Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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This thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of Arabic language sources in Athanasius Kircher's Obeliscus Pamphilius. This thesis views these quotations within the context of the development of Egyptology as a scientific discipline. It examines the classically inspired discipline of renaissance Egyptology and the influence it had on Kirhcer's views on ancient Egypt. After an excursus on the Pamphilian obelisk, the thesis examines medieval Arabic writing on ancient Egypt. Finally, the use of the Arabic sources in Obeliscus Pamphilius is explored through a number of case-studies.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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This thesis is focused on determining the function of the Middle Kingdom funerary gardens found in Thebes at TT366 and near TT11. This is done through a comparative study using textual,...Show moreThis thesis is focused on determining the function of the Middle Kingdom funerary gardens found in Thebes at TT366 and near TT11. This is done through a comparative study using textual, archaeological and artistic evidence of gardens with different functions and contexts.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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The ideological demarcation of the Egyptian state boundaries, as expressed in the official iconography and ideological narrative, is a pivotal feature of the ancient Egyptian mindset. From the...Show moreThe ideological demarcation of the Egyptian state boundaries, as expressed in the official iconography and ideological narrative, is a pivotal feature of the ancient Egyptian mindset. From the Twelfth Dynasty onwards, this delineation of the Egyptian territory materializes itself in the solid man-made structures, which physically set the frontiers in the south and the north-east of the country. There have been little scholarly attempts, however, to investigate the borderlands in the region located immediately to the west of Nile Valley, in the area today broadly defined as the Western (or Libyan) Desert.The main aim of this thesis, therefore, is to reconstruct the functional parameter of the governing agents in Dakhla Oasis - the local governors and the military institution - so that the Middle Kingdom Western frontier could be defined within its performative framework. For this purpose, a corpus of the regular titles, attributed to these active agents, is studied and subsequently compared with the ones from the contemporaneous Southern Frontier in the Lower Nubia.Show less
This thesis looks at something that goes beyond the cult of the dead, actively seeking contact and giving messages to the deceased. The occasional pragmatic contact with the dead could almost be...Show moreThis thesis looks at something that goes beyond the cult of the dead, actively seeking contact and giving messages to the deceased. The occasional pragmatic contact with the dead could almost be seen as magical practices to manipulate or influence the dead to do something. Egypt and Mesopotamia are considered in this thesis because from Egypt we have the so-called letters to the dead but Mesopotamia does not have these, but is in this thesis discussed as which comparable practices can be found in Mesopotamia and whether the deceased could be approached on specific moments, and for specific purposes.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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This thesis examines the role of Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) in relation to the goddess Hathor, as found in Hathoric festivals in the New Kingdom. Theories from the fields of psychology...Show moreThis thesis examines the role of Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) in relation to the goddess Hathor, as found in Hathoric festivals in the New Kingdom. Theories from the fields of psychology and anthropology are introduced to establish a working definition of ASCs and to give an overview of the terminology in use for ASCs in contexts of religion. Various types of ancient Egyptian sources are discussed, such as myths, hymns, temple and tomb decoration, love poems and dream reports. The sources provide insight into the occurrence of ASCs, their role and their connection to the goddess Hathor.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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The Late Bronze Age presents a peak in the cultural interactions between the different empires of the Eastern Mediterranean. Both bulk goods and small quantities of luxury products were exchanged...Show moreThe Late Bronze Age presents a peak in the cultural interactions between the different empires of the Eastern Mediterranean. Both bulk goods and small quantities of luxury products were exchanged between the kings and the local elite over long distances. In April 2019, one of these luxury products was discovered at the Cypriot site of Pyla-Kokkinokremos. This was an Egyptian calcite-alabaster drop jar incised with geometric and floral decorations. This master's thesis places this unique find in a broader context by undertaking a detailed comparative study of all the decorated calcite-alabaster drop jars discovered in Egypt, the Levant, and Cyprus. By doing this, the function, value, and role of the calcite-alabaster drop jar throughout the Eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age will be proposed. For all the calcite-alabaster drop jars discovered in Egypt, the Levant, and Cyprus, the shapes, decorations, find contexts, and associated finds will be described in detail. Furthermore, a closer look will be taken at the faience and bronze drop jars, the iconographical representations, textual sources, and results of the residue analyses of the preserved remains inside of several drop jars. In Egypt, drop-shaped ceramic vessels were starting from the First Intermediate period commonly used as storage jars. This drop shape was starting from the New Kingdom adopted for smaller vessels produced in more precious materials, such as calcite-alabaster, bronze, and faience. The find of these drop jars in a rich variety of contexts, not only in Egypt, but also throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, makes this group of objects exceptional. Eight calcite-alabaster drop jars were discovered in Egypt, originating from mainly royal and elite tombs buried with a variety of other precious objects. In addition to the calcite-alabaster drop jar discovered at the short-lived trading settlement of Pyla-Kokkinokremos, three calcite-alabaster drop jars were unearthed in the royal palace at Megiddo and in a rich tomb in the Kharji cave at Beirut. The finds of the drop jars in a variety of contexts throughout the Eastern Mediterranean constitute of compelling evidence for the function and value of the calcite-alabaster drop jar in Egypt, the Levant, and Cyprus, and its role in the diplomatic exchanges.Show less
Master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (MA)
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This thesis begins with an overview of the relationship between the Apis bull and different Egyptian dynasties over time, before using this analysis as the foundation for the analysis of the...Show moreThis thesis begins with an overview of the relationship between the Apis bull and different Egyptian dynasties over time, before using this analysis as the foundation for the analysis of the relationship between the Apis bull and the Ptolemaic dynasty, looking at how the Ptolemies treated the cult and invested in it, as well as what they received in return, suggesting some potential reasons and motivations for the things seen.Show less
Research master thesis | Classics and Ancient Civilizations (research) (MA)
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Since the 1990s the field of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology has gained more traction in Egyptology. Since then it has been used to illuminate the experienced landscape(s) of the ancient...Show moreSince the 1990s the field of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology has gained more traction in Egyptology. Since then it has been used to illuminate the experienced landscape(s) of the ancient Egyptians. This thesis seeks to critically examine this approach and further illuminate the experienced landscape in ancient Egypt, specifically its role in religion. To this end, the author poses three primary research questions: 1) Did landscape influence the conception of places of power? 2) Do landscape associations change over time, and if they do: how do they change? 3) Did Egypt’s physical landscape influence conceptions of the landscapes of the afterlife? The sources reveal that the Egyptians experienced the landscape as embodied and meaningful. Iconography and text also support the notion of locations in the landscape which were infused with meaning beyond the mundane. These places of power sometimes held a strong relation with the surrounding landscape. In certain cases it is likely that a landscape-induced hierophany was the direct cause for their inception. Yet, it is difficult to ascribe a single coherent characteristic to these locations. Egypt’s physical landscape did not only influence experiences of religious awe, but also influenced the conception of landscapes of the afterlife. The afterlife reflects a bucolic ideal of Egypt’s physical landscape. Some scholars have proposed specific referents for the landscapes of the afterlife, but it seems imprudent to attribute such specific Vorlage-landscapes to these religious ideas. Phenomenological Landscape Archaeology allows us to further investigate landscape experience in ancient Egypt. Yet, a recurring issues in the implementation of phenomenological Landscape Archaeology is the over-excitement of Egyptologists to attribute a meaning to landscape features which has little or no support in the extant sources. This treacherous pitfall stems from the inability to acknowledge the difference in spatial conceptualisation between us and the ancient Egyptians, and the all-too-easy assumption that our views of extraordinary geomorphology are similar to those of the ancient Egyptians. Therefore, this thesis warns against all-too-quick attributions of the influence of landscape on the inception and meaning of religious locales.Show less
