1: Worldview, Geography and Resources
- The importance of the Nile and the inundation
- Egypt's environment
- Major cities and resources
- Shaping the Egyptian worldview
- The development of Egyptology
2: Historical Overview
- Ancient Egyptian history
- Creating 'history'
- The Predynastic Period to the Early Dynastic Period
- From Old Kingdom to Middle Kingdom
- From Second Intermediate Period to Alexander the Great
- The Battle of Megiddo: analysing written evidence
3: The Gods, their Cults and Religious Practice
- The gods
- Depicting the gods
- Creation myths
- The mythic environment
- Egyptian temples
- Egyptian priests
- Dealing with the invisible in daily life: household religion
- Magic spells
4: Burial Customs, Afterlife Beliefs and Mummification
- Death and aspects of the soul
- Afterlife destinations
- Mummification
- Private tombs
- Royal tombs: pyramids
- Royal tombs: the Valley of the Kings and later
5: Art: Craftsmen, Conventions and Development of Art
- Artisans and art
- Materials and working methods
- Predynastic and Early Dynastic art
- The conventions of Egyptian art
- Changing art over time
- Interpreting King Amenemhat III
6. Pharaoh, Politics and Government
- The social pyramid
- The ideal pharaoh
- The king's daily life and duties
- The royal family
- Government organisation and courtiers
- Female pharaohs
7. Palaces, Cities and Settlements
- Egyptian settlements
- Problems of preservation
- Royal palaces
- Domestic architecture
- Exploring Deir el-Medina
8. Living in Ancient Egypt
- The household and social status
- Occupation and crafts
- Morality and education
- Marriage, adultery and divorce
- Entertainment
- Crime and punishment
9. Language, Writing and Literature
- Evolving language: writing systems
- The basics of Middle Egyptian language
- Scribes, writing equipment and surfaces
- Egyptian literature
- The earliest hieroglyphs
10. Warfare, Trade and Diplomacy
- Foreigners and Egyptianisation
- Trade and diplomacy
- Pre-New Kingdom warfare
- New Kingdom warfare
We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.