Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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The Amarna Period is one of the most controversial times in Egyptian history and is characterized by significant political, economic, religious, artistic and administrative changes. The most...Show moreThe Amarna Period is one of the most controversial times in Egyptian history and is characterized by significant political, economic, religious, artistic and administrative changes. The most notorious controversy to modern eyes concerns Akhenaten's religious reforms and his vision of a ""monotheistic"" theological system. These reforms led to a conflict between Atenism -the new religion- and traditional Egyptian beliefs. A matter that remains uncertain is how Atenism affected the conception of the afterlife during that period. The influence of the Aten's cult on the funerary art was crucial, and under Akhenaten's reign, many traditional funerary scenes, such as references to the Netherworld are absent. Additionally, the absence of Osiris, who was the central pylon of the traditional mortuary ideology, is a crucial modification that has spurred many interpretations concerning the way that afterlife was conceived after the pharaoh's reforms. Thus, the main focus of this thesis is to designate the conception of the Netherworld during the Amarna Period in the light of the absence of traditional funerary iconography and inscriptions.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
2021-12-12T00:00:00Z
Dots found in administrative texts are known from the Old Kingdom onwards. Sometime during the late New Kingdom and early Third Intermediate period the occurrence and functions of dots augment and...Show moreDots found in administrative texts are known from the Old Kingdom onwards. Sometime during the late New Kingdom and early Third Intermediate period the occurrence and functions of dots augment and form a new system that reaches its pinnacle in the abnormal hieratic documents of the 25th and 26th dynasties. In one abnormal hieratic text of 26 lines over 100 dots are written with 10 different functions, such as ending sentences, introducing relative clauses, indicating a suffix pronomen and more. The system of dots is still partly noticeable in the early demotic material. This thesis analyses the different dots, strokes and ticks in 19 abnormal hieratic texts and includes a transcription of each one, as well as a list of corrections to readings from previous publications.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
under embargo until 2025-01-01
2025-01-01T00:00:00Z
The ancestors and conceptions of the afterlife have always been one of the most prevalent topics of research within Egyptology. From the ‘scenes of daily life’ in the tombs of the Old Kingdom to...Show moreThe ancestors and conceptions of the afterlife have always been one of the most prevalent topics of research within Egyptology. From the ‘scenes of daily life’ in the tombs of the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom books of the afterlife, a variety in interpretation is not lacking. It is perhaps due to this wealth of later evidence that the Early Dynastic period (c. 3000 – 2613 BCE) remains somewhat of a ‘Dark Age’ in the history of ancient Egypt. This dissertation explores the Early Dynastic attitude towards the tomb, the ancestors, and the afterlife by a holistic examination of the parts of the Early Dynastic tombs that were accessible after the interment of the tomb owner: the tomb superstructure and enclosure space. The corpus of the thesis consists of published superstructures from the Memphite area, that being the capital of Egypt at the time and most densely populated. The spaces are examined in a heuristic manner in Chapter One, with little initial reliance of previous identification and theory. Chapter Two features an examination of the material through the lenses of modern theories and methodologies. Included here are landscape biographies, the structure of the authority of things, human-thing entanglement, ancestor identity, and the ontological turn. The final chapter sees the reintegration of the material into a wider Egyptological framework. The resulting thesis has suggested that little to no uniformity can be seen in regards to post-mortem existence other than the social importance of the individual, and a subsequent wish for acknowledgement and offerings.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
The use of flowers in Egypt is well attested throughout all of its historical periods, yet a prominent use was taking practice, especially in the New Kingdom period. At the beginning of the New...Show moreThe use of flowers in Egypt is well attested throughout all of its historical periods, yet a prominent use was taking practice, especially in the New Kingdom period. At the beginning of the New Kingdom period, ancient Egypt restored its former power and glory, which resulted in wealth and splendor, especially for the royal and elite classes in the social strata. Replete with religious symbolism the rather rudimentary and simple floral decoration and offerings such as bundles of lilies and papyrus gave rise to much more artfully created designs of threaded floral garlands, collars, and bouquets characterized by the significant development of the floral wares. The primary objective of wearing adornments is for decorative purpose, but this was not always the case as in ancient times in many cases they were intended to