Religion in Ancient Egypt

Pre-requisites: Good knowledge of the English language. To have passed the following courses: Introduction to Dynastic Period and Dynastic Egypt: Material Culture and Social Changes.

Course objectives: Setting up a framework for understanding Ancient Egyptian religion. Development of critical thinking by analyzing the archaeological and iconographic data as well as written records which are used in the study of Dynastic Egyptian religion. Developing the ability to formulate questions scientifically.

Course description: This course is a review of Egyptian religious beliefs and practices in the Dynastic period and it leads to the open questions and problems regarding their study: concept of godliness, the pantheon, the role of gods in the world of the living, the concept of royal power, the belief in afterlife. Rituals in the temples and personal religiousness will be examined through studying the archaeological record and written sources.

Learning Outcomes: Midterm examination, semi essay and an oral examination.

Religion in Ancient Egypt

Pre-requisites: Good knowledge of the English language. To have passed the following courses: Introduction to Dynastic Period and Dynastic Egypt: Material Culture and Social Changes.

Course objectives: Setting up a framework for understanding Ancient Egyptian religion. Development of critical thinking by analyzing the archaeological and iconographic data as well as written records which are used in the study of Dynastic Egyptian religion. Developing the ability to formulate questions scientifically.

Course description: This course is a review of Egyptian religious beliefs and practices in the Dynastic period and it leads to the open questions and problems regarding their study: concept of godliness, the pantheon, the role of gods in the world of the living, the concept of royal power, the belief in afterlife. Rituals in the temples and personal religiousness will be examined through studying the archaeological record and written sources.

Learning Outcomes: Midterm examination, semi essay and an oral examination.

Literature/Reading:

• BAINES, J., Practical Religion and Piety, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 73 (1987) 79-98.
• DONADONI, S., Pokojnik, u: Likovi starog Egipta, priredio S. Donadoni, Beograd 2005, 263-289.
• HORNUNG, E., Faraon, u: Likovi starog Egipta, priredio S. Donadoni, Beograd 2005, 290-323.
• LESKO, L.H., Death and Afterlife in Ancient Egyptian Thought, in: J.M. Sasson (ed.), Civilizations of the Ancient Near East, vols. III&IV, New York 2000, 1763-1774.
• LUFT, U.H., Religion, in: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, Oxford 2001, 139-145.
• MÜNCH, H.-H., Categorizing archaeological finds: the funerary material of Queen Hetepheres I at Giza, Antiquity 74 (2000) 898-908.
• OLSON, S.L., Burial practices, in: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, Oxford 2001, 213-217.
• RICHARDS, J.E., Ancient Egyptian Mortuary Practice and the Study of Socioeconomic Differentiation, in: Anthropology & Egyptology. A Developing Dialogue, ed. by J. Lustig, Sheffield 1997, 33-42.
• RITNER, R.K., Magic, in: The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 2, ed. by D. Redford, Oxford 2001, 321-336.
• SHAFER, B.E., Temples, Priests and Rituals: An Overview, in: B.E. Shafer (Ed.), Temples of Ancient Egypt. Ithaca and London 1997, 1-30.
• SPALINGER, A., The Limitations of Formal Ancient Religion, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 57 (1998) 241-260
• PINCH, G., Egyptian Myth. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2004.
• PERNIGOTI, S., Sveštenik, u: Likovi starog Egipta, priredio S. Donadoni, Beograd 2005, 130-161.
• SHAFER, B.E. (Ed.), Religion in Ancient Egypt. Ithaca and London 1991.
• ROBBEN, A., Death and Anthropology: An Introduction, in: Robben, A. (Ed.), Death, Mourning and Ritual. A Cross-Cultural Reader, Oxford 2006, 1-16.
• LUISELLI, M., 2008, Personal Piety. In Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://repositories.cdlib.org/nelc/uee/1053
• STADLER, M. A., 2008, Judgment after Death (Negative Confession). In Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://repositories.cdlib.org/nelc/uee/1013/
• WILKINSON, R.H. 2008, Anthropomorphic Deities. In Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://repositories.cdlib.org/nelc/uee/1003
• http://www.let.leidenuniv.nl/saqqara/Exploration/Fieldwork.html
• http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/
• Lange, K. i M. Hirmer, Egipat. Arhitektura, plastika, slikarstvo tokom tri milenija, Beograd 1973.
• UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology (eSholarship)http://escholarship.org/uc/nelc_uee