This thesis tries to answer questions about aegyptiaca at certain Greek sanctuaries in the Archaic period. We hope to shed light on aspects of Greek-Egyptian contact and exchange, as well as the...Show moreThis thesis tries to answer questions about aegyptiaca at certain Greek sanctuaries in the Archaic period. We hope to shed light on aspects of Greek-Egyptian contact and exchange, as well as the Greek perception of ‘Egyptian’, and Greek religious practice. As background are discussed the theories behind material culture studies, the general history of Greek-Egyptian contact, the Greek view on Egypt as discussed by Herodotus, and the nature of Greek sanctuaries and votive dedications. Then, a closer look is taken at certain sanctuaries: Samos, Ephesus, Perachora, Artemis Orthia, Delphi and Olympia. The aegyptiaca at these sites are discussed. Based on these data alone a conclusive answer to our question cannot be found. However, it becomes clear that these items were part of a complex and wide exchange system, rather than the result of direct contact between Archaic Greece and Egypt.Show less
The guard houses of Minoan Crete are often said to be defensible buildings, based on their location and architecture. However, were they really defensible? To answer the question of how defensible...Show moreThe guard houses of Minoan Crete are often said to be defensible buildings, based on their location and architecture. However, were they really defensible? To answer the question of how defensible these buildings were, three different methods were applied to a sample of guard houses. These methods were Least Cost Path analysis, the calculation of a Defensibility Index value, and Space Syntax with Visibility Graph Analysis. These methods have never been tried before and the results give new insight in how defensible these guard houses actually were. Not only from the outside, but from the inside as well. The results have confirmed that these guard houses are generally defensible buildings, although the defensibility differs per building and per method. In the future, a higher quality DEM and better datasets, that fix most of the flaws in the results presented here, will provide an even more accurate perspective on these guard houses.Show less
The Roman army in Egypt is not much presented in the archaeology. The study of ancient Egypt is mainly done by Egyptologists who are more concerned with the Pharaonic era than the Roman era....Show moreThe Roman army in Egypt is not much presented in the archaeology. The study of ancient Egypt is mainly done by Egyptologists who are more concerned with the Pharaonic era than the Roman era. Furthermore the history of research in Egypt is mostly about the papyri that are found. The papyri of Egypt are a major source for our knowledge of the Roman army. This phenomenon produces problems when it comes to the archaeology of Roman Egypt. However in this thesis I try to focus on the known archaeological sites in Egypt which can tell something about the Roman military presence and its function. The popularity of Pharaonic Egypt is fairly reasonable because it was a long prosperous period for Egypt. The Egyptian pharaohs ruled approximately from 3000 B.C. till the Persian conquest in the seventh century B.C.1 which is long compared to the Roman occupation which lasted roughly 300 years when Byzantine rule is not counted. This different approach to the history of Egypt is clearly seen in books which introduce the reader or give an overview of ancient Egypt, for example An Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt by Katherine Bard.2 Only one chapter is about the Roman rule. The length of the Pharaonic period demands this but it steals a lot of focus from the Roman period. Strangely enough because of the papyri, which only survive in Egypt, there is a lot of knowledge about the Roman army. R.O. Fink describes many aspects of the Roman army in Roman Military Records on Papyrus published in 1971.3 More recent books describe the Roman army in a historical sense. However in this thesis I want to focus on the archaeological side of the Roman army and compare its function to other provinces. Obviously I will also use some written sources but I will try to give mainly the archaeological point of view in order to get a different perspective. This thesis focuses on three issues: What was the function of the Roman army in Egypt? Is the function of the Roman army unique in Egypt or can it be recognized in other provinces? What can the archaeology of the Roman army in Egypt tells us of the Roman army in general? In order to give answers to these problems I have to give an overview of the archaeology of the Roman army in Egypt. Due to the reasons mentioned above this forms a problem on its own. The literature of Roman archaeology in Egypt is very limited. Most specific research is carried out in the Eastern Desert where some quarry sites are excavated. However other sites throughout Egypt are scarcely researched and often without archaeological methods.4 So the available literature is scattered and the goal of this thesis is also to make an overview of all this data. The first chapter gives an overview of the Roman army in general. The army is the most important feature on which the Roman Empire is build on. This feature shall be elaborated in the first chapter. The next chapter gives an overview of the Roman army in Egypt. This history will show the background of the Roman army and its location within Egypt. In the third chapter I will discuss the recruitment and function of the Roman soldiers. In the final two chapters I will discuss the various military installations. In the conclusion the contents of these chapters fall together in order to answer the above-mentioned issues.Show less
