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Modern scholars are deeply divided over the extent to which early Byzantine provinces such as Egypt adopted imperial Roman law. This thesis undertook a diachronic study of the published debt acknowledgements from Egypt and Nessana for the fifth through seventh centuries CE to examine the degree of adoption of imperial legal changes. The debt acknowledgements are one of the largest sets of papyri documents for this period, consisting of 283 Greek and fifty-seven Coptic documents. Having created a database of these documents, in their original Greek or Coptic plus an English translation and information from the major commentaries, I had an unparalleled opportunity to analyse change, both legal and socio-economic. The research shows that while many legal changes, including the requirement for regnal dating and changes in the liability of co-debtors, were generally adopted, there was resistance to other changes. For example, the interest rate reduction ordered by Justinian I in 528 was clearly disseminated because some documents reflect the reduction. Most people, however, continued to charge the earlier higher rates. Furthermore, some sectors of the population appear to have struggled with the imperial changes. Model formats for a simplified Greek debt acknowledgement and a very similar Coptic debt acknowledgement were developed and disseminated in the sixth century. These simplified formats did not use regnal dating or many of the other customary clauses of the formal Greek debt acknowledgment. The early development of these simplified formats, together with evidence of the privatisation and localisation of many imperial functions, including dispute resolution, support the view that the later sixth century experienced an unravelling of ties with the Roman Empire. The catastrophic seventh century, with its civil wars and Persian and Arab invasions, resulted in a shift in language from Greek to Coptic for personal legal documents. The disruption of the seventh century, however, only accelerated and finalised a process of change that was already well established in the sixth century.

Animals were given a preponderant position in Egyptian art, symbolism, and cultual practices. This thesis centres on the relationship between humans and animals during the predynastic period in Upper Egypt (Naqada I-IIIB, 4th millennium BCE), focusing on hippopotamus and crocodile as representatives of the Nile environment and antelope species as representatives of the desert environment. Depictions of these animals are analysed and compared with contemporary faunal remains derived from activities such as cult, funerary, or every day consumption. The material analysed covers several centuries: temporal evolutions and changes have been identified. The animals studied in this thesis were first used by the Naqada I-IIB elites as means to visually and practically express their power, which they envisioned in two contrasting and complementary ways. The responsibilities of the leaders were symbolised by the annihilation of negative wild forces primarily embodied by antelope species. In contrast, they symbolically appropriated positive wild forces, chief among them being the hippopotamus, from which they symbolically derived their power. Faunal remains from after mid-Naqada II are few, depictions of hippopotamus disappeared and those of crocodile became rare. Antelope species became preponderant, especially on D-ware vessels, which were accessible to non-elite people. However, toward the end of the predynastic period, antelope species came to be depicted almost exclusively on high elite material; they lost their individuality and became generic representatives of chaotic forces that the leaders and early rulers had to annihilate in order to maintain control and order.

The present doctoral thesis is a study on women in Graeco-Roman Egypt and, in particular, it is aimed at investigating the social and legal status of women through the lens of women's reproduction.

Le musée du Louvre conserve 302 statues égyptiennes du Nouvel Empire, une collection suffisamment riche pour obtenir certains résultats susceptibles d’être extrapolés à l’ensemble de la statuaire de la période. Le présent travail aborde cet ensemble sous un double aspect. Analyse quantitative et qualitative d’après les critères modernes d’abord, essai d’analyse selon les critères égyptiens antiques explicites et implicites ensuite. Ces derniers se déduisent notamment des rapports entretenus entre les images en deux dimensions, qui procèdent directement de l’écriture, avec leur transcription en volume que constitue la statuaire. On découvre alors que la construction de la statuaire repose sur les aspects fondamentaux de mobilité et d’immobilité, d’action ou d’inaction, et qu’elle obéit d’une manière générale aux règles aspectives propres à la pensée égyptienne, avec la manifestation fréquente du point de vue perspectif qui se surimpose à ces règles de base. / The Louvre Museum keeps 302 Egyptian statues of the New Kingdom. Such a collection is rich enough to obtain some results which should be transposable to the complete Egyptian statuary of the period. The present work is dealing with this corpus from two angles. First, quantitative and qualitative analysis according to modern criteria. Second, attempt of analysis according to ancient Egyptian criteria, explicits and implicits. These last ones can particularly be deduced from the relations between two dimensional images, which are issued from the writing, and their transcription in volume, in other words the statuary. Then it is found that the conception of statuary is based on fundamental aspects of mobility and immobility, of action and inaction and, generally speaking, that it corresponds to aspective rules so characteristic of Egyptian thought, with the frequent manifestation of the perspective point of view which is superimposed to these basic rules.

This thesis analyses a range of lead objects discovered in Thonis-Heracleion, an Egyptian port city, and offers a new perspective on the use of metals in antiquity. It advances two central arguments: firstly, that the large quantity of lead artefacts in Thonis-Heracleion is not exceptional but rather a more accurate reflection of the metallisation of ancient societies and secondly, that the corpus of lead objects sheds light on aspects of ancient communities that normally remain invisible due to the ease of recycling and low cost of lead. The first chapter reviews the presence of lead in the archaeological record in Egypt, the factors affecting its deposition and preservation, and the corpus as a whole from Thonis-Heracleion. A comparison between the two puts the lead from the site in a new Egyptian perspective. The second, third, and fourth chapters offer substantial analyses of lead ingots, weights, and containers found at Thonis-Heracleion with parallels from around the Mediterranean. The chapters show the potential of this corpus to shed light on activities in the Egyptian town despite the notable lack of direct parallels. It becomes clear for example that large lead objects appear earlier in the archaeological record and that the range of objects is wider than previously suspected. The analysis in these chapters offers a robust dating framework for lead objects previously unavailable. Together the lead artefacts illustrate local mercantile activities, the economic role of the port city, and, through the identification of the first Athenian weights found in Egypt, trade connections between Egypt, Athens, and the rest of the Eastern Mediterranean. The result is an overview of lead in Egypt and its place in Thonis- Heracleion, demonstrating the significance of metals for understanding ancient societies.

