ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIGION AND MAGIC (EGYT 1420—Spring 2015) Prof. James P. Allen Graduate TA: Jessica Tomkins (
[email protected]) Undergraduate TA: James Giarraputo (
[email protected])
SYLLABUS SUBJECT This course offers an overview of ancient Egyptian religion from both a synchronic and diachronic perspective. It will examine how the ancient Egyptians viewed the world they lived in and how they tried to make sense of it by studying such topics as the Egyptian pantheon; cosmogony; cosmology; the structure of ancient Egyptian society; the afterlife; temples, priests, and rituals; personal religion; Akhenaten’s revolution; medicine; and magic. COURSE GOALS & OBJECTIVES By the end of the course you will understand more about ancient Egyptian religion, society, and ideologies, and be able to recognize how these subjects fit into the history of thought. In addition, this course will also test and develop a range of widely-applicable academic and professional skills: • A podcast project tests presentation skills and demonstrates the ability to explain complex material to a general non-specialist audience. • A short paper will aid the development of your scholarly writing style. • A final exam will test breadth of knowledge. • Class discussions will promote the ability to communicate your thoughts and ideas in an engaging and thoughtful manner. FORMAT The classes will be a combination of lectures and discussion. You will have to do some reading (and thinking) before class, and be prepared to report in class on the material and your understanding of it. A significant part of your grade will come from your active and thoughtful participation in class discussions. READINGS There are no required textbooks. You will read a variety of ancient Egyptian texts (in English, of course) as well as articles and sections of certain books. All the readings will be posted on Canvas. You are not required to buy any books for this course, but the three books that we will heavily rely on are: • Henri Frankfort, Ancient Egyptian Religion (the bookstore has only a few copies) • Jan Assmann, The Search for God in Ancient Egypt • Erik Hornung, Akhenaten and the Religion of Light. These will also be on course reserve in the library, along with a few others.
GRADES Your grade will be based on four factors: • Podcast project: 25% • Paper: 30% • Final Exam: 30% • Class participation: 15% CLASS PARTICIPATION is dependent upon you being in class everyday – so consistent attendance is required. You are allowed two unexcused absences after which any unexcused absence will result in a 1% deduction from your final grade. An absence will be excused if the TA is notified by email BEFORE class. But just showing up is not enough: an ‘A’ in participation means you are actively and thoughtfully engaging in discussions both in class and on Canvas. The class will be divided into 3 groups based on surnames. Each week, one group will be expected to discuss the assigned readings with one another on the discussion board on Canvas. The discussion is expected to cover at least the following points: What was the reading about? What was its argument? What was challenging about the reading? How does it relate to other things we have studied in class/other readings? Each member of the group must also think of a discussion question about the reading that we could use in class during the discussion section. In class, this group will be split arbitrarily in two and each half will join one of the remaining two groups, where they are expected, along with the TA, to facilitate discussion amongst the other students. A PODCAST PROJECT is designed to test both your ability to engage and analyze the material culture of Egypt, and to present information in a formal yet accessible and stimulating manner. Be creative! The podcast should be 6-8 minutes long and focus on an ancient Egyptian object which relates to religion in some way. You may pick any relevant object from an online or published museum catalog (MFA, Metropolitan, Brooklyn, British Museum, Petrie, Louvre, etc…). It could reflect significant innovations for a time period (i.e. a Middle Kingdom Coffin), or one of the themes we have talked about. Higher grades will be awarded to those who discuss and contextualize the object beyond the bare-bone facts by also presenting and analyzing the significance of the object (cultural, historical, and ideological) to the study of Egyptian religion and magic. You must submit both an audio file of the podcast and a written bibliography which lists at least 4 sources used in your research of the object. An example of such a podcast is the BBC radio series ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects.’ All the episodes are online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nrtd2/episodes/guide 26 Feb (11:59pm): Selection of podcast object due You must decide which object you will talk about in your podcast and upload to canvas a brief description of the object and its relation to religion/magic (just a few sentences), and a link to the object entry in the online museum catalog or a bibliographic reference if it is published in a book. 19 Mar (11:59pm): Podcast due Upload audio file and written bibliography to Canvas
A SHORT PAPER, 5-6 pages long, is intended to develop and practice your humanities paper writing style. The paper will concentrate on any topic of your choice relating to religion and magic in ancient Egypt, but it should not be based on an object; the paper should be based on a theme (e.g., “Creation Myths”) but can utilize objects to illustrate examples. It should take the style of an encyclopedia entry, although the paper itself need not be encyclopedic given the space limitation. You are expected to thoughtfully engage with the topic and cite at least 5 academic sources. Correct citations and references are mandatory. 02 April (11:59pm): Selection of paper topic due Submit to Canvas the topic of your paper with a brief outline and a minimum bibliography of 3 relevant books or articles, at least two of which should not be from the assigned readings from class. 23 April (11:59pm): Paper due Upload paper to Canvas
THE FINAL EXAM will test the breadth of your knowledge. A review session will be held prior to the exam. It is an open book exam (so come to every class and take thorough notes on all lectures and readings!) The exam may be typed or handwritten; typed exams are to be uploaded to Canvas immediately at, or prior to, the end of the examination. 8 May (2pm): Final exam Upload exam to canvas or hand in written copy to the TA
A cumulative score of 90% or higher will merit an A; 80–89%, a B; and below 80%, a C.
