CCI 312: THE ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF EGYPT

Tuesday and Thursday 11-12:15, 232 McIver Building

Instructor: Professor Jeffrey Soles, 237A McIver Building (jssoles@uncg.edu);
Office hours: Monday 12-1 and by appointment

Required Texts:
J.S. Wilson, The Culture of Ancient Egypt
G. Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt

Books on Reserve:
I.E.S. Edwards, The Pyramids of Egypt
K. Michalowski, Art of Ancient Egypt
W.K. Simpson (ed.), The Literature of Ancient Egypt
I.E.S. Edwards, The Treasures of Tutankhamon


Student Learning Goals:
At the end of the semester students will:
  1. Demonstrate familiarity with the culture and history of ancient Egypt from its beginning in the Predynastic Age in the 5th millennium BC through to the time of Ramses the Great in the 13th century BC.
  2. Demonstrate familiarity with Egyptian archaeological monuments, and Egyptian intellectual thought as reflected in its religion and literature.
  3. Demonstrate an understanding of the unique cultural and intellectual achievements of the Egyptians as well as a sensitivity to the many cultural, social and political differences between ancient Egyptian and western civilizations.

Course Requirements:
Faithful attendance and good note-taking in class. Students are allowed ONE unexcused absence and will be dropped from the roll thereafter. Regular attendance and good note-taking are prerequisites for success in this class. Try to do the assigned reading in advance; so the material being discussed in class will be familiar to you.

There are two one-hour exams, which count 60% of your grade, plus the final exam, which counts 40%. For the second one-hour exam students may choose instead to write a research paper on one of the Egyptian objects in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh; the paper will be due the day of the exam.

Calendar of Lectures and Readings:

1/15
Introduction: The Topography of Egypt

J.S. Wilson, The Culture of Ancient Egypt, Ch. I
G. Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, Ch. 1

1/17 - 1/24
The Predynastic Period: The Emergence of Civilization, 6000-3100 B.C.

Wilson, Ch. II; Robins, Ch. 2


1/29 - 2/5
The Archaic Period: The Ascendancy of the Pharoah, 3100-2700 B.C.

Wilson, Ch. III; Robins, Ch. 2
I.E.S. Edwards, The Pyramids of Egypt, Ch. I
Consult: K. Michalowski, Art of Ancient Egypt, color plates, figs. 144-182 (RESERVE)

February 6: Lecture by Professor Matthew Adams, University of Pennsylvania, “Egypt’s Earliest Royal Monuments,” 8 PM, 103 Cone Building

2/7 - 2/14
The Old Kingdom I: The Age of Pyramids, 2700-2200 B.C.

Robins, Chs. 3-4; Wilson, Ch. IV; Edwards, Chs. II-V, VII

2/19 - 2/21
The Old Kingdom II: Religion and Literature

W.K. Simpson (ed.), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, "Introduction,” and “King Cheops and the Magicians." (RESERVE)

2/26 - 3/7
The Old Kingdom III: Sculpture and Painting

Consult: Michalowski, color plates, figs. 183-262

FEBRUARY 28 . . . . . . . EXAM #1

March 11 - March 15: Spring Break

3/19 - 3/21
The First Intermediate Period, 2200-2050 B.C., and The Middle Kingdom, 1990-1780 B.C.

Robins, Chs. 5-7; Wilson, Chs. V-VI; Edwards, Ch. VI;
W.K. Simpson (ed.), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, "The Story of Sinuhe." (RESERVE)
Consult: Michalowski, color plates, figs. 263-332


3/26 - 3/28
The Second Intermediate Period, 1800-1550 B.C., and The New Kingdom, 1550-1305 B.C.

Robins, Ch. 8; Wilson, Chs. VII-VIII

4/2 - 4/9
The Amarna Interlude and the Aton Cult, 1369-1342 B.C.

Robins, Ch. 9; Wilson, Ch. IX


APRIL 10 . . . . . . . . . EXAM #2 or RESEARCH PAPER


4/11 - 4/23
Tutankhamon and the Collapse of the 18th Dynasty, 1342-1305 B.C.

Consult: I.E.S. Edwards, The Treasures of Tutankhamon, passim; Michalowski, color plates, figs. 333-501

4/25 - 4/30
Middle and Late Egyptian Literature

Simpson, The Literature of Ancient Egypt: "The Shipwrecked Sailor," "The Maxims of Ptahhotep," "Love Songs and the Song of the Harper" (RESERVE)

5/2 - 5/7
The Age of Ramses and Egyptian Empire, 1305-1090 B.C.

Robins, Ch. 10; Wilson, Ch. X


MAY 14: 12-3 PM . . . . . . . . FINAL EXAM