Dans l’Égypte pré- et protodynastique (3900-2700 av. J.-C.), l’imagerie anthropomorphe occupe une place de prime importance. Relevant de trois modes de communication – iconographique, ambigu et écrit – ces figurations humaines sont reproduites sur un large éventail de types de supports. Tandis que les études se focalisent habituellement sur une catégorie de source, ce travail se concentre sur un motif précis, la figure anthropomorphe, et propose ainsi une approche transversale de l’imagerie anthropomorphe pré- et protodynastique. Ainsi, cette étude vise à déterminer l’évolution des représentations anthropomorphes au cours de ces périodes, à travers elles, à dévoiler la manière dont se concevaient les premiers Égyptiens. La recherche se fonde sur l’élaboration de typologies des figures humaines et des motifs associés, couplée à une étude statistique des données ainsi réunies. Les résultats de ce travail ont permis de révéler une évolution chronologique des figurations humaines, avec une nette rupture se dessinant entre Prédynastique et Protodynastique. Cette transition est à mettre en lien avec l’introduction d’une monarchie royale, provoquant une dichotomie entre documentations royale et privée en raison d’une mainmise de l’État sur l’expression artistique. Les figurations anthropomorphes témoignent par ailleurs de l’émergence, outre l’identité collective préexistante, d’une identité personnelle, gage d’une individualisation grandissante. / During the Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods (3900-2700 B.C.), anthropomorphic imagery is a theme of prime importance in Egyptian art. Human figures coming from the iconographic, ambiguous and written modes of communication are depicted on a large range of sources. While most of the studies focus on a single type of document, this work concentrates on a particular pattern, the human figure, by proposing a transversal approach of the anthropomorphic imagery. Therefore, this study aims to constrain the evolution of the human depictions during these periods. Through the inspection of the human figures, the study also aims to unravel the way the first Egyptians conceptualised themselves. This work is based on the creation of typologies for the human figures and associated patterns, analysed using statistical tools.The results reveal a chronological evolution of the human figures, with a distinct rupture between the Predynastic Period and the Early Dynastic Period. This transition relates to the introduction of a royal monarchy. This introduction causes a dichotomy between royal and private documentations owing to the appropriation of the art by the state. Besides, the anthropomorphic figures show the appearance of a personal identity in addition to the pre-existent collective identity. This feature is evidence of an increasing individuation.

La violence interpersonnelle n’a encore jamais été globalement étudiée pour l’Égypte antique. Elle a été examinée pour les époques lagide et romaine, mais à partir de la seule documentation grecque. Cette thèse a pour objectif l’étude de ce phénomène au Nouvel Empire et aux époques grecque et romaine. Cette approche comparative vise à souligner les spécificités propres aux deux grandes périodes, ainsi que les similarités dans l’expression et le traitement de la violence interpersonnelle. Pour mener cette recherche, tous les textes égyptiens des périodes envisagées mentionnant une agression physique dans un cadre quotidien ont été traduits et analysés. Le corpus de cette étude intègre des textes documentaires, littéraires, royaux et funéraires. Une analyse du vocabulaire de la violence a été menée, ainsi qu’une étude des mécanismes du règlement des conflits violents. Enfin, a été posée la question d’une spécificité de ces aspects en fonction de la nature des protagonistes de la violence. / Interpersonal violence in Ancient Egypt has never been subjected to a comprehensive study. Papyrologists examined it for the Hellenistic and Roman periods, though based on the sole Greek documentation. The objective of this dissertation is to study this social phenomenon for the New Kingdom, and the Greek and Roman periods. This comparative approach endeavours to highlight the characteristics and similarities of each epoch in the mechanisms of expression and treatment of interpersonal violence. For this purpose, every Egyptian text from the New Kingdom, and Greek and Roman periods that reports a physical assault has been translated and analysed. Therefore, this research includes documentary, literary, royal and funerary texts. A thorough analysis of the terminology of violence was carried out, as well as a study of the mechanisms of conflicts regulation. Finally, the issue of specificities according to the gender, the social status and the age of both victim and assailant was raised.

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This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and Elam. and both identify and quantify the design factors which lead to increased performance possible with composite construction. To accomplish this, the thesis begins by summarizing the problems and flaws that currently exist in the field of history as it applies specifically to archery and bow use. With problems identified, the thesis will then introduce the reader to the basics of bow mechanics, thereby laying the basis for physical testing. This in turn will empirically demonstrate flaws in the current iconographical method of bow identification. The thesis will then devise a new method for iconographic identification of composite construction that has greater proven accuracy, based upon proportional length, which will link extant artifacts with both physical test results and iconographic evidence. The reader shall then be led through a complete reevaluation of iconographical evidence for Mesopotamia and Elam starting at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and working backwards using this new method of iconographic evaluation to determine the point at which composite bow technology first appears in the ancient Near East. The thesis will finish with an overview of the above accomplishments and their potential impact on the study of ancient and military history. / Classics and World Languages / D. Litt. et Phil. (Classical Studies)