View Merilyn's course syllabus (PDF) - EF College Study Tours

Professor: Dr. Merilyn L. Copland
Course: ARCH 351/Archaeology of Egypt
William Jessup University
STUDIES ABROAD: EGYPT
I. Course Description
This course will cover selected topics on the archaeology
of ancient Egypt, incorporating the latest archaeological
discoveries from sites we will be visiting like the Great
Pyramids, Valley of the Kings, ancient Thebes, and
Alexandria. We will place the impressive monuments
of this great civilization in the context of the rise and
development of Egyptian civilization. How did construction
of huge pyramids and majestic temples contribute to
the power and authority of the Pharaohs What was the
relationship between kings, nobles, and commoners
What was life like along the Nile at the height of
Egyptian civilization Egypt is often looked at as a static,
unchanging civilization, but we will see how society and
religion evolved to meet new challenges through the
3,000 years of Pharaonic history. Throughout there will
be an emphasis on material culture as source for the
political, social, religious and economic dynamics of
ancient Egypt. We will look both at the grand artifacts
of kings like Tutankhamen and the simple objects of
everyday life found in villages like Deir el-Medina, the
community of workmen who built the tombs in the
Valley of the Kings. Discussions will also focus on the
major archaeological finds relating to biblical history and
literature. Prerequisites: BIBL101 or Western Civilization I.
II. Course Goals
a. Develop a greater understanding of the Egyptian
cultural, historical, and geographical background for the
message of the Old and New Testaments
b. Appreciate the beauty of Egyptian art, architecture, and
literature
c. Understand the interplay of the geography, history,
religion, and archaeology of Egypt
d. Think critically about the relationship between religion
and values in a culture
e. Develop an appreciation of the diversity of cultures in
Egypt today
f. Appreciate the infuence of Egyptian literature on wisdom
literature in the Old Testament
g. Increase the student’s desire to re-read the Bible with
Egyptian history and archaeology as a background
III. Course Outcomes
At the end of the semester the student should be able to:
a. Articulate the significance of reading historical and
biblical texts in light of their social, historical, literary,
and archaeological contexts.
b. Define important terms used in Egyptian archaeology
c. Demonstrate in writing knowledge of Egyptian culture,
art, religious practices, and society known from ancient
remains
d. Identify the most important discoveries in Egypt relating
to the Old and New Testament
e. Integrate archaeological information into contextual
studies for understanding of Egyptian and biblical texts
IV. Course Requirements
a. Read the assigned text and website articles according
to the course schedule and be prepared for class
discussion about the content
b. Keep a daily journal during the trip. The journal should
include observations about the geography, climate,
sites, artifacts, and life-ways of the current population
in the areas visited. Your journal may include a photo
essay with text, slides for a visual presentation to a
group, or a video essay. The journal is due on or before
Feb. 15
c. Make a timeline of historical periods of Egypt from
Pre-Dynastic through the Roman period. The timeline
should include major buildings or monuments, names
of important pharaohs, illustrations of objects typical of
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the period, artistic or literary developments. Also noted
should be points of intersection with biblical narratives
(e.g. Joseph, Moses, Jeremiah’s exile, Jesus). The
timeline is due on or before Mar. 15
d. Select a topic of interest with respect to architecture,
art, history, literature, or any other area of a specific
period in ancient Egypt to research. The paper should
be from four to six pages with a bibliography of works
cited. The paper is due on or before April 15
V. Textbooks
Required:
Ian Shaw, Ancient Egypt: A Very Short Introduction
(Oxford University Press, 2004) ISBN-10: 0192854194 or
ISBN-13: 978-0192854193
John Currid, Egypt and the Old Testament (Baker Books,
1997) ISBN 0-8010-2137-5
John Romer, Ancient Lives: Daily Life in Egypt of the
Pharaohs (New York: Henry Holt, 1984) ISBN 0-8-50-
1244-3
Recommended:
Kathryn Bard, Introduction to the Archaeology of Ancient
Egypt (Wiley, 2007) ISBN 10: 1405111488 or ISBN-13: 978-
1405111485 (Brand new hardback but expensive; not yet
available in paperback)
Douglas Brewer and Emily Teeter, Egypt and the Egyptians
(2nd ed., Cambridge, 2007) ISBN-10: 0521616891 or
ISBN-13: 978-0521616898
VI: Course Schedule
The Egypt preview night will cover the introduction to the
course, the syllabus, policies, and resources. If you have
not had any previous coursework in or formal exposure to
archaeology, you will find it useful to browse any of Brian
Fagan’s college textbooks on archaeology, particularly his
In the Beginning.
Day 1: Departure
Before departure, look at and print the satellite map of
Egypt so that you will be familiar with the topography of
Egypt before you arrive. Download the map from uta.edu/
anthropology/petruso/egypt05env.htm. Also become
familiar with the sequence and dates of Egyptian periods
of history from the handout.
Day 2: Arrival in Cairo
As we approach Cairo, look out the window and try to
spot as many topographical features as you can from your
map. Note what areas are densely populated and figure
out what the reasons are for the distribution of people.
Welcome to one of the most exotic capitals in the world.
Transfer to the hotel.
Day 3: Cairo
We begin with the ultimate site, one of the Seven Wonders
of the World, the Pyramids of Giza (Cheops, Khafre, and
Menkaure). We will also visit the Sphinx and the entire
funerary complex. Afterwards we will drive to Saqqara
to see the oldest pyramid, the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
Nearby Memphis was the capital of Egypt during the
Old and Middle Kingdoms; it would have been here that
Joseph managed the grain storage and distribution for the
pharaoh. Happy New Year’s Eve!
Day 4: Cairo
Visit the Egyptian Museum and Old Cairo with its Coptic
church and architecture. If possible we will visit the
famous Ben Ezra Synagogue where the Cairo Geniza Old
Testament manuscripts were found.
Day 5: Aswan and Elephantine Island
Fly to Aswan for the start of the Nile cruise. Tour the
Aswan Dam, the Temple of Isis at Philae and the
Unfinished Obelisk, once intended to be the largest
structure of worked stone in the world. Take a delightful
felucca (traditional Egyptian sailing boat) past Elephantine
Island where the Elephantine Papyri and remains of a
Jewish community were found.
Day 6: Kom Ombo and Edfu
Sail in a felucca to Kom Ombo to see the Temple of
Sobek, the crocodile god. Then back on the boat to go
to Edfu.
Day 7: Esna
We will visit the well-preserved Temple of Horus at Edfu
before sailing on to Esna to visit the Temple on Khnum.
Evening sail to Luxor.
Day 8: Luxor and Karnak
Today we visