The work deals with landing facilities in ancient Egypt, both in the Nile Valley and in coastal areas. The aim has been to collect and interpret written, iconographic and archaeological evidence from the Early Dynastic to the Late Periods. The material is presented chronologically and individual groups of sources are arranged by type (written, archaeological and iconographic). The knowledge thus obtained has then been used to form a comprehensive overview of the development, function, importance and organization of harbour/port facilities in ancient Egypt. The main problem of the study of landing facilities in ancient Egypt lies in the extreme fragmentation of sources which makes it impossible to provide a continuous picture of the development of the subject and which raises as many questions as answers. The best preserved group of sources is written evidence, followed by information obtained by archaeology. The least informative is iconographic evidence. Although the majority of these sources are relatively straightforward to interpret, there are cases where interpretation is speculative. A fundamental question has arisen during this study. It is the relationship of the ancient Egyptians themselves to the facilities which undoubtedly played a significant role in the life of the inhabitants of the...

The topic of this master's thesis is the analyzis of a general conception of linguistics in ancient Egypt, with a narrow focus on the ancient Egyptians' knowledge of phonetics and phonology as well as language production and perception. These findings are compared with the information with which non-egyptological disciplines work. We analyse the ancient Egyptian material culture. This analysis also focuses on primary written records provided with the author's own translation and linguistic annotation using the Leipzig Glossing Rules. This study has a potential to help the fields outside of Egyptology better to understand the notions of ancient people's phonetic/phonological knowledge. It is clear from the sources discussed that the Egyptians considered the heart to be the seat of the speech center in today's conception, although there is evidence that they saw the connection between speech and the brain. Written sources also provide information on the categorization of hieroglyphic characters according to phonetic value, which points to the existence of segmental perception of the ancient Egyptians. However, there are no explicit mentions of vocal folds and voice formation, the essence of speech and language was seen by the Egyptians in the magical-religious sphere. Part of the thesis is a summary...

This essay is about women in ancient Egypt and their relation to aging and why they are rarely depicted other than beautiful and young, when it was a possibility for men to be depicted old in ancient Egypt. Looking at the examples in existence of depictions of aging in women, following questions will be discussed. How is a woman with signs of aging depicted and what does these characteristics convey to the viewer? By looking at tomb paintings and statues showing signs of age, these questions will be discussed and put in context in hope of gaining a better understanding of how female age was perceived in ancient Egypt. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that signs of aging in ancient Egypt had a pronounced symbolic value. In addition to this, there is no direct answer why the signs of aging on women were depicted as they were, but there are some speculations why a woman is portrayed older and why she is not.

In pharaonic times, religion, magic and medicine had little distinction between each other due to the commonly held belief that all parts of life were influenced and even controlled by divinity and the supernatural. To navigate life easier, and in true Egyptian fashion, a large corpus of text was composed of magic, medicine and religion. The latter includes the arguably most well-known work, the Egyptian Book of the dead, the religious scripture that would help the deceased navigate the netherworld in the hopes for eternal life. The papyri depict numerous plants and remedies as well as spell and healing methods accompanied by magical incorporation such as incantation or invocation of a god or goddess. These can be considered a basis for the fundamental ideas of religion and daily life of ancient Egypt, always consisting of divine involvement. This essay will deal with a symbol that the ancient Egyptians saw as synonymous with life, and immortality: The narcotic blue water lily, Nymphaea Caerulea. The study will be a work on the human religious experience with a plant that I will theorize as having been used for an entheogenic effect in order to connect with the divine by asking some key questions: How and why was the lily used? How is the flowers depiction on art, in texts, and different iconography indicative to a usage in religious experience and through the mythology produced in the civilisation?

Thesis advisor: Christy Pottroff / Thesis advisor: Paul Lewis / In 1822 the Western world experienced a revolution in literature and archaeology when the Rosetta Stone was successfully translated, and a craze coined Egyptomania took over the Western world. American literature—ranging from newspaper articles, travel narratives, short fiction, and books concerning ethnology and race science—became inundated with discussion of the material culture of ancient Egypt. As authors interacted with the material culture, they began to question who the ancient Egyptians were and how they managed to create such monuments. Many American authors struggled to comprehend how such ancient people were so advanced in methods of art and engineering, thus thwarting the current nineteenth-century ideals of progress. Especially among white Americans, there was anxiety that the ancient Egyptians were not European, leading to an overall fear of Oriental superiority. My aim here is not to explore the effects of Egyptomania in general on American culture, but rather to analyze how specific artifacts, monuments, and mummies were received and adapted by nineteenth-century authors. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: English.

This thesis examines of the religious and philosophical origins of racism, arguing that anti-black, anti-African racism has its origins in the biblical account of the ancient Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and the events recounted in the Hebrew scriptures. It begins with an examination of the nature of racism itself, considering how the contemporary experience of and scholarship about racism can illuminate the search for racism’s historical origins. Contemporary experience has taught us that the functioning of racism often operates independently of the explicit racial prejudice coupled with power once thought to comprise it. This understanding has been reflected in scholarship that has examined how racism has functioned through hierarchical discourse, a concept which is defined and analyzed at some length. Following this examination comes a “genealogical” tracing of hierarchical discourse about African phenomena in the Western-dominated academy, leading to the centrality of the religious concept of idolatry in the making of racist accounts of African phenomena. Finally, the thesis concludes with a chapter on the mytho-historical exodus event, which gave birth to this concept of idolatry, analyzing the meaning and significance of the event in the making of racist discourse. This thesis demonstrates that a broader understanding of racism as an outgrowth of a worldview necessarily hostile to alternatives, when applied to the study of the historical development of racism, paints a far more convincing and complete portrait of the origins of racism, its historical development, and its present functioning than studies based on a more narrow understanding of racism. / African American Studies

