Thursday, December 8, 2011
Post for December 12
For your blog post this week I want to keep it simple as you SHOULD all be preparing for your exams in anticipation of the questions. For your post think back through the semester and pick out a piece of evidence, fact, particular topic, etc. that either confirmed or changed our expectations about ancient Egypt. Alternatively you could compare something learned this semester with similar phenomena in a different culture (including your own) or another historical period. Keep it to one paragraph and don't worry about referencing. I want to see what resonated with you all throughout the semester.
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Looking back, I would say that one of the most interesting and intellectually stimulating topics we learned about was the role that slaves and fugitives played in ancient Egypt. I had always envisioned the Egyptians kind of as a ruthless and dominating race that wanted to conquer everyone and make them their slaves. Before this class, the thing that stood out to me the most was that the Egyptians had enslaved the Hebrews and forced them to build the pyramids. While that might have/probably happened (I think under one of the Ramesses pharaohs), this class showed that many times in Egyptians culture there was no real type of slave, and most were considered servants or tied to the land. Additionally, brutality was only used when needed. And the Hebrews were not the only ones, as we learned that Egyptians enforced corvée labor even of their own people. I thought this course topic provided good insight into Egyptian culture and helped dispel some preconceived notions I might have had.
ReplyDeleteOne of the most interesting things I learned during this course was just how much emphasis and importance the Egyptians placed on the afterlife. Before this class, I knew that Egyptians valued the afterlife, which is evident from the very impressive pyramids and mummies they produced. In this way, my previous assumption was confirmed in the course. However, I did not realize then that Egyptians almost seem to place more importance on the afterlife than they did on their mortal life. Which makes sense, since they believed that if they made it to heaven, their lives there would be infinitely more enjoyable. Which I think probably made their lives on earth more tolerable, since they believed they could have something better to look forward to. By believing that they had the chance to get into a place like The Field of Reeds, their lives might have been better since they were filled with hope, regardless of whether that place exists or not.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I found very interesting about Egyptian life was the role of the scribes in the society. The fact that scribes had a pretty important role but then internally were also subject to a system of rankings and a hierarchy is very interesting to me. Basically, that some of the scribes were considered more important than others matches the social power structure of our culture today for some positions and I think that it is funny how so little has changed in that sense. For example, a scribe of the king was considered far more important and influential than a scribe who recorded things in the market place or for farmers. Also the idea of power being with intelligence and power being in certain jobs is something I can't help but connect to the Occupy Wall Street movement today. The way that scribes were a part of the few who were able to read and write in Egyptian society, made them some form of elite. Scribes influenced lower members of society and in rare circumstances could even have a large influence on the King, the same way that Wall Street Execs have a influence on the 99% and the big government (in some rare cases/indirectly or president!)
ReplyDeleteLooking back throughout this semester, I must say that one of the most interesting aspect of Egyptian culture was the role of magic and magicians. When I saw films like The Mummy and etc, I knew that magic was present in Egyptian society, but I did not know to what extent it dictated the daily lives of Egyptians. I didn’t know that wekhedu, priestly magic, was separated from what they considered black magic. Magic could bring Egyptians health and joy, but it could also formulate serious and dire problems, as dictated in the Setna stories. Magic could produce demons, which would cause pain and embarrassment, but magic could also provide healing. As in the infant Horus and Isis story, Thoth recited a spell and healed baby Horus. To our modern society, the idea of spells and healing magic could be equated to Chinese remedies and teas, which are thought to cause healing and stress relief.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed seeing the connections and parallels within Egyptian society in general. I definitely enjoyed learning about religious celebrations and religious life; obviously I'd known a bit about Egyptian religion, but learning more about the rituals, etc., was fascinating. Again, I was expecting there to be a heavy emphasis on death, but having that somewhat explained by the religious beliefs, short lifespan, and importance of being remembered was very interesting.
ReplyDeleteComing into this class, I didn't really know what to expect. My idea of Egypt had always consisted of mainly pyramids, pharaohs and hieroglyphics. As the course progressed, I found learning about the different social classes and responsibilities the people had in ancient society, mainly farmers, interesting. A huge portion of the population were farmers and a small amount were high elites, something I didn't truly realize until we learned it in class. I also did not know how many different social classes there were in ancient Egypt. Overall, I found learning about each class interesting and completely changed my perspective of ancient Egyptian society.
ReplyDeleteThe process of foreign assimilation in Egypt was quite interesting; in regards to both its ease and the difficulties extant with the assimilation process. Prior to this class, I was aware of the xenophobic tendencies of Egypt, but I did not know how Egyptian tendencies compared with other kingdoms. Although Egyptians depict a clear bias against those who aren’t Egyptians, the ease of incorporating foreign gods into their worship is a profound statement in itself. Egyptian literature may reflect that the years of incoming immigration into Egypt caused complete disarray within Egypt, but the reality of the situation shows that foreigners served as warriors under Egyptian rule, they participated in roles in the royal palace (i.e. royal butler), they were able to wed Egyptians, worked in the vineyards, and in temple factories. On the other hand, foreigners which were obtained through conquest were cartouched, turned into slaves, and in general many foreigners were renamed.
ReplyDeleteBefore I came into this class I thought I knew some things about Ancient Egyptian culture, but after being in this class for a whole semester, I've come to realize that there is just so much to know about ancient Egyptian culture. I was quite surprised that they kept such detailed records of almost everything. I also found that the beliefs of the people in ancient Egypt and how they lived their lives are all quite intricate. I think the most stirring thing I've learned all semester is the amount of work and time put into their tombs. One can clearly see what each person held dear or believed just by looking into their tombs, almost as if their view of themselves is mapped out in their own tomb.
ReplyDeleteComing into the class, I knew that ancient Egyptians were very complex and very detailed oriented. However, learning more about their social structures, rituals, beliefs, daily activities, government, etc. surprised me even more. Their passions towards everything-Egyptian, especially their gods/goddesses and other religious ideas, interested me. It is amazing how majority of the messages found in their myths/stories still apply to modern’s society (ex: Falsehood vs Truth, good vs evil theme). Their beliefs in intricate burial ceremony and idyllic afterlife are also fascinating, and quite different than today’s society. Egyptians planned their burial before they die. Sometimes they take years to build tombs and prepare sculptures/inscriptions. This is completely different than today’s society. Nowadays, the family, not the person before he/she dies, handles a person’s death. I don’t quite understand how ancient Egyptians spent time pondering about their deaths/burials; these subjects are quote depressing to think about. Aside from the religious aspect of Egyptian culture, some aspects social class also stood out to me, especially the fact that viziers completed all of the pharaohs’ works. This was true, yet people still respected the pharaohs with all their hearts even though the pharaohs probably didn’t really know how to do many things. Also ancient Egyptians also stressed the importance of being remembered, especially through their names, titles, and accomplishments. This fact is also important in in modern times. We, as human, all want to be remembered. Surprisingly ancient Egyptians were not that different than us.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite things that I learned this semester was at the very beginning when we looked at Egyptian mythology in an in depth fashion. I was absolutely fascinated by this topic (I still am), and it was different than I expected it to be. It was more sexual than I thought, and also it was serious and more similar to modern religions than I would have guessed.
ReplyDeleteOne of the topics I found most fascinating was the overlap in medical practices, religious beliefs, and magic. I found this topic particularly interesting because it was yet another instance in which practicality binds with religion. Today, we see medicine and religion as two completely different spheres of influence; however, when a loved one becomes sick most individuals, despite religious affiliation, finds themselves praying to god for things to become better. It is interesting that this concept of praying to a god to better one’s circumstances is present so far in the past; it is also amazing that these religious beliefs leaked into the medical practices of Egyptians. Often, it seems that Egyptian medical practices are based on what is bad for the spirit. For instance, the concept of Wekhedu and it tainting the soul, thus causing illnesses. What is most intriguing is that the practices to rid patients of Wekhedu often involved ideas steaming from religious beliefs, but still had an effect on the patient’s well-being. An example of this is if a person had an eye infection, it would be believed that they had sinned against the gods; however, an Egyptian doctor would most likely treat a patient by smearing honey over the patient’s eyes, seemingly impractical but honey has antiseptic purposes. Overall, it is really amazing to me that religion can hold such high standards in society and medicine without completely interfering with actual treatments and diagnoses.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up there was an increasing cultural fascination with Egyptian culture/religion. I remember being inundated with commercials, movies, tv shows, and books that used Egyptian details (like, iconography and mythological details) to add to the dramatics, but never really explained anything. It was always "The Mysteries of Egypt" or "Mysteries of the Pyramids" or "UFO Hunters: Did They Exist In Egypt?" or something similar. For the longest time, I believed the claims of these shows. That we didn't know much about Egyptians, and how a lot of it is clouded in mystery. I now realize how false that is. While they're plenty of mysteries surrounding some aspects of Ancient Egyptians, we (as a modern culture) seem to have a good grasp on every important aspect.
ReplyDeleteThis does have its bad side, though. Like I said, since I was a child I've been interested in Egypt. I think part of that fascination was because it was so mysterious. Now that the mystery has been lifted, I feel some of my excitement for the subject has lessened slightly.
Ok, so I always thought the Egyptians to be like this genius race of advanced species of human with all of their technological and architectural advancements. I found this to be roughly 30% true. The Egyptians seldom held their peace with one another, either casting spells or meting out punishment on each other. One surprised me the most about Egypt is how misconceived I was all of these years. From tv to movies Egypt was always portrayed as…epic. It still is, in a way, but now that I know Egypt it’s like I can see the smoke and mirrors. What I’m trying to say was that Egypt was weirder than I thought it was. I’ll probably never forget the Egyptian attribution of some illnesses to a demon ejaculating the person’s ear. Nonetheless I enjoyed this class. I learned a lot about Egyptian mythology (mythology is always one of my interests); our media has misled me all these years so it’s interesting to know the truth and how things really are. I never knew Osiris was so important to them; just thought he was another god. I also never knew that ba’s and ka’s existed so all that I learned was pretty good and I’ll remember it all.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that when I first signed up for this class, I had this vision that ancient Egypt would be like what we learned in elementary school: pyramids, mummies, and hieroglyphics. Throughout this term, I've come to realize what a complex civilization Ancient Egypt really is. It is like an onion, one that you must peel back the layers to understand. Reading primary texts for this class has given me an insight to traditions and daily habits that I had no idea existed; at least not in the Egypt that is portrayed in popular culture. I enjoyed learning about the various classes in ancient Egyptian society and how they interacted with each other.
ReplyDeleteWhile learning about this ancient civilization, I couldn't help but to compare it to modern practices and culture; although some aspects of ancient Egyptian life, for example collecting hands or penises to record number of killings when in war, are hard to relate to, other aspects, such as their use of herbal medicine, are relevant to modern life. There is so much to ancient Egypt that there is no way I will ever be able to fully understand it, but this course has been a good introduction to a civilization that has long disappeared yet is still so prevalent in modern culture.
Before coming into this class, I really didn’t know much about ancient Egypt besides what we learned in grade school concerning mummies and pharaohs and such, as well as the interaction between the Hebrews and the Egyptians as mentioned in the Bible. So I found it very interesting to learn how much more diverse and complex the Egyptian society really was.
ReplyDeleteOne thing in particular that took me by surprise was how often things like artifacts, pyramid art, texts, poems, myths, etc incorporated such provocative and explicit themes. Ancient Egyptians seemed to be very open about their sexuality, even when they tried to cleverly hide it; for example, images of men hunting in the marshes and shooting birds with arrows, and “faring the marshes” was a term used to indicate sex. You’d think that older societies would be more conservative when it came to themes such as these, seeing as our generation is so open to the idea of freedom of sexual expression, especially in comparison to older generations like our grandparents’!