Leiden University Student Repository

Cornelissen, Matthieu (2019)

Festivals and Feasts in Ancient Egypt

Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)

Throughout history religion has played an important role, as a means of connecting people, maintaining political power and social order, from the Ancient Near East to the Middle Ages and onwards to the 21st century. This thesis will focus on the role of religious festivals in Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome, the function these fulfilled in a socio-political context, and on how the two cultures differ from one another. In the case of Egypt, the state cult by which I refer to religious practices where the Pharaoh or priests appointed by him mediated between gods and men, was not accessible to the commoner. This in turn must have led to social tensions and inequality. During the festivals, the state cult was made more ‘accessible’ . The Roman festival we will be looking at, which is the Saturnalia, on the other hand, initiated a complete role reversal on a social level.

Festivals

Feasts

Egypt

Rome

Author

Cornelissen, Matthieu

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Egyptologie

Supervisors

Müller, Miriam

ECTS Credits

10

Language

en