A Journey Up the Nile – A Study of Ancient Egypt
Take a virtual tour up the Nile from Cairo to Aswan and learn about the history of Ancient Egypt. Step back in time with Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan of the University of Auckland and discover the many ancient sites of Egypt while gaining an understanding of Egyptian art, religion and society.
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Description
Take a virtual tour up the Nile from Cairo to Aswan and learn about the history of Ancient Egypt. Step back in time with Dr Lawrence Xu-Nan of the University of Auckland and discover the many ancient sites of Egypt while gaining an understanding of Egyptian art, religion and society.
Session 1: An overview of the geographical locations and periods of ancient Egypt, and some of the major sites around Cairo.
Some of the sites covered are: the pyramids at Giza, the Step Pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara cemeteries, and the Bent and Red Pyramid at Dashur. A brief overview will be given for the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Session 2: The sites in Middle Egypt, particularly Beni Hassan, Abydos, Dendara. A focus will be placed on art of different periods of Egyptian history (Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, and Ptolemaic Period).
Session 3: The sites around Luxor, both East and West Bank: Luxor and Karnak on the East Bank; the Valley of the Kings, Medinet Habu, Deir el-Bahari, tombs of the nobles (particularly Kourna and Dra Abu el-Naga) on the West Bank. The discovery of the Tutankhamun’s tomb will be briefly mentioned.
Session 4: The sites in Upper Egypt and Aswan, particularly Edfu, Esna, Gebelein, Elephantine, and the unfinished obelisk. Some focus will be placed on Egyptian religion and society.
Expected learning outcomes:
- An understanding of ancient Egyptian chronology and the variation between the different periods
- An understanding of ancient Egyptian geography and topography
- A broad knowledge of a number of ancient sites throughout Egypt, as well as any associated architectural elements and artefacts
- Some basic understanding of Egyptian art, religion and society
- Some perspectives on modern Egypt.
Who should attend this course:
Those interested in ancient Egyptian culture and artefacts or history generally. The course may be particularly interesting for those who would like to visit Egypt at some stage.
