Post for November 1

On Monday you will be learning about foreigners in Ancient Egypt. Professor Morris will talk about the representation of foreigners (in art and literature), the Egyptian perception of foreigners (both positive and negative), the kinds of Egyptian interactions with foreigners (we already touched upon this a bit with the rise of foreign slaves during Egyptian expansion), and the professions/roles foreigners performed in Egyptian society.

For Tuesday you will read two primary texts: The Story of Sinhue set in the Middle Kingdom and the Report of Wenamon from the Late Period. Read these two texts very carefully making note of how the Egyptian protagonist perceives the foreigners and their lands and conversely, how the foreigners treat the Egyptian.

In your post I would like you to pick out ONE aspect of these stories and either compare or contrast it. Be as specific as possible with your evidence. Please make sure to read the introductions to both texts--it will help you better understand how these texts reflect the socio-political landscape of their time (you do not need to talk about this in your post).

Post for October 17

In section this week we will be discussing the roles of the government officials, namely the vizier and other high officials like those whose autobiographies you will read in Simpson If we have time I hope we can get to the king as well!

We have a lot of ground to cover so please read the primary sources carefully. They are the autobiographies of Weni, Harkhuf and Qar, the instructions for Rekhmire the Vizier, Cycle of Songs in Honor of Senwosret III, and the Loyalist Instruction from the Sehetepibre Stela.

We will be going over as much of this material as we can on Tuesday so make notes and bring any questions from the readings or lecture to section.

For this week feel free to write write about what whatever sparked your interest from the PRIMARY sources only. Here are some ideas to get your brains going!

How do the texts reflect the political situation at the time (if at all?)
What is the proper decorum (moral behavior) for these particular roles?
How do officials represent themselves and why (self presentation and purpose of the texts)?
What kind of language/imagery is used to illustrate the divine aspects of the king?
In what ways do officials and the king interact and support each other?
What did Professor Morris mean when she said the king could be "so powerful he was powerless" and do you see that in any of the texts assigned for this week?

I will bring in some slides and provide a little historical background for the Old Kingdom autobiographies and texts relating to Senwosret III as well.

Have a great weekend!

Post for October 10

Because we don't have section on Tuesday the 11th and your MIDTERM is coming up in a couple of weeks (eek!) Professor Morris has suggested that your post for this week should be the type of essay question you would write for an exam.

Coming up with questions is a really great way to make sure you understand the material and can form links between different strains of evidence.

When formulating your question think of the themes that have come up several times in the lectures and reading. Think of a question that could be answered with different types of evidence (visual, historical, literary). One should be able to answer it in a 2-3 written pages so no "yes or no" questions please!

Posts that will receive full points are those that demonstrate critical thought and originality. No repeats please (though of course your hypothetical answers will overlap at times).

And remember you don't need to answer the question in your post.

Have a lovely long weekend and Happy Reading. When we have section again there will be a lot of material to cover so PLEASE get your primary source reading done.