Ancient Egypt: Religion and Culture
NOTE: This syllabus is from the last time this course was offered. It will give you an idea of the workload, assignments, etc. for this course, but the specifics will be different for the 2004 offering of this course!
ACABS 261, 4 credit hours
Winter term 1998, Monday-Wednesday-Friday, 2-3pm (110 Dennison)
+ discussion section
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~twilfong/Syllabi/Religion/ACABS261.html
Instructor: Terry Wilfong, Assistant Professor of Egyptology, Department of Near Eastern Studies and Assistant Curator for Graeco-Roman Egypt, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
Office: 2078 Frieze
Office hours: 3-4 MW (or by appointment)
Phone: 763-7654
Email (best means of contact): twilfong@umich.edu
Graduate Student Instructor: Ms. Belgin Elbs
Class description:
This course is an undergraduate introduction to the religion of ancient Egypt in its cultural context. Religion was central to life in ancient Egypt, and in this course students will study Egyptian religion through its intellectual and material culture. Students will explore the definitions of religion in ancient Egypt, as well as the Egyptian understandings of gods and goddesses, Egyptian cosmology and mythology, temples and their priesthoods, and the roles and uses of magic. A major component of this course will focus on the reading of the Egyptian "Book of the Dead" in translation and a study of its illustrations as an entry-point into understanding Egyptian afterlife beliefs and funerary practices.
Please note that this course is about ancient Egyptian religion in its cultural context from ancient Egyptian sources. Although ancient Egyptian religion figures prominently in other religious traditions and there have been modern revivals of Egyptian religion and magic, these are not what we will be covering in this course.
Class requirements:
Reading List
Note: All books should be available at Shaman Drum Textbook Department (313 South State--upstairs). The following are required for purchase:
There is also an optional book available at Shaman Drum; there are no readings from this book and it is not required for purchase, but it is intended for those who are interested in the subject and want to pursue things further:
Syllabus
1. 6 January
INTRODUCTION
2. 8 January
ANCIENT EGYPT: AN ORIENTATION
3. 11 January
ANCIENT EGYPT: EVIDENCE AND INTERPRETATION
Readings: QUIRKE 7-20
4. 13 January
WHAT IS ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RELIGION?
Readings: SHAFER 7-30
5. 15 January
WHAT AND WHO WERE THE EGYPTIAN GODS?
Readings: SHAFER 30-58
NOTE: There is no class on 18 January, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so that students can attend events connected with the University's MLK Day symposium "On the Verge of a New Millennium: Stand!" So I hope you will attend some of the events on this day. Definitely try to go hear the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial lecturer Nikki Giovanni, one of America's foremost poets, 10am-12 noon, Hill Auditorium. More on other events as information becomes available.
6. 20 January
SUN GODS
Readings: QUIRKE 21-51
7. 22 January
OSIRIS AND HORUS
Readings: QUIRKE 52-69
8. 25 January
KINGSHIP AND THE GODS
Readings: SHAFER 58-87
9. 27 January
KINGSHIP AND RELIGION
Readings: QUIRKE 70-104
10. 29 January
AKHENATEN AND THE AMARNA PERIOD
Readings: SHAFER 88-115
11. 1 February
BEGINNINGS AND ENDINGS
Readings: SHAFER 116-122
12. 3 February
PROTECTING THE BODY
Readings: QUIRKE 105-140
13. 5 February
RELIGION AND DEATH
Readings: QUIRKE 141-172
14. 8 February
SOCIAL ORDER AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS
Readings: SHAFER 123-137
15. 10 February
RELIGION AND MORALITY
Readings: SHAFER 137-161
16. 12 February
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND RELIGION
Readings: SHAFER 172-200
17. 15 February
**MIDTERM (IN CLASS)
18. 17 February
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BOOKS FOR THE DEAD
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD pages 11-18
19. 19 February
THE EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD: INTRODUCTION
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD pages 139-154
**PAPER ASSIGNMENT WILL BE GIVEN TODAY
20. 22 February
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART I
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 1-6, pages 154-158
21. 24 February
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART II
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 7-11, pages 158-161
22. 26 February
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART III
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 12-17, pages 161-164
SPRING BREAK--NO CLASSES 27 Feburary-7 March
23. 8 March
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--REVIEW AND PART IV
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 18-22, pages 164-165
24. 10 March
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART V
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 23-28, pages 165-166
25. 12 March
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART VI
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 29-33, pages 166-168
26. 15 March
BOOK OF THE DEAD OF ANI--PART VII
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD plates 34-37, pages 168-170
27. 17 March
BOOK OF THE DEAD: BEYOND THE PAPYRUS OF ANI
Readings: BOOK OF THE DEAD pages 105-135
28. 19 March
MAGIC: AN INTRODUCTION
Readings: PINCH 161-172, PINCH 9-17
29. 22 March
MAGIC AND MYTH
Readings: PINCH 18-32
30. 24 March
DEMONS AND MONSTERS
Readings: PINCH 33-46
31. 26 March
MAGICIANS, PRIESTS AND WISE WOMEN
Readings: PINCH 47-60
**PAPERS DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS--NO LATE PAPERS!!
32. 29 March
MAGIC AND THE WRITTEN WORD
Readings: PINCH 61-75
33. 31 March
MAGICAL TECHNIQUES
Readings: PINCH 76-89
34. 2 April
MAGIC AND IMAGES
Readings: PINCH 90-103
35. 5 April
MAGICAL AMULETS
Readings: PINCH 104-119
36. 7 April
MAGIC FOR FERTILITY AND SEXUALITY
Readings: PINCH 122-132
37. 9 April
MAGIC, MEDICINE AND SCIENCE
Readings: PINCH 133-146
38. 12 April
MAGIC AND DEATH
Readings: PINCH 147-160
39. 14 April
LEGACIES OF EGYPTIAN MAGIC
Readings: PINCH 161-178
40. 16 April
FINAL EXAM REVIEW
41. 19 April
THE LEGACY OF EGYPTIAN RELIGION
Readings: QUIRKE 173-185
**FINAL EXAM Tuesday 27 April, 10:30-12:30