If at any time you are unsure about any of the assignments, readings, or topics covered in lectures, please do not hesitate to email the TAs or Professor, or come to our office hours. We are here to help! Although there is no midterm exam, we will hold a review session in the middle of the semester as an opportunity for you to synthesize, and ask specific questions about, the material covered.
CLASS SCHEDULE
Thurs 22 Jan Tues 27 Jan Thurs 29 Jan Tues 03 Feb Thurs 05 Feb Tues 10 Feb Thurs 12 Feb
Introduction: What is Religion and Magic? The Ancient Egyptian Mind Gods and Myths Cosmology: What The Ancient Egyptians Thought About The Universe Time and Eternity Maat and the Order of the Universe The Role of the Pharaoh [J.Tomkins] Religious Texts
Tues 17 Feb
(Long Weekend, no class)
Thurs 19 Feb Tues 24 Feb Thurs 26 Feb Tues 03 Mar Thurs 05 Mar Tues 10 Mar Thurs 12 Mar Tues 17 Mar Thurs 19 Mar
Creation I: General Introduction to Creation Myths Creation II: Atum and the Ennead Creation III: The Ogdoad and the Memphite Theology *Podcast topic due Creation IV: Amun Human Beings and Society The Afterlife I: Death and funerary rituals The Afterlife II: Judgment and its aftermath The Duat Temples: Types of Temples, Image & Cult [J.Tomkins] *Podcast due
(21 March – 29 March Spring Recess, no class) Tues 31 Mar Thurs 02 April Tues 07 April Thurs 09 April Tues 14 April Thurs 16 April Tues 21 April Thurs 23 April Tues 28 April
Personal Piety and the Temple: Processions, Oracles, Dreams “Private” Religion [J. Tomkins] *Paper topic due Magic: Practices and uses Medicine: “Practical” magic [guest lecturer Prof. Andreas Winkler] Monotheism Akhenaten’s Revolution Graeco-Roman Egypt [J.Tomkins] No class – instructors will be at a conference *Paper Due Final discussion session
(24 April-5 May
Reading Period, no class)
8 May
Final Exam (date, time, and place set by the Registrar)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE EXPECTED CONTENT OF THE ASSIGNMENTS PODCAST The information covered in the podcast should cover at least the basic object information: Name of artifact (or museum title) and which museum it is in Description of size, shape, color, medium (material) of artifact Presence/lack of image or writing Date of artifact use (restricted to one period or numerous?) Provenance (where the object was found) and its context (precise context if known, or generally speaking: domestic/temple/funerary/etc.) Who used the object (royal/non-royal; elite/non-elite; men/women/children; priests/scribes/craftsmen/etc) These questions must be considered and answered if possible: What is the artifact’s role in Egyptian religion? How was the object used, engaged with? By whom? Was it used with other artifacts or by itself? Does the artifact allude to religious texts or myths? Was it used in restricted contexts or at specific times? How do we know this? What evidence is there to suggest these interpretations? How does this artifact further our understanding of Egyptian religion and ideology? Speak to the artifact’s utility or symbolism within its immediate context (if you are talking about a shabti found in a tomb, why was it placed in a tomb?) Additionally, make sure to contextualize your artifact to its historic situation – is the artifact restricted to royals or elites? To men or women? Is the artifact responding to socio-historic changes like the Amarna period? Is it only found in one period? Are there many others like it? You should use secondary readings (from the class and library) to learn more about the specific object as well as the general object type, and to back up your claims as to the artifact’s significance or utility in Egyptian religion. Again – listen to 1 or 2 episodes of the BBC series and use this as a prototype http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nrtd2/episodes/guide PAPER Paper requirements: + Typed, 12pt font, double spacing, 1 inch margins, 5-6 pages + Written in a clear, formal, and academic manner with correct grammar and spelling + You must perform research on your topic and reference your research in your paper. This can come from class readings, but outside readings are also expected. Online material is variable and the majority is of dubious quality — double check with the Professor or TA if you are unsure about your online references. Wikipedia, for example, is NOT an acceptable source for any paper. + Bibliography (which does not count toward your page numbers) and correctly cited sources (refer to Chicago Style if unsure: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html)