIDDLE-EGYPTIAN LITERARY AND RELIGIOUS TEXTS

1. Translation, grammatical analysis and cultural interpretation of selected passages from literary works of the Middle Kingdom (Shipwrecked Sailor, Eloquent Peasant, Sinuhe, Teaching of Ptahhotep, Teaching of Amenemhat)

2. Translation, grammatical analysis and cultural interpretation of selected passages from the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead

THREE GROUP PAPERS. DELIVERY: 21/12/2023; 29/02/2024; 30/05/2024

TWO EXAMS: 29/02/2024; 30/05/2024

SUBJECT 2: EGYPTIAN LITERATURE

1. Egyptian literature: definition and problems

2. The genres of Egyptian literature. Topos and mimesis

3. The (auto)biographies

4. The teachings

5. Pessimistic literature

6. Narrative

7. Lyric poetry: harpist songs and erotic-amorous poetry

8. School texts

ONE INDIVIDUAL PAPER. DELIVERY: 10/06/2024

ONE EXAM: 10/06/2024


Methodology

 Specification of what the AUTONOMOUS ACTIVITY consists of

a) Study (study is that process or set of personal or group activities that leads to knowing things and being able to explain them in a coherent and orderly manner, orally or in writing).

b) Personal work: consulting grammars, dictionaries, text editions, and reference works in the field of Egyptian philology; translating, analyzing, and interpreting texts; preparing individual or group papers; preparing interventions and presentations in class; keeping the student's portfolio up to date; preparing exams ans tests.

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      
Exams 12 0.48 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9
Theoretical and practical classroom lessons with the support of ICT 80 3.2 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials and class interventions and presentations 10 0.4 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2
Type: Autonomous      
Study and personal or group work by the student 148 5.92 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2

Assessment

Module evaluation system

Each of the two subjects that make up the module is evaluated independently. The final mark of the module results from the crossing of the final marks of the two subjects, at the rate of 75/25%.

To pass the module it is necessary to pass the evaluation of the two subjects that compose it.

In the table, the hours of dedication to each activity are not specified because they may vary from one person to another. The approximate total hours of personal work of the student are specified in the table in the "Methodology" section.

The evaluation will consist of four types of activities:

1) Exams (see "Contents" section). Except for justified reasons, the students of the virtual modality will take the tests or exams in synchrony with the group of the face-to-face modality, in connection with Microsoft Teams and with the camera activated. When this is not possible, they will agree with the lecturers the day and time of the test or exam, which will be as close as possible to those of the original test or exam.

2) Interventions, correction of translation exercises, and presentations in class. Delivery of translation exercises for correction.

3) Three group papers of Texts and one individual paper of Literature.

4) Follow-up tutorials and student portfolio.

Regarding the mark review procedure, lecturers will inform the students about it at the time of each evaluation activity.

Regarding the make-up tests and exams, the lecturers will agree with the students the dates, which must be within the month following the original test or exam. Students who have passed a test or exam but wish to improve their mark may also take the make-up exam. In principle, the work and activities that the student performs autonomously are not subject to recovery.

This module does not incorporate single assessment.

Students will obtain the course grade "Not assessed/submitted" when he/she has not completed the evaluation of the module, i.e. if any of the compulsory assessment activities have not been completed.

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 module, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this module.


Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
3 exams (2 of Texts and 1 of Literature) 60% 0 0 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9
4 individual or group papers (3 of Texts and 1 of Literature) 25% 0 0 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2
Class attendance and participation 10% 0 0 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2
Follow-up tutorials and student portfolio 5% 0 0 1, 3, 6, 4, 5, 8, 10, 9, 7, 2

Bibliography

A. Editions and translations of texts

Allen, James P. 2005. The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts. Writings from the Ancient World 23. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.

Allen, James P. 2013. A New Concordance of the Pyramid Texts, 6 vols. Providence: Brown University.

Allen, James P. 2015. Middle Egyptian Literature. Eight Literary Works of the Middle Kingdom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Barguet, Paul 1986. Textes de sarcophages égyptiens du Moyen Empire. Littératures Anciennes du Proche Orient 12. Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf.

Blackman, Aylward M. 1972. Middle-Egyptian Stories. Bibliotheca Aegyptiaca 2. Bruxelles: Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth.

Blackman, Aylward M.; Davies, William V. 1988. The Story of King Kheops and the Magicians. Transcribed from Papyrus Westcar (Berlin Papyrus 3033). Reading: J.V. Books.

Bresciani, Edda 19993. Letteratura e poesia dell'antico Egitto. Cultura e società attraverso i testi. Torino: Einaudi.

Carrier, Claude 2004. Textes des sarcophages du Moyen Empire Égyptien, 3 vols. Monaco: Rocher.

Carrier, Claude 2009. Textes des pyramides de l'Égypte ancienne, 6 vols. Paris: Cybèle.

Carrier, Claude 2009. Le Livre des Morts de l'Égypte ancienne. Paris: Cybèle.

De Buck, Adriaan 1935-1961. The Egyptian Coffin Texts, 7 vols. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Faulkner, Raymond O. 1985. The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. London: British Museum Publications.

Faulkner, Raymond O. 2004. The Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts. Oxford: Aris & Phillips.

Foster, John L. 2001. Ancient Egyptian Literature. An Anthology. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Galán, José Manuel 1998. Cuatro viajes en la literatura del antiguo Egipto. Madrid: Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas.

Grandet, Paul 1998. Contes de l'Égypte ancienne. Paris: Hachette.

Lichtheim, Miriam 1973-1980. Ancient Egyptian Literature, 3 vols. Berkeley-Los Angeles-London: University of California Press.

López, Jesús 20232. Cuentos y fábulas del antiguo Egipto. Pliegos de Oriente 9. Madrid-Barcelona: Trotta-Publicacions i edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Mathieu, Bernard 2021-2023. La littérature de l'Égypte ancienne, 3 vols. published out of 8. Paris: Les Belles Lettres.

Naville, Edouard 1886. Das Ägyptische Totenbuch der XVIII bis XX Dynastie, 3 vols. Berlin: A. Asher & co. (facsímil: 2010. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing).

Parkinson, Richard B. 1991. The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant. Oxford: Griffith Institute.

Parkinson, Richard B. 1997. The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems. 1940-1640 BC. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Serrano Delgado, José Miguel 20212. Textos para la historia antigua de Egipto. Madrid: Cátedra.

Sethe, Kurt 1908‒1922. Die altägyptischen Pyramidentexte, 4 vols. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs.

Strudwick, Nigel C. 2005. Texts from the Pyramid Age. Writings from the Ancient World 16. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.

Van der Molen, Rami 2000. A Hieroglyphic Dictionary of Egyptian Coffin Texts. Probleme der Ägyptologie 15. Leiden-Boston-Köln: Brill.

Vernus, Pascal 20102. Sagesses de l'Egypte pharaonique: présentations, traduction et notes. Arles: Actes Sud.

[Pyramid Texts] https://pyramidtextsonline.com/

[Book of the Dead] http://totenbuch.awk.nrw.de/

B. Literature (theory)

Baines, John 2007. Visualand Written Culture in Ancient Egypt. Oxford-New York: Oxford University Press.

Baines, John;Eyre, Christopher 1983. Four notes on literacy. GM 61: 65-96.

Bickel, Susanne; Díaz-Iglesias Llanos, Lucía (eds) 2017. Studies in Ancient Egyptian Funerary Literature. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 257. Leuven: Peeters.

Enmarch, Roland; Lepper, Verena M. (eds) 2013. Ancient Egyptian Literature: Theory and Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Eyre, Christopher J. 2013. The Use of Documents in Pharaonic Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hagen, Fredrik et al. (eds) 2011. Narratives of Egypt and the Ancient Near East: Literary and Linguistic Approaches. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 189. Leuven-Paris-Walpole: Peeters.

Lloyd, Alan B. (ed.) 2010. A Companion to Ancient Egypt, 2 vols. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Part V: Language and Literature. Vol. II: 639-778.

Loprieno, Antonio (ed.) 1996. Ancient Egyptian Literature: History and Forms. Probleme der Ägyptologie 10. Leiden-New York-Köln: Brill.

Loprieno Antonio 2002. La pensée et l’écriture. Pour une analyse sémiotique de la culture égyptienne. Paris: Cybèle.

Parkinson, Richard B. 2002. Poetry and Culture in Middle Kingdom Egypt. A Dark Side to Perfection. London-New York: Continuum.

Parkinson, Richard B. 2009. Reading Ancient Egyptian Poetry among Other Histories. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Quirke, Stephen 2004. Egyptian Literature 1800 BC: Questions and Readings. Golden House Publications Egyptology 2. London: Golden House Publications.

Ragazzoli, Chloé 2019. Scribes. Les artisans du texte en Égypte ancienne. Paris: Belles Lettres.


Software

JSesh, software for writing hieroglyphs.
It can be downloaded free of charge from: https://jsesh.qenherkhopeshef.org/