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The dissertation investigates the ancient Egyptian furniture industry, from ancient production and preservation, to modern-day reconstruction and conservation. The main focus of the dissertation falls on an in-depth investigation of styles and designs that can be viewed as characteristic/diagnostic of ancient Egyptian furniture. Emphasis falls on the evolution of functional and decorative elements and the development of individual items. Key design markers are identified and the developments of certain styles are traced. In-depth discussions reveal the finer structural and design elements of individual items along a chronological time frame. These include beds, stools, chairs, footrests, couches, mattresses and cushions, boxes and chests, tables, bed canopies and screens. Introductory chapters provide the reader with background information relevant to the furniture industry, including tree species and timber properties, trade and import, tools, technologies and production methods, while the final chapter investigates the possible applications of modern technology for assessment, conservation and reconstructive purposes. / Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M.A. (Ancient Near eastern Studies)

I investigate why gendered images of Hatshepsut influenced androgynous images of Nefertiti in New Kingdom Egypt and how Nefertiti and Akhenaten used their images in the promotion of their monotheistic religion; through a contextual, stylistic and feminist examination of the images. Hatshepsut cultivated images of herself to legitimize her rule in relation to canonical kings before her. Similarly, Nefertiti represented herself as a figure indiscernible from Akhenaten, creating an image of female co-rulership. Although the visual representations of both Hatshepsut and Nefertiti differ, the concepts behind each are analogous. They both manipulated androgyny to create images displaying powerful women equal in status to male Egyptian kings.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to examine textile production in old Egypt based on textile findings from the Royal Necropolis in Abusir. In the first part the author deals with technology of production of this material. The main part of the thesis is the analysis of the new textile findings from Abusir, the textile-technological survey and their interpretation. Technological aspects, their evaluation and comparison with findings from other Egyptian sites are then discussed in a separate chapter. Due to the character of evidences, the author focuses on two periods: 3rd and 1st millennium BC. Finally, the various archaeological contexts in which the textiles in Abusir were found and the functions of this material were outlined. Keywords ancient Egypt, textiles, production, Old Kingdom, Third Intermediate Period, Late Period, archaeology, mummification

The ancient Egyptians were famous for their exotic and luxury perfumes in the ancient world, even having cities that specialised in perfume production in the Ptolemaic Period, when they exported these perfumes all over the Mediterranean. They produced these perfumes, and other scented preparations, from aromatic plants, fats and oils. The deities were fragrant beings, imbued with the divine essence, and perfume was considered by the Egyptians to be the sweat of the god Ra. Some deities were specially linked to perfume, one of the most important being Nefertem, god of perfume and of the primordial fragrant blue lotus flower. Incense was to the Egyptians the ‘eye of Horus’, burnt as an offering to the deities in temples. Aromatic plant material was stored in perfume/unguent ‘laboratories’, and perfumers’ workshops produced the precious perfumed oils and unguents, used in the funerary context, rituals, ceremonies, festivals and banquets. / History / M.A. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)

