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
