Anthropology 176TS Syllabus Spring 2000

Ancient Egyptian Religion

What’s up with this dog headed guy? And what is he doing with that Mummy?

How and why did the Egyptians make Mummies anyhow?

And what about those Pyramids? How could they possibly have built them and why would they want to?

Discover the answers to these questions and explore the mysterious realm of ancient Egyptian Religion, with its massive temples, multitude of gods and goddesses and fascinating funeral rites. Perform actual Egyptian temple and funeral rituals, and a 2500 year old play “The Triumph of Horus”!

This course will investigate ancient Egyptian religious beliefs and practices, their origin, and development. The great mythic Solar Cycle of creation and Osirian Cycle of betrayal and revenge, death and rebirth are discussed, as well as the place of the myriad local and minor Gods and Goddesses within Egyptian mythology. The dynamics behind the monotheistic “Revolution” of Pharaoh Akhenaton are investigated, and the connections of Atenism with Moses, Israelite Monotheism and the Bible explored. The interaction of sacred and secular in Egyptian society is considered through the nature of divine kingship, large temple institutions, and funerary foundations. The relationship between the state cults and private worship by noble and commoner is explored, and the nature and potency of ancient Egyptian magic and curses investigated. The nature and development of Egyptian funerary beliefs are also detailed, including the history and significance of pyramids and tombs, mummification, and the process of ‘democratization’ of the afterlife, as individuals gradually took hold of their own destinies after death at the expense of the Pharaohs.

Instructor: Stuart Tyson Smith Office & Contact: 1016 HSSB, 893-7887, stsmith@sscf.ucsb.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 2-4 and by appointment.

TA: Hendrick VanGijseghem Office & Contact: 2042 HSSB, hv1@umail.ucsb.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays 9-11, Wednesdays 3-4, and by appointment.

Time & Place: Monday, Wednesday, 12:30-1:45; South Hall 1431.

Course Requirements

The course will have a midterm (30%) and final exam (60%). Participation in the re-created ceremonies and play (or a short paper as a make-up) will also be required (10%). Each exam will consist of a pictorial identification section (20%), a set of short description identifications of important deities, individuals, places, and concepts (40%), and an essay question (40%). For each section there will be some choice of what to answer (e.g., identify 10 of 15 place names listed, one of two essay questions, etc.). Study questions will be handed out at least two meetings before each exam and gone over in class. Make up exams can be scheduled if there is any difficulty in attending on an exam day. If possible, arrange this before the exam is given, otherwise a penalty may be assessed (a valid excuse such as illness will never be penalized). Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in a grade of F for that exam.

Readings will be assigned from the following (see Course Schedule for specific assignments):

Stephen Quirke, Ancient Egyptian Religion, British Museum Press, London, 1992.

Peter Clayton, Chronicle of the Pharaohs, Thames and Hudson, New York, 1994 (More for general background than detailed reading).

William Kelly Simpson, ed., The Literature of Ancient Egypt, Yale University Press, 1972.

Stuart Tyson Smith, “They did take it with them,” KMT magazine, 1992. On reserve at the Library.

Course Schedule

Week 1. Introduction: Brief review of Egyptian history, nature of the sources, Overview of Egyptian Religion.

D Say a 3500 year old ancient Egyptian prayer in real ancient Egyptian!

Quirke, pp. 7-20; Clayton (6-13; introductions to each period and skim).

Week 2. The Solar Cycle: The Egyptian Myth of the Origins of Life. Ra and the great Solar Cycle. Local Gods and the Solar Cycle, related myths.

Quirke, pp. 21-51.

Week 3. The Osiris Myth: Osiris’ death, rebirth and role as King in the Afterlife. The struggle between Horus and Seth and the nature of Divine Kingship.

D Perform “The Triumph of Horus” – a 2200 year old play!

Quirke, pp. 52-69; Simpson, pp. 289-95; 108-126..

Week 4. King and God: The nature of Egyptian Kingship. The King as enforcer of Ma‘at (order, rightness) on earth and the Solar Cycle. Temple institutions, pious funerary foundations and the state bureaucracy.

Quirke, pp. 70-104; Clayton p. 218; Simpson, pp. 142-158, 180-240, 279-288.

Week 5. Religion and the People: The State Cults and private worship. Religion and moral values. Minor deities of the household. Akhenaton and the Amarna Revolution.

D Discover the proper way to awaken a God or Goddess by performing the daily temple ritual!

Quirke, pp. 105-140; Clayton 120-139 and skim for temples; Simpson, pp. 159-179, 241-68, 337-347.

Week 6. Mid-Term exam. Daily life and Egyptian magic, stories of magicians. Magic and the State, magic and medicine, magic and crime. The ancestor cult and Letters to the Dead.

Simpson, pp. 15-30, 50-58, 92-107, 137-141.

Week 7. The origins and development of Egyptian funerary beliefs. Ka, Akh, and Ba: The Egyptian Soul and the ‘democratization of the afterlife.’ Mummification and the afterlife.

D Perform the “Opening of the Mouth” ceremony to bring Mummies back to life!

Quirke, pp. 141-172; Simpson, pp. 269-278.

Week 8. The origins and development of Pyramids as a royal and private funerary monument. Nubian (Sudanese) Pyramids.

Clayton, pp. 14-89; 190-95.

Week 9. Private burial and tombs in the Old Kingdom through the Middle Kingdom. Private and Royal Burial in the Second Intermediate Period through the New Kingdom.

D Perform a 5000 year old Egyptian funerary ritual to feed the dead!

Clayton, pp. 90-171; Smith, They did take it with them (on reserve).

Week 10. Private and royal burial and tombs from the Third Intermediate Period through the Greco-Roman Period. The Legacy of Egyptian Religion. Egypt’s place in world religious history. Egypt and the Bible.

Quirke, pp. 173-85; Clayton, pp. 171-217.

Final Exam, Monday June 12, 12-3 pm.