[pt] A presente dissertação se propõe a lançar uma nova reflexão sobre a figura do segundo imperador brasileiro, Pedro de Alcântara, cuja ênfase recai sobre a análise de sua persona pública como intelectual, e não como monarca. O estudo objetiva, através de diferentes propostas epistemológicas, inserir Pedro de Alcântara no espaço de sociabilidade brasileiro, mais especificamente na cidade do Rio do Janeiro, sede da corte imperial no século XIX, já que rechaça as correntes teóricas que trabalham com a idéia de que existe uma incompatibilidade entre as idéias difundidas no meio cultural europeu, ambiente cultural em que Pedro de Alcântara é recorrentemente remetido, e o brasileiro de tal natureza, que seria impossível pensar o Brasil a partir de valores e tradições que constituíram o cenário social e cultural europeu oitocentista. O estudo também propõe uma leitura do papel social de Pedro de Alcântara como intelectual, conceituando-o e inserindo-o no modelo cultural iluminista, já que seu interesse não se reduzia a nenhuma área específica do conhecimento, pelo contrário abarcou diversos ramos das artes e ciências, em que trabalhou ativamente como pesquisador e mecenas, comprometido com a difusão dos valores do progresso, ou seja, da modernidade em seu país. Como expressão paradigmática deste contexto histórico-ideológico em que o estudo procurou inserilo, foram trabalhadas as duas viagens que realizou ao Egito nos anos de 1871-72 e 1876-77, através, principalmente, dos relatos presentes em seus diários de viagem. / [en] The objective of this dissertation is to study the second emperor of Brazil, Pedro de Alcântara, as a public figure, emphasizing his role as an intellectual and not as a monarch. Consequently, the dissertation will re- evaluate some of theoretical discourses of the so-colled incompatibilities between the European and the Brazilian political, social and cultural traditions and values during the eighteenth century. Using different epistemological approaches, including an account and understanding of the social context of Rio de Janeiro, the seat of the imperial court, the current proposal offers a new perspective on his public image as an intellectual. The dissertation demonstrates that Pedro de Alcântara can be identified as an illuminist considering his in-depth interest for the fine arts and science, and his contributions to these areas not only as a researcher, but also as an active sponsor. In this regard the dissertation puts a particular emphasis on the two D. Pedro de Alcântara`s travels to Egypt in 1871 through 1872 an again 1876 though 1877. Based upon the analysis of the emperor` diaries, the research illustrates how he interacted with European intellectual vision concerning the ancient society that prospered on the banks of the River Nile, and also with the imperialistic political attempts to colonize Egypt, fact strictly connected to the way the history of Egypt was narrated by its recent colonizers.

For centuries, people have been fascinated with how the ancient Egyptians lived, and particularly how they died. Although Egyptologists in the past had a greater interest in the treasures that accompanied the dead, there has now been a shift in focus on the actual ancient Egyptians themselves and their ways of life. Recognizing the health and disease status of ancient Egyptians has become particularly important. The aim of this research project is to document the paleopathology of the individuals from the sites of Dayr al-Barsha and Sheikh Said encompassing the Old Kingdom (2686 - 2160 BC), the First Intermediate Period (2160 - 2055 BC), and the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 BC) periods. The site of Dayr al-Barsha was most importantly the necropolis, or burial site, used by the inhabitants of the ancient city of Hermopolis Magna, and it was also a very prominent quarry site. Today, Dayr al-Barsha is a large scale archaeological site that has been divided into eleven zones. The results of this research reveal a documented list of paleopathologies that include traumatic conditions, congenital anomalies, joint diseases, infectious diseases, hematological disorders, dental pathology, neoplastic conditions, and various other conditions that ailed the people in their daily lives. Fractures and dental diseases are the paleopathologies that occurred most frequently. These pathologies provide important knowledge about the living conditions and occupations during the span of the Old Kingdom through the Middle Kingdom.

With each generation arrives at a new understanding and specifically creates a new representation of the ancient pharaoh Tutankhamun. My study analyzes the role of Tutankhamun in American media and popular culture, especially the changing depictions of the Pharaoh over time. My thesis discusses the historical Tutankhamμn and the how this differs from the "Golden Boy" Tut popularized in modem times since the discovering of the tomb by Howard Carter. His discovery launched an Egyptomania craze periodically resurged over the course of the century~ particularly in the years immediately following the find, 1978t and in 2005-2007. My analysis further explores why American society fashioned particular representations of Tutankbamun, and Egypt as a whole from his tomb that contained insufficient connections with the historical King Tutanlqiamun. The study concentrates on three time periods distinct by heightened fascination - the opening of the tomb and the first and second museum touring of the Tut exhibits in the United States. The created images are exploited for monetary gain by the media while driven by Western society as a measure of our own cultural self--definition. Each modification of the Pharaoh reflects the changing culture of American society.

