Essays

Question 1

What is archaism? How and why did some Egyptian dynasties use it for political purposes? Support your
answer with specific examples.

Answer 1

Definition: practices or objects that have the appearance of being older than they are
Primary case: 25th and 26th Dynasties
Examples: Royal Kushite statues; revived worship of Amun
An attempt to make the rule of foreigners seem natural and legitimate

Question 2

What beliefs and practices were at the core of ancient Egyptian funerary practice? Support your answer with
at least three specific objects or monuments.

Answer 2

Afterlife: Akh travels with the gods
Objects and representations support the Akh in the afterlife: offerings, tomb reliefs, statues
Mummification: body is a home for the ka
Monuments could be specific tombs of kings, officials, or artisans

Question 3

Describe what we know about daily life of ancient Egyptians from the settlement at Deir el Medina. You may
make reference to houses, texts, tombs, and objects. In what ways was Deir el Medina typical or unusual as a
representative of ancient Egyptian life?

Answer 3

the settlement is atypical because it received significant support from the Egyptian state
Men in the village worked in the valley of the kings and were supervised by the vizier himself
So literacy and standard of living in the village were significantly higher than average
Families averaged 8-10 people; marriage was relatively flexible
Local worship included household fertility deities, ancestors, and to the deified king and queen worshipped in
the community
Tomb of Kha, discovered undisturbed, shows family burial with objects used in daily life…(see powerpoint)

Question 4

Analyze the layout of the town at Tell el Amarna. Describe its landscape, major structures, and any evidence
for social divisions. How did its construction fit into the larger ideas of the pharaoh Akhenaten?

Answer 4

Boundary stelae; town on east bank; fields on west bank; royal tomb at east side
Major structures: Great Aten temple; 3 other Aten temples, royal palace, palace of Nefertiti at north end
Large houses of major officials with smaller workers’ houses clustered around them
Large tombs of officials
Workmen’s village: poor health, evidence for violent punishment, little evidence for Aten worship
Obvious connection to Aten cult, and attempt to disenfranchise older elite by new capital far from their lands

Question 5

How successful was the Egyptian empire of the New Kingdom? What areas and people did it conquer and
control? How long did it last? Why did it collapse?

Answer 5

By far the largest empire of its time
Define success? Huge ability to extract wealth, organize labor, construct monuments like Karnak
Conquered to Euphrates in the north; to Kurgus/5th Cataract in the South
Directly controlled to Gebel Barkal in the south (King’s Son of Kush); no comparable administration in the
north (client kingdoms)
Conquest largely complete by 1500 BC (Thutmose III); lost control after 1100 BC
Internal political tension—High Priests of Amun in S. vs. pharaohs in the Delta; also climate instability and
raids of “Sea Peoples”