A History of Ancient Egypt

Explore the entire history of the ancient Egyptian state from 3000 B.C. to 400 A.D. with this authoritative volume

The newly revised Second Edition of A History of Ancient Egypt delivers an up-to-date survey of ancient Egypt's history from its origins to the Roman Empire's banning of hieroglyphics in the fourth century A.D. The book covers developments in all aspects of Egypt's history and their historical sources, considering the social and economic life and the rich culture of ancient Egypt.

Freshly updated to take into account recent discoveries, the book makes the latest scholarship accessible to a wide audience, including introductory undergraduate students. A History of Ancient Egypt outlines major political and cultural events and places Egypt's history within its regional context and detailing interactions with western Asia and Africa. Each period of history receives equal attention and a discussion of the problems scholars face in its study. The book offers a foundation for all students interested in Egyptian culture by providing coverage of topics like:

• A thorough introduction to the formation of the Egyptian state between the years of 3400 B.C. and 2686 B.C.

• An exploration of the end of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate period, from 2345 B.C. to 2055 B.C.

• An analysis of the Second Intermediate Period and the Hyksos between 1700 B.C. and 1550 B.C.

• A discussion of Greek and Roman Egypt between 332 B.C. and A.D. 395.

Perfect for students of introductory courses in ancient Egyptian history and as background material for students of courses in Egyptian art, archaeology, and culture, A History of Ancient Egypt will also earn a place in the libraries of students taking surveys of the ancient world and those seeking a companion volume to A History of the Ancient Near East.

Auteur

Marc Van De Mieroop is Professor of History at Columbia University and Director of Columbia's Center for the Ancient Mediterranean. He has also taught at Oxford University and Yale University. He is the author of King Hammurabi of Babylon, The Eastern Mediterranean in the Age of Ramessess II, and A History of the Ancient Near East, ca. 3000-323 B.C.

Contenu
List of Illustrations xii

Maps xxviii

Preface to the Second Edition xxix

1 Introductory Concerns 1

1.1 What is Ancient Egypt? 1

Chronological boundaries 1

Geographical boundaries 2

What is ancient Egyptian history? 3

Who are the ancient Egyptians? 4

1.2 Egypt's Geography 6

The Nile River 8

The desert 9

Climate 10

Frontiers and links 11

1.3 The Makeup of Egyptian Historical Sources 12

Papyri and ostraca 12

Monumental inscriptions 14

Historical criticism 14

1.4 The Egyptians and Their Past 15

King lists 15

Egyptian concepts of kingship 19

1.5 The Chronology of Egyptian History 20

Modern subdivisions of Egyptian history 20

Absolute chronology 20

1.6 Prehistoric Developments 21

The beginning of agriculture 21

Naqada I and II periods 24

2 The Formation of the Egyptian State (ca. 34002686) 27

2.1 Sources 29

2.2 Royal Cemeteries and Cities 31

The Late Naqada culture 31

Dynasty 0 31

2.3 The First Kings 33

Images of war 33

The unification of Egypt 34

2.4 Ideological Foundations of the New State 35

Kings 35

Cemeteries 36

Festivals 36

Royal annals and year names 37

Gods and cults 38

Bureaucracy 40

2.5 The Invention of Writing 42

Precursors at Abydos 42

Hieroglyphic script 42

2.6 Foreign Relations 47

The Uruk culture of Babylonia 47

Late 4thmillennium Nubia 50

Late 4thmillennium Palestine 50

3 The Great Pyramid Builders (ca. 26862345) 52

3.1 Sources 53

3.2 The Evolution of the Mortuary Complex 55

Djoser's step pyramid at Saqqara 56

Sneferu's three pyramids 57

The great pyramids at Giza 58

Solar temples of the 5th dynasty 61

3.3 Administrating the Old Kingdom State 62

Neferirkara's archive at Abusir 62

Officialdom 64

3.4 Ideological Debates? 67

Problems of royal succession 67

The gods Horus and Ra 69

3.5 Foreign Relations 70

Contacts with Nubia 71

Contacts with Asia 72

The western desert 72

3.6 Later Traditions about the Old Kingdom 73

Djoser and Imhotep 73

Sneferu 74

The great pyramid builders 74

4 The End of the Old Kingdom and the First Intermediate Period (ca. 23452055) 77

4.1 Sources 78

4.2 The Rise of the Regions and Political Fragmentation 79

Nomes and nomarchs 79

Officials' biographies 79

Pepy II 83

Why did the Old Kingdom dissolve? 84

4.3 Foreign Relations 87

Nubian independence 87

The eastern desert and the Levant 89

Mercenaries 90

4.4 Competition between Herakleopolis and Thebes 90

Herakleopolis 90

Thebes 90

4.5 Appraising the First Intermediate Period 92

Middle Kingdom literary reflections 92

Historical critique 93

5 The Middle Kingdom (ca. 20551650) 95

5.1 Sources and Chronology 96

5.2 Kings and Regional Elites 98

Reunification and the 11th dynasty 99

The start of the 12th dynasty and the foundation of Itjtawi 99

Provincial powers in the early Middle Kingdom 101

Royal interference in the provinces 102

Administrative reorganization 104

Royal power in the 13th dynasty 104

5.3 Kings as Warriors 107

The annexation of Nubia 110

5.4 Egypt in the Wider World 112 Th...