[pt] Buscando aproximar os campos de investigação da Teoria da História com a Egiptologia, o presente estudo se propõe a pensar a qualidade que o tempo assumiu na cosmovisão da antiga Kemet. As muitas potências cósmicas que geraram o tempo – dentre elas Shu/Neheh e Tefnut/Djet – segundo os antigos, promoveram a existência da totalidade dos elementos que compunham uma imensa rede de conexão entre o mundo imanente e o mundo transcendente, conferindo ao universo cultural egípcio a peculiar feição de uma sociedade que apesar de desfrutar intensamente a vida terrena, mantinha o olhar constante na eternidade post mortem. Visando lançar novas perspectivas sobre a natureza de como a temporalidade criada pelos antigos foi tecendo o seu mundo de sentido, a tese se debruça sobre a investigação do modo pelo qual a ideia de tempo emerge das mais diversas naturezas de fontes, e de como ela encontra-se diretamente vinculada a uma outra potência – Maat –, força propulsiva que encerrando os atributos de ordem, justiça e retidão, permitia que a existência fluísse com o tempo, ou seja, que a unidade que configurou toda a criação a partir do movimento da gênese fosse mantida, tendo como cenário-espelho o espaço-tempo cósmico egípcio. / [en] This paper proposes a study on the quality that time assumed in the ancient Kemet s cosmovision in order to bring together a study on Historical Theory with Egyptology. The cosmic potencies that generate time – Shu/Neheh and Tefnut/Djet –, according to the ancients, promote the existence of the totality of elements that compose an immense network between the immanent world and the transcendent world. Thus conferring to the Egyptian cultural universe a society s peculiar feature that kept a constant eye on the post mortem eternity, whilst also enjoying terrestrial life. The aim is to present new perspectives on how the temporality created by the ancients allowed for their world to gain meaning. This thesis focuses on a study on how the idea of time emerges from many different sources. As well as how it is interconnected with another power – Maat –, a driving force composed of the attributes of order, justice and integrity that allowed existence and time to remain hand in hand. In other words, the unit that designed all of creation since its genesis was maintained, presenting as mirror-scenario the Egyptian cosmic space-time.

Bibliography: leaves 515-531 / The Brooklyn Papyrus (47.218.48 and 47.218.85) is the handbook of the Priests of Serqet who were called upon to treat snakebite victims in ancient Egypt. The first part of the Brooklyn Papyrus describes various snakes encountered by the ancient Egyptians, and the effects of the bites of these snakes. The second part of the Papyrus contains the numerous treatments that were used to treat the snakebite victims. The primary question of the thesis is to address how the ancient Egyptians treated snakebite victims; and if it is possible to identify the snakes that they encountered, as treatment often hinges on this identification. Additional questions are addressed, namely: What is the Brooklyn Papyrus exactly and what is its background? How does the Brooklyn Papyrus compare to the well-known ancient Egyptian medical papyri? How does the snakebite treatment of the ancient Egyptians compare to that of today’s treatment protocol? In order to answer these questions, this thesis provides my transliteration of the hieroglyphic writing into Latin script, and my translation into English, based on the hieratic to hieroglyphic transliteration done by Serge Sauneron in the late 1960s, and published in 1989 as Un Traité Egyptien d’Ophiologie. The primary aim of this thesis is to provide a transliteration and full English translation of the Brooklyn Papyrus, as none is currently available. It is clear that from the translation that one can discover exactly how snakebite was treated in ancient Egypt: what medicinal ingredients were used and how the patient was treated. Furthermore, from the text describing the snakes and the effects of their bites, one can indeed attempt to identify the species of snakes. It is also apparent from the Brooklyn Papyrus that the ancient Egyptians did recognise and accurately describe many effects of snakebite on the human body, as well as the different types of bite wounds: and they also understood the importance of being able to identify a species of snake as it very often impacted on the treatment to be prescribed—exactly as snakebite treatment is considered in medicine today / Biblical and Ancient studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (Ancient Near Eastern Studies)