Yes / Vast numbers of votive mummies were produced in Egypt during the Late Pharaonic, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods. Although millions remain in situ, many were removed and have ultimately entered museum collections around the world. There they have often languished as uncomfortable reminders of antiquarian practices with little information available to enhance their value as artefacts worthy of conservation or display. A multi-disciplinary research project, based at the University of Manchester, is currently redressing these issues. One recent aspect of this work has been the characterization of natural products employed in the mummification of votive bundles. Using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and the well-established biomarker approach, analysis of 24 samples from 17 mummy bundles has demonstrated the presence of oils/fats, natural waxes, petroleum products, resinous exudates, and essential oils. These results confirm the range of organic materials employed in embalming and augment our understanding of the treatment of votives. In this first systematic initiative of its kind, initial findings point to possible trends in body treatment practices in relation to chronology, geography, and changes in ideology which will be investigated as the study progresses. Detailed knowledge of the substances used on individual bundles has also served to enhance their value as display items and aid in their conservation. / RCB is supported by a PhD studentship from the Art and Humanities Research Council (43019R00209). L.M. and S.A.W. are supported by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Award (RPG-2013-143).

This thesis is focused on the child's status in ancient Egyptian society, mainly deals with the context of the family. It examines the child education and development. The aim was to provide a different view of the child's status in ancient Egyptian society. For this reason, the knowledge of psychology and social work, which examine interpersonal relationships on a different level than the historical sciences was employed. The conclusion is that the status of children in ancient Egypt has been good, because the Egyptian company reported strong social conscience, which both protect the child in the family, and beyond.

Today, there are more Egyptian obelisks outside of Egypt than there are left where they were made. The obelisks are certainly beautiful, but what lies beneath are uncountable hours, days and years of work. Work which made the obelisks end up where they are today. From quarrying these enormous pieces of stone by smashing rock against rock, to building ships without equal for their transportation. It is hard to understand the amount of resources, manpower and organization that went into creating these tall monuments. Therefore, this study will attempt to examine each step in transporting the obelisks, from the quarry to their destination. Where theories collide, the study will weigh them against each other critically to give a fuller account of the transportation of the obelisks of Egypt. This study will begin by presenting a background, or basis, which will be further built upon as it progresses. The first chapter is mainly focused around the circumstance of transportation, along with giving a basic description of obelisks as individual objects. The next step lies in studying the general shipbuilding techniques used in ancient Egypt. This in turn will help in understanding the obelisk ships and the loading and unloading of these vessels. The obelisk ships and their loading will be the focal point of this study. The mainstay of the sources used for this study comes from earlier theories. The primary sources of this study will mainly consist of textual remains along with depictions. / Idag finns det fler obelisker utanför Egypten än vad det finns kvar innanför dess gränser. Obeliskerna är helt klart vackra, men vad som ligger under ytan är oräkneliga timmar, dagar och år av arbete. Arbete som gjorde att obeliskerna hamnade på den plats de är idag. Från att bryta dessa enorma stenblock genom att slå sten mot sten, till att bygga skepp utan dess like för deras transport. Det är svårt att förstå den enorma mängd resurser, arbetskraft och ren vilja som krävdes för att skapa dessa höga monument. Av denna anledning kommer den här studien att försöka närma sig varje steg i transporten av obelisker, från stenbrottet till deras destination. Där teorier kolliderar, kommer denna studie att väga dem mot varandra kritiskt för att ge en mer komplett inblick i transporten av antika Egyptiska obelisker. Denna studie kommer att börja med att presentera en bakgrund, eller bas, som kommer att byggas vidare på under arbetets gång. Studiens första del fokuserar  på omständigheterna för transporten, samt med att ge en grundläggande beskrivning av obelisker som individuella objekt. Det nästkommande steget ligger i att studera de tekniker som användes för skeppsbygge i det antika Egypten. Detta kommer i sin tur underlätta för förståelsen av obeliskskepp och avlastning samt pålastning av dessa farkoster. Obeliskskeppen och deras lastning kommer att utgöra huvuddelen i denna studie. Huvuddelen av källorna som använts för denna studie kommer från tidigare teorier. Primärkällorna som använts består till största del av textuella lämningar samt avbildningar.

Cette étude s’intéresse au rapport des Anciens Égyptiens au sable, élément naturel omniprésent dans le paysage et le quotidien. Le problème est abordé d’un point de vue textuel et plus particulièrement lexicographique. Pour cela, les mentions de six termes appartenant au vocabulaire du sable sont examinées dans des textes mythologiques et rituels, sur une période comprise entre l’Ancien Empire et l’époque romaine. L’enjeu est de déterminer la perception du sable en contexte et de mettre en évidence les croyances élaborées autour de l’élément. Il s’agit de saisir les principes d’introduction du sable au discours religieux afin de mettre en lumière un mécanisme de pensée spécifique à la religion égyptienne : l’observation naturaliste. / This study focuses on the relations between Ancient Egyptians and sand, a natural element, ever-present in landscape and daily life. It is seen from a textual and especially lexicographical point of view. Therefore, quotes of six words related to the vocabulary of sand are studied in mythological and ritual texts from Old Kingdom to Roman Period. The aim is to establish the perception of sand depending on the context and to reveal the beliefs associated to sand. The introduction of sand in the religious speech is taken into account in order to highlight a way of thinking specific to the Egyptian religion : naturalistic observation.