M103A Ancient Egyptian History Part A: The Predynastic

Period Through the Middle Kingdom

Summer 2016
TR 11:00A - 1:05PM
Course description:
This course is an introduction to the early history of Pharaonic Egypt from the formation of the
first Egyptian state in the 4th millennium BCE to the end of the Middle Kingdom, around 1700 BCE.
It is the first part of a three-part series of courses on the history of ancient Egypt (ANE M103 A-C).
Throughout this course, we will examine archaeological and textual sources in combination in order
to study the way in which the pharaonic state emerged and developed over time. Our focus is not only
on reconstructing historical events (narrative history), but also on understanding how complex
societies come about and how they function. In addition to the basic historical outline, topics we may
discuss include the development of agriculture, the emergence of writing, formation of the Egyptian
state and identity, Egyptian kingship, construction and development of the pyramids, ancient
bureaucracy and social structure, Egyptian funerary practices, and the effects of climate on societies.
Ancient Egypt was one of the first complex civilizations to arise, and its study can help us to
understand why humans form complex societies, how they sustain it through both tradition and
ingenuity, and how they react when the system collapses.

Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Office hours:
Mailbox:

Roselyn Campbell
A67A Humanities Building
roselyncampbell@gmail.com
Tuesdays 1-3 pm
378 Humanities Building

Course Requirements:
Students are required and expected to attend lecture twice a week. Your final grade will be based on
a midterm and final examination, consisting of a combination of identifications, short answer, and
essay questions. In addition to these two written exams, you are also required to write a response
paper on assigned topics, which will be due (in hard copy) on July 5. The prompt for the response
paper will be available on the course website.

Academic Honesty and Classroom Conduct:

Cheating or plagiarism in your work will not be tolerated. Any occurrence of academic dishonesty
will be reported to the Dean of Students, and subject to disciplinary action. Late submission of an
assignment or absence from exam will result in an F grade unless student the student has a legitimate,
documented excuse (e.g. a doctors note). Students are expected to act in a manner that is appropriate
to the classroom setting and to be respectful to others in the class at all times.
Grading:
% of grade
10%
25%
30%
35%

Type of work
Attendance and participation in class activities
Response Paper: Tuesday, July 5th
Midterm: Tuesday, July 12th, in class
Final exam: Thursday, July 30st, in class (final class session)

Grading scale:
letter grade
A+
A

points
97-100
94-96

AB+
B

90-93
87-89
84-86

BC+
C

80-83
77-79
74-76

CD+
D

70-73
67-69
64-66

DF

60-63
0-59

achievement level
Student has exceptional command of the material. She or he is capable
of evaluating primary and reliable secondary sources in order to develop
a scholarly argument. Writing demonstrates a thorough understanding
of the material, fully answers any prompts given, is clear, concise, and
requisite citations are provided in a recognized format.
Student has good knowledge of the material, but shows room for
improvement. Writing demonstrates an understanding of the material
and answers the prompts given, but may contain a few errors or
incomplete citations.
Student has rudimentary knowledge of the material. Writing addresses
the prompts given on a superficial level, but lacks organization and
depth, and may contain spelling or grammatical errors, along with few
citations.
Student has acquired only a limited familiarity with the material. Writing
is disorganized, contains many errors, lacks citations, and/or fails to
adequately address the prompts given.
Student has neither acquired little or no knowledge of the material
presented. Writing is of poor quality, factually inaccurate, filled with
errors, and/or fails to address the prompts given in any meaningful way.

Required readings:

Textbook:
Marc Van De Mieroop, 2011. A History of Ancient Egypt: Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell
Additional Recommended Readings:
Miriam Lichtheim, 2006. Ancient Egyptian Literature. Volume 1: The Old and Middle Kingdoms.
Second Edition. Berkeley, Los Angeles: University of California Press.
Bill Manley, 1997. The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt. New York: Penguin Books.
Emily Teeter (ed.), 2011. Before the Pyramids. Chicago: The Oriental Institute. Available online at:
http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catalog/oimp/oimp33.html
Barry Kemp, 2006. Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization. Second edition. London: Routledge.
Jan Assmann, 2002. The Mind of Egypt. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Additional readings will be posted as PDFs on the course Web site

Weekly Schedule and Readings

Week 1

Week 2

Tue, Jun 21

Introduction to the class; the origins of complex civilization

Van de Mieroop Ch. 1: Introductory Concerns
Kemp Ch. 1: Who were the Ancient Egyptians?

Thu, Jun 23

Predynastic Egypt
Van de Mieroop Ch. 2: The Formation of the Egyptian State
Predynastic palettes and mace heads
Late Predynastic/Early Dynastic Egypt (Dynasties 0-2)
Teeter Egypt before the Pyramids, Ch. 14 and 15)
Willkinson Early Dynastic Egypt

Tue, Jun 28

Thu, Jun 30

Week 3

Tue, Jul 5

The Early Old Kingdom (Dynasties 3-4)

Van de Mieroop: Ch. 3: The Great Pyramid Builders
The Pyramid Texts
The Later Old Kingdom (Dynasties 5-7)
Old Kingdom Autobiographies
Assmann, Mind of Egypt Ch. 2
Response Paper Due

Week 4

Thu, Jul 7
Tue, Jul 12

NO CLASS! Study for the midterm

Midterm Exam

Thu, Jul 14

Week 5

Tue, Jul 21

Thu, Jul 23

Week 6

Tue, Jul 28
Thu, Jul 30

First Intermediate Period

Van de Mieroop ch. 4: The End of the Old Kingdom and First
Intermediate Period
Autobiographies from First Intermediate Period
Assmann, Mind of Egypt Ch. 5
Rise of the Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 11)
Van de Mieroop Ch. 5: The Middle Kingdom
The Prophecies of Neferti
Middle Kingdom (Dynasty 12)
The Story of Sinuhe
The Loyalist Instruction
The Semna Stela
Assmann, Mind of Egypt Ch. 8
End of the Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period
Van de Mieroop Ch. 6: The Second Intermediate Period and Hyksos
Conclusions
Final Exam