This course surveys ancient Egyptian pharaonic civilization. It emphasizes Egyptian material culture: pyramids, temples, tombs, settlements, and artifacts. The course explores major developmental themes that defined the Egyptian state: the geographical landscape, kingship, social stratification, and religion. It follows a chronological path with excursions into Egyptian art, history, politics, religion, literature, and language (hieroglyphs). It also touches on contemporary issues of object repatriation, archaeology and cultural nationalism, and the evolution of modern Egyptology. Local students may participate in field trips to the Egyptian collections of the Peabody Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, along with immersive 3D computer models in Harvard's Visualization Center.