represent a symbol of status, had a religious or protective function 1. Therefore, the goal of this research paper is to examine the symbolic attributes of the floral garlands and collars discovered adorning the mummies from the New Kingdom Period and early Third Intermediate Period in ancient Egypt. Firstly, an introduction will be given about the different techniques of production and the handicraftsmen who were in charge of creating these floral wreaths. Secondly, parallels of both types, collars, and garlands from royal and elite tombs will be discussed in order to achieve a more detailed identification of the vegetative elements. Further, depictions and representations of these floral adornments will be presented in forms of faience jewelry, imitations on regalia, depictions of floral garlands on furniture, coffins, and masks, wall paintings and other portrayals. Fourthly, all vegetative elements and their colors identified in this paper will be interpreted, and their symbolism will be discussed. Finally, in the last chapter, coming from the New Kingdom Period preserved written records of the symbolic meaning of these floral garlands will be presented, which will lead the reader to the main beliefs ancient Egyptians had for this type of fresh floral decoration.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
closed access
It is a well-known fact that hunting was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian society. From the Early-dynastic period onwards, hunting appears as an important subject in iconographical as well...Show moreIt is a well-known fact that hunting was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian society. From the Early-dynastic period onwards, hunting appears as an important subject in iconographical as well as in textual sources. In Egyptology hunting is often represented as a symbolic act of fighting the forces of evil, manifesting itself in animals. This idea is often applied to many sources in every historical period of Egyptian history, without taking into consideration the occurring changes on how hunting is represented to us in Egypt’s long history. The question is then: how did the concept of hunting and its significance develop from the Early-Dynastic Period to the New Kingdom 20th dynasty, and what are the main problems encountered when studying the development, and significance of hunting in ancient Egypt? In order to answer this question we must analyse the primary sources themselves. Iconographic depictions of hunting appear on royal monuments as well on monuments dedicated to the elite such as tombs, but also on objects used in daily life. Besides there are also textual sources which tell us about hunt. This great variety in contexts means it is paramount to study these sources in their proper context. This proves that most sources have their own significance in their own context, and that we cannot apply one single interpretation to all sources concerned with hunting. The primary sources indicate that the iconographical representation, and ideological meaning of hunting changed throughout Egyptian history. It is these changes that will be discussed during in this thesis. Different kinds of hunting will be discussed such as fishing, fowling, the hippopotamus hunt, and desert hunt.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
open access
Taweret is known throughout ancient Egypt as one of a multitude of protective deities, with her central intent on safeguarding women and children during the dangerous process of pregnancy,...Show moreTaweret is known throughout ancient Egypt as one of a multitude of protective deities, with her central intent on safeguarding women and children during the dangerous process of pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood. As a minor deity of the Egyptian pantheon, Taweret never had a cult centre in any known settlement and was relegated to small altars within households. Due to her minor status, there have been no in-depth studies to examine her influence within a settlement before. While many Egyptologists have extensively researched the settlement of Deir el-Medina, focus on the role of the goddess Taweret has been relegated to small paragraph descriptions and not of central concern. This paper shall examine the archaeological remains of Deir el-Medina which pertain to Taweret in order to determine the influence of the goddess within this unique community, and the possibility that there may have been a chapel within the community dedicated to her and a priesthood to support her. These archaeological remains shall be classified into: stelae, statues, ostraca, offering basins and grills, amulets, tomb decoration and evidence for a temple in order to give a holistic perspective of her prominence.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
closed access
This thesis examines all the material (reliefs, stelae, a statue and a papyrus) that in the past and/or the present have been/are connected to (the Memphite lost tomb of) Hormin. Hormin served as...Show moreThis thesis examines all the material (reliefs, stelae, a statue and a papyrus) that in the past and/or the present have been/are connected to (the Memphite lost tomb of) Hormin. Hormin served as the Overseer of the Royal Appartments of Memphis under the reigns of Seti I and Ramesses II. Based on criteria such as style, the Hormin material is defined and the origins of the incorrect connections to Hormin are investigated. Next to this, all the information is gathered in the Hormin material in order to attempt to reconstruct the life and career of Hormin. Moreover, the nineteenth century discovery and exploitation of the tomb, resulting in the material being spread over at least five museums (Bologna, Paris, Cairo, Leiden, Berlin), is examined. This information assists in deciding what can be said of Hormin's lost tomb and what not (architecture of the tomb; further material that can still be found in the tomb etc.). This thesis highlights the issues involved when studying New Kingdom Saqqara, especially material without a tomb context.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
