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. 1987. Practical Religion and Piety. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 73:79-98.
• BAINES, J. 1991. Egyptian Myth and Discourse. Myth, Gods and the Early Written and Iconographic Records, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 50: 85-101.
• BAINES, J., 1997. Temples as symbols, guarantors, and participants in Egyptian civilisation.In The Temple in Ancient Egypt, ed. by S. Quirke, 216-241. London: British Museum Press.
• BAINES, J, and P. LACOVARA. 2002. Burial and the dead in ancient Egyptian society: Respect, formalism, neglect. Journal of Social Archaeology 2(1): 5-36.
• BONHÈME, M.-A. 2001. Royal Roles. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, 159-163. Oxford: OUP-
• CAMINOS, R.A. 1977. Grabräuberorozeß. In Lexikon der Ägyptologie 2, ed. by W. Helck and E.Otto, 862-866. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.
• COONEY, K.M. 2007. The Functional Materialism of Death in Ancient Egypt. In Das Heilige und die Ware, ed. by M. Fitzenreiter, 273-299. http://www2.hu-berlin.de/nilus/net-publications/ibaes7/index.html
• DOXEY, D.M. 2001. Priesthood. In: The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, 68-73. Oxford: OUP.
• GERMER, R. 1998. Mummification. In Egypt, The World of Pharaohs*, ed. by R.Schulz and M. Seidel, 458-469. Cologne: Konnemann.
• HAYS, H. 2011. The Death of the Democratisation of the Afterlife. In Old Kingdom: New Perspectives. Egyptian Art and Archaeology 2750-2150 BC, ed .by N. and H. Strudwick, eds., 115-130. Oxford: Oxbow Books.
• Hays, H. 2010. Funerary Rituals (Pharaonic Period). in University of California Los Angeles Encyclopedia of Egyptology, ed. J. Dieleman and W. Wendrich. http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/1r32g9zn
• LESKO, L.H. 2000. Death and Afterlife in Ancient Egyptian Thought. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. III&IV, ed.by J.M. Sasson, 1763-1774. New York: Scribner.
• GUNDLACH, R..2001. Temples. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, 363-379. Oxford:OUP.
• MÜLLER, M. 2001. Afterlife. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, 32-37. Oxford: OUP.
• PINCH, G. 2004. Egyptian Myth. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford: OUP.
• OCKINGA, B. 2001. Piety. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, 44-47. Oxford: OUP.
• SHAFER, B. (ed.) 1991. Religion of Ancient Egypt. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
• SHAFER, B.. (ed.). 1997. Temples of Ancient Egypt. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
• STADLER, M. A., 2008, Judgment after Death (Negative Confession). In Jacco Dieleman and Willeke Wendrich (eds.), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. http://repositories.cdlib.org/nelc/uee/10
• UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology (eSholarship)http://escholarship.org/uc/nelc_uee
• LESKO, L.H. 2001. Funerary literature. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, 570-575. Oxford: OUP.
• LUFT, U.H. 2001. Religion. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 3, ed. by D. Redford, 139-145. Oxford: OUP.
• LUISELLI, M. 2008. Personal Piety (modern theories related to). In UCLA Encyclopaedia of Egyptology, ed. by J. Dieleman and W. Wendrich. http://www.escholarship.org/uc/item/49q0397q
• O’CONNOR, D. 2000. The Social and Economic Organisation of Ancient Egyptian temples. In Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. I&II, ed. by J.M. Sasson, 319-330. New York: Scribner.
• RITNER, R.K. 2001. Magic. In The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 2, ed. by D. Redford, 321-336. Oxford: OUP.
• SPALINGER, A. 1998. The Limitations of Formal Ancient Religion, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 57 : 241-260.
• SPALINGER, A. 2001. Festivals. In The Oxford Encylopedia of Ancient Egypt 1, ed. by D. Redford, 521-525. Oxford:OUP.
• VASILJEVIĆ, V. 2008. Embracing his double: Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, Studien zur altägyptischen Kultur 37: 363-372.
• DONADONI, S. 2005. Pokojnik. U Likovi starog Egipta, priredio S. Donadoni, 263-289. Beograd: Clio.
• HORNUNG, E. 2005. Faraon. U Likovi starog Egipta, priredio S. Donadoni, 290-323. Beograd: Clio.