M103A Ancient Egyptian History Age of the Pyramids

Fall 2012
Course description: This course offers an introduction to the early history of Pharaonic Egypt from state formation in the late 4th millennium BCE to the Second Intermediate Period around 1700 BCE. It is the first part of a three-part series of courses on the history of ancient Egypt (ANE M103 A-C: Age of the Pyramids, Age of Empire, Age of Foreign Rule). Through the careful evaluation of archaeological, material, and textual sources in combination, we will examine how the pharaonic state emerged, functioned, and collapsed in this time period. Our focus is not on reconstructing historical events (narrative history), but on understanding how complex societies come about and why social inequality is part and parcel of complex civilization. In addition to the basic historical outline, topics include introduction of agriculture, emergence of writing, state formation, kingship ideology, pyramids, bureaucracy, funerary culture, climate change. This class is about ancient Egypt, yet its subject matter is relevant to us today. As one of the first complex civilizations to arise, ancient Egypt helps us understanding why human beings form complex societies in the first place, how they sustain it, and what they do when the system collapses.

Instructor: Office: Email: Office hours: Mailbox: Phone: TAs

TA office:

Jacco Dieleman, Associate Professor of Egyptology 394 Humanities Building dieleman@humnet.ucla.edu Monday, 1-3PM 378 Humanities Building 310-206-1396 Emily Cole emilycole@ucla.edu Christine Johnston cljohnston@ucla.edu Meryl King merylking@gmail.com Kandace Pansire pansire@humnet.ucla.edu 67A Humanities Building

Time and Place Activity Lecture Discussion session 1A Discussion session 1B Discussion session 1C Discussion session 1D Discussion session 1E Discussion session 1F Discussion session 1G Discussion session 1H

Time TR 3:30 PM-4:45 PM W 1-1:50PM F 1-1:50PM W 2-2:50PM R 2-2:50PM W 2-2:50PM F 11-11:50AM F 12-12:50PM F 3-3:50PM

Room Franz 1178 Bunche 3150 Bunche 3170 Bunche 2178 Bunche 2168 Pub Aff 2242 Bunche 2156 Royce 156 Bunche 3143

Instructor/TA Dieleman King Cole Pansire Johnston Johnston Cole King Pansire

Syllabus, fall 2012: M103A Ancient Egyptian History Age of the Pyramids

Course work: Students attend lecture twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday afternoon) and a discussion session once a week (see schedule of sessions on previous page). The lecture will offer an integrated perspective on the history of Egypt in general and the required readings in particular. The discussion sessions are meant to review your lecture notes and the required readings and to discuss selected primary sources in English translation in the light of the required readings. In addition to group discussion, the sessions will also prepare you for writing the two response papers. Your TAs will help you with selecting primary and secondary sources, developing your analysis, and crafting your argument. You will also spend time critiquing each others arguments in class. Examination: There are a midterm and final examination, both consisting of a combination of identifications, short answer questions, and essay questions. The exams will test your knowledge of the chronology and major historical developments in ancient Egypt as well as your ability to apply source criticism and to assess current scholarly debates on the history of ancient Egypt. Questions are based on information provided in lecture and the required readings. In addition to these two written exams, you are also required to write two response papers to the two sections from Barry Kemps textbook called respectively Establishing Identity (3 chapters) and The Provider State (2 chapters). In these two response papers you must display that you master the subject matter and course materials enough to engage with the complex arguments put forth in these two book sections. To prepare for this assignment you have to complete an online information literacy tutorial before October 9 (see course website for link) and submit through the course website to your TA five short reading reports of the book chapters in question during the quarter (see weekly schedule). The response papers are due at the end of the quarter, so that you have sufficient time to acquire a firm understanding of Egypts history and the scholarly methods used to reconstruct this history. The prompt for the response papers is available on the course website. Grading: % of grade 5% 5% 5% 5% 25% 25% 30% Type of work attendance in discussion session participation in discussion sessions completion of online information literacy tutorial (before October 8) submission of homework (5 reading reports; submission after deadline = 0 pts) midterm: Tuesday, November 6, in class final exam: Thursday, December 6, in class (final class session) response paper: due date Wed Dec. 12, 5pm !! must be submitted through Turnitin (accessible through MyUCLA)

Your attendance and participation grades will be determined by your TA. Midterm, final exam and response papers will be graded by TAs and instructor.

Grading scale: letter grade A+ A points 97-100 94-96 achievement level Student has excellent knowledge of Egyptian history and the relevant source materials; is capable of evaluating the validity of current theories and methodologies in the study of Egyptian history; has the skills to develop and sustain a scholarly argument on Egyptian history in writing by carefully and meaningfully combining primary and reliable secondary sources. Student has good knowledge of Egyptian history and the relevant source materials; is mostly aware of the limitations of current theories and methodologies in the study of Egyptian history; has the ability to develop and sustain a scholarly argument on Egyptian history in writing, but requires more training in carefully and meaningfully combining primary and secondary sources. Student has rudimentary knowledge of Egyptian history and the relevant source materials; has difficulty with reflecting critically on the theories and methods used in reconstructing Egyptian history; writing is driven by argumentation but lacks precision and clear organization. Student has limited knowledge of Egyptian history and the relevant source materials; is not capable to reflect critically on the methods used in reconstructing Egyptian history; writing is hardly driven by clear argumentation and tends to be disorganized. Student has neither acquired any knowledge of Egyptian history, nor the skills required to reconstruct Egyptian history; has poor writing skills.

AB+ B

90-93 87-89 84-86

BC+ C

80-83 77-79 74-76

CD+ D

70-73 67-69 64-66

DF

60-63 0-59

Cheating and plagiarism: Cheating on exams and plagiarism in your response papers will be reported to the Dean of Students without exception. The Dean will decide on type of disciplinary action. Days and times of exams and deadlines are fixed. Late submission or absence from exam will result in an F grade unless student the student has a legitimate excuse (doctors note required as evidence of illness).

Required readings: Textbooks: Marc Van De Mieroop, 2011. A History of Ancient Egypt: Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Barry Kemp, 1989. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization: London. Routledge Individual chapters and articles (available as pdf on course website): Michael Mann, Societies as Organized Power Networks, from The Sources of Social Power vol. I: A History of Power from the Beginning to A.D. 1760 (Cambridge 1986). Douglas J. Brewer, The Predynastic Period: Egypt in its Infancy, The Late Predynastic: Naqada III and the Quest for Power, In Search of Egypts First Pharaoh, from: Ancient Egypt: Foundations of a Civilization (Harlow 2005), pp. 72-143. Gnter Dreyer, Tomb U-j: a Royal Burial of Dynasty 0 at Abydos, from: Emily Teeter (ed.), Before the Pyramids (Chicago 2011), pp. 127-36. Laurel Bestock, The First Kings of Egypt: the Abydos Evidence, from: Emily Teeter (ed.), Before the Pyramids (Chicago 2011), pp. 137-44. Toby Wilkinson, The Early Dynastic Period from: Alan B. Lloyd (ed.), A Companion to Ancient Egypt (Malden 2010), pp 48-62. Kathryn A. Bard, The 3rd Dynasty: Djosers Step Pyramid at Saqqara, from: An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt (Malden 2008), pp. 128-33. Janet Richards, Kingship and Legitimation, from: Willeke Wendrich (ed.), Egyptian Archaeology (Malden 2010), pp. 55-84. Stephan Seidlmayer, The First Intermediate Period (c.2160-2055 BC), from: Ian Shaw (ed.), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford 2000), pp. 118-47. Denise M. Doxey, Funerary Beliefs and Practices in the Middle Kingdom, from: Rita E. Freed (eds.), The Secrets of Tomb 10A (Boston 2009), pp. 39-63. Josef Wegner, Tradition and Innovation: the Middle Kingdom, from: Willeke Wendrich (ed.), Egyptian Archaeology (Malden 2010), pp. 119-42. Wolfram Grajetzki, Society, from: The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. History, Archaeology and Society (London 2006), pp. 139-65. Primary sources in translation (available as pdf on course website): A selection of Predynastic decorated palettes and mace heads Autobiographies from the Old Kingdom Autobiographies from First Intermediate Period The Prophecy of Neferti The Story of Sinuhe The Loyalist Instruction Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III The Semna Stela 3 letters of Heqanakht

Weekly Schedule with required readings items marked with * are posted as pdf on the course website Thu, Sept 27 Week 1 Tue, Oct 2 Thu, Oct 4 Week 2 Tue, Oct 9 Introduction to the class, syllabus, paper, etc.; the origins of complex civilization suggested reading: *Mann, Societies as Organized Power Networks Introduction: chronology, landscape and sources Van de Mieroop ch. 1: Introductory Concerns Introduction, cont. Kemp ch. 1: Who were the Ancient Egyptians? Predynastic Egypt Van de Mieroop ch. 2: The Formation of the Egyptian State *Brewer, The Predynastic Period: Egypt in its Infancy *Brewer, The Late Predynastic: Naqada III and the Quest for Power Kemp ch. 2: Intellectual Foundations of Early State Predynastic Egypt *Dreyer, Tomb U-j *Brewer, In Search of Egypts First Pharaoh *A selection of Predynastic decorated palettes and mace heads Early Dynastic Egypt (dynasties 1-3) *Bestock, First Kings of Egypt *Wilkinson, The Early Dynastic Period *Bard, The 3rd Dynasty: Djosers Step Pyramid at Saqqara Early Dynastic Egypt Kemp ch. 3: The Dynamics of Culture Early Old Kingdom (dynasty 4) Van de Mieroop ch. 3: The Great Pyramid Builders *Selections from the Pyramid Texts Early Old Kingdom Kemp ch. 4: The Bureaucratic Mind Late Old Kingdom (dynasties 5-6) *Richards, Kingship and Legitimation *Three Autobiographies of the Old Kingdom Late Old Kingdom Van de Mieroop ch. 4: The End of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period MIDTERM in class First Intermediate Period *Seidlmayer, The First Intermediate Period *Autobiographies from First Intermediate Period Rise of the Middle Kingdom (dyn. 11) Van de Mieroop ch. 5: The Middle Kingdom *The Prophecies of Neferti

Thu, Oct 11

Week 3

Tue, Oct 16

Thu, Oct 18 Week 4 Tue, Oct 23

Thu, Oct 25 Week 5 Tue, Oct 30

Thu, Nov 1 Week 6 Tue, Nov 6 Thu, Nov 8

Week 7

Tue, Nov 13

Thu Nov 15 Week 8

Rise of the Middle Kingdom *Doxey, Funerary Beliefs and Practices in the Middle Kingdom Tue, Nov 20 Middle Kingdom (dyn. 12-14) *The Story of Sinuhe *The Loyalist Instruction *Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III *The Semna Stela Thu, Nov 22 Thanksgiving no lecture Middle Kingdom *Wegner, Tradition and Innovation *Grajetzki, Middle Kingdom Society Thu, Nov 29 Middle Kingdom Kemp, ch. 5: Model Communities *3 letters of Heqanakht Tue, Dec 4 Second Intermediate Period Van de Mieroop ch. 6: The Second Intermediate Period and Hyksos Thu, Dec 6 Final Exam in class!! Wed, Dec 12 Response papers due by 5pm!! Tue, Nov 27

Week 9

Week 10

Finals Week