closed access
This thesis aims to give an in depth look at the dummy writing and painting palettes of ancient Egypt. A suggested terminology of the subject is presented together with a corpus of dummy palettes...Show moreThis thesis aims to give an in depth look at the dummy writing and painting palettes of ancient Egypt. A suggested terminology of the subject is presented together with a corpus of dummy palettes and related objects. On the basis of this corpus the different aspects of the dummy palettes, such as their materials, symbolism, archaeological context, and ownership, are studied in order to reach a better understanding of why these objects were made and how they were meant to function.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
closed access
The thesis guides the scholar in recognizing intentional damage in wall reliefs from Vth Dynasty burials in Saqqara. Starting from a more generic introduction, the survey focuses on key points such...Show moreThe thesis guides the scholar in recognizing intentional damage in wall reliefs from Vth Dynasty burials in Saqqara. Starting from a more generic introduction, the survey focuses on key points such as the value of images and texts for ancient Egyptians, and tries to explain the reasons behind iconoclastic acts through different examples and statistical analysis between the selected tombs.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
open access
By means of the sign known as Gardiner F27, theory on classification in ancient Egyptian written language is juxtaposed with orthography in both hieroglyphic and hieratic writing. Existing theory,...Show moreBy means of the sign known as Gardiner F27, theory on classification in ancient Egyptian written language is juxtaposed with orthography in both hieroglyphic and hieratic writing. Existing theory, currently a hotly debated topic in Egyptological scholarship, is tested and modified by means of source data primarily from the Ramesside period in Egypt. In this way the thesis opens up promising new avenues for future research.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Oude culturen van de mediterrane wereld (Bachelor)
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Dit onderzoek behandelt de vraag of de koningsbaard, zoals afgebeeld in de Predynastieke Periode, het Oude, en het Nieuwe Rijk een valse baard was, zoals de consensus lijk te zijn binnen de...Show moreDit onderzoek behandelt de vraag of de koningsbaard, zoals afgebeeld in de Predynastieke Periode, het Oude, en het Nieuwe Rijk een valse baard was, zoals de consensus lijk te zijn binnen de Egyptologie, of niet. Voor het beantwoorden van deze vraag beroept de auteur zich op de relevante artefacten, en probeert conclusies te trekken aan de hand van iconografische kenmerken, statistisch onderzoek en psychologische theoriëen.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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The aim of this thesis is to achieve a wide study of Sheik Abd el Qurna during the XVIII Dynasty, not only through traditional approaches –quantitative analysis and prosopographical research–, but...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to achieve a wide study of Sheik Abd el Qurna during the XVIII Dynasty, not only through traditional approaches –quantitative analysis and prosopographical research–, but also through the landscape archaeology perspective in order to understand the development and the importance of this area. In order to do so, the methodological approach must be multidisciplinary. Quantitative analysis will be applied in order to understand the architectural development of the tombs. The prosopographic analysis will contribute to the identification of social relations and influences within the necropolis. Lastly, the landscape archaeology perspective will help us to understand the necropolis as an holistic element within ancient Egyptian beliefs. Understanding the necropolis as a whole, where all tombs shaped a large complex that ended up working as a sacred space, is necessary in order to give a semiotic meaning to landscape; a perspective not deeply studied yet. The symbolic complexity of Ancient Egyptians has been widely studied through its iconography or through its artistic elements but we have forgotten their own environment. Landscape is foremost a symbolic construction, a reference system where the different activities of a community acquire sense. Landscape is not a pre-existing reality, but a social and historically shaped one. This multidisciplinary approach will contribute to the understanding of the whole necropolis and also the role that Sheik Abd el-Qurna played in its development. Linking together the great material record of the funerary area with the symbolic thinking of Ancient Egyptian will create a wider insight into the Theban necropolis.Show less
