The Middle Kingdom (c. 2008 - 1685 BC) was a time of high culture with many dynamic kings who built fortresses and temples and were lavishly buried inside huge pyramid tombs. This course examines the rich evidence for this most important period.

Description

This course aims to reveal the rich history and culture of the ancient Egyptian Middle Kingdom (c. 2008 – 1685 BC). Beginning with the rise of the Eleventh Dynasty and the subsequent unification of the country by the powerful Theban king, Montuhotep Nebhepetra, the stage was set for a new era of stability and prosperity.

The succeeding Twelfth Dynasty saw the creation of a new royal capital, from where the finest art, architecture and literature reached new levels of sophistication and innovation.

During this time funerary culture underwent significant changes, most importantly with the belief that funerary privileges that had previously been the right of the king were available to ordinary Egyptians. As a result, new funerary texts, rituals, and equipment appeared to express these new held beliefs.

The Thirteenth Dynasty marks a gradual decline in fortune which ultimately leads to the political fragmentation of the country.

This course will study the wealth of surviving archaeology and textual material to reveal the events that shaped this major historical period.

Programme details

Week 1: The evolution of the Middle Kingdom
Week 2: The early 12th Dynasty kings
Week 3: The great age of the late 12th Dynasty
Week 4: Decline and fragmentation
Week 5: Middle Kingdom towns
Week 6: Temples
Week 7: Middle Kingdom administration
Week 8: Literature
Week 9: Funerary religion
Week 10: Foreign contact

Background Reading:
Clayton, P.A., Chronicle of the Pharaohs, (Thames and Hudson, 1994).
Grimal, N., A History of Ancient Egypt (Blackwell, 1997 reprint).
Shaw, I. (ed.), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2000).