Land of the Pharaohs: An Introduction to Ancient Egypt

Catalog description

In Land of the Pharaohs, we will use a combination of reading, writing, lecture, and discussion to address some of the most common questions people have about ancient Egypt and about how we are able to reconstruct parts of its history and culture, including (but not limited to): What motivated the ancient Egyptians to invest so much effort and wealth into their tombs and temples? What was life like for most ancient Egyptians? What was expected of members of society? How did this differ if one was a man or a women? How do Egyptian hieroglyphs work? Are they “picture writing”? What do we really know about ancient Egypt and how do we know it? The primary sources that we will use to answer these and other questions include: literature, letters, and administrative records; mythological stories about ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses and about creation; material culture/archaeological remains, such as artifacts found in graves; and art and architecture.