Egyptian Dreams

[Paddy]

[Ranoferhotep]

[Meritamon]

Somebody needed to revive this.


I'm re-reading The Mask of Ra by P.C. Doherty
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[Medjay Archer]

Daily Life of the Nubians by Robert Bianchi.
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Kmt is not a racial term nor a reference to the black silt deposited on the Nile valley, but an expression of "standing on place wherein food is plenty, allowing to stop moving like the neighbouring nomads". -Asar Imhotep

[Meritamon]

People of the Pharaohs by Hilary Wilson.
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[Medjay Archer]

The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization by László Török.

Personally scanned from a local University library. I'm a cheap chap.
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Kmt is not a racial term nor a reference to the black silt deposited on the Nile valley, but an expression of "standing on place wherein food is plenty, allowing to stop moving like the neighbouring nomads". -Asar Imhotep

[Meritamon]

Secrets of the Sands- The Revelations of Egypt's Everlasting Oasis by Harry Thurston. It's more pre-history than ancient, but still rather interesting.
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[Medjay Archer]

I have just finished reading the thesis "The iconography of humiliation: The depiction and treatment of bound foreigners in New Kingdom Egypt" by Mark Jazen.

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To make a swift summary (especially the beginning as I started the paper months ago), it attempts to demonstrate that the academicians are too subjective in regards their views of Egypt as a civilized nation incapable of atrocities (except during the proto-dynastic period). Given the war iconography seemingly reports paradigmatic and stereotypical sceneries like the "Smiting Scene", "Battle Scenes" and the omnipresent "Bounded Foes", it was mostly discarded for being anhistorical, thus a fool's errand to extract any pertinent information other than the ideological view of kingship's necessity to shoo away forces of chaos. Through a long introductory presentation of different vectors of such iconography (bounded enemies on thrones, the bases of statues, under royal sandals, on the head of a walking stick, etc./ special missed details about Battle Scenes and Smiting Scenes), he draws several interesting conclusions indicating its higher historical value than formerly assumed by the scholarly community. He ends his paper by comparing the very value of "Celebration over the foreign vanquished" in contemporaneous civilizations such as Assyria, Rome and several Native American Early Nations to make a parallel with the iconography of Egypt and demonstrating that Egypt, despite its personal artistic sensibilities and vague presentation of brutal acts, is as much of a brutal ancient civilization as coeval "civilized" monarchies.


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However, still stagnant about "The Kingdom of Kush: Handbook of the Napatan-Meroitic Civilization by László Török. " because I went too hard into Assyrian epigraphy related to the period of SargonII+Sennacherib+Esarhaddon+Assurbanipal.

"The Mechanics of Ancient. Egyptian Magical Practice by. R. Ritner." also remained stagnant at ~60% read as I peruse carefully his reasonings (not always readily accessible for a non-expert). Nonetheless, one of the greatest dissertations to quite get into the Egyptian mindset. I really liked his long reasonings about Mirgissa's deposits proving at the end that a simply overturned skull (seemingly bearing physionomy of a Nubian) represents not only a ritual killing (a.k.a. sacrifice), but all the collateral symbolic meanings such as presence of wax, overturning (leading to a change of bodily functions such as expelling excrements from the mouth) is one evil that can be retraced as early as the Pyramid Texts, etc. A book with every proposed assertion carefully referenced and demonstrated.
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Kmt is not a racial term nor a reference to the black silt deposited on the Nile valley, but an expression of "standing on place wherein food is plenty, allowing to stop moving like the neighbouring nomads". -Asar Imhotep

[Medjay Archer]

[Iker]

I will read it when I get the chance but the abstract doesn't excite.

"Lastly, why have Egyptologists been so reluctant to study this material?"
He is following in the footsteps of Toby Wilkinson who thinks Egyptologists view Ancient Egypt through rose tinted lenses, but smiting scenes etc. have been covered by Egytologists from early days, e.g Budge, Erman and in recent works such as "The Narmer Palette: A New Interpretation" by David O'Conner who alludes to solar symbolism in these scenes that appeared throughout A.E history.

"Some captives, particularly enemy leaders, were publicly executed as important components to Egyptian ritual or state ceremonies and celebrations."
Do executions in the USA no longer have a public component? The presence of clergy at executions was once commonplace and no more so when the execution was a result of heresy. It was only in comparatively modern times that such executions ended in Christian countries.

I think most modern scholars would hesitate before jumping in with both feet and standing in judgment over an ancient civilization as they do not wish to be seen as blind to what has happened in their own cultures.

There was no United Nations, no universal charter of human rights, no International Court of Justice. Emerging civilzations appeared in a dog-eat-dog world. (I sometimes wonder if the more pacifistic wisdom texts such as Amenemope contributed to the decline of A.E in contrast to the more assertive stance that evicted the Hyksos and led to empire).

I wonder what ancient cultures who valued fertility, children as being gifts from the god(s) would think of the number of abortions that take place in the West? Maybe when they look at dropping atomic bombs on cities they would wonder why we think so highly of ourselves.

Maybe the thesis is a good read but as I said the abstract doesn't thrill me.
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O our Mother Nut, spread your wings over us so that we may be counted amongst the imperishable stars within you and that we may not die

[tripnfelt]

What's a good book recommended for a complete beginner deutsch learner on any subject AE related? (A kids book would be fine) I hope to be able to use the wörterbuch der aegyptischen with ease and read AE research, journals and books in deutsch by the time I finish my studies but need to begin at the beginning ^___^. Thanks!

[Iker]

[Naunacht]

Like the other books in the series it's a completely ahistorical romp but a fun one.

Admittedly, while my left brain was enjoying the antics of Smith's hero, the castrated genius, Taita, my right brain was screaming things like "there were no domesticated camels in the 17th dynasty" or "they're riding horses--with stirrups?". Smith's depiction of Minoan Crete as a colorless Taliban like society which repressed women pretty much flies in the face of the evidence about that culture but on the other hand Taita's battle with a giant aurochs bull which offends the gods couldn't have happened any where else so I'll forgive it.

As long as you can keep your outraged right brain under wraps, Desert Godis an entertaining and fast moving yarn. [/i]

[Lutz]

[Meritamon]

I reading a few Akhenaten related books...

Akhenaten Dweller in Truth by Naguib Mahfouz
Akhenaten and the Religion of Light by Erik Hornung
Pillar of Fire by Judith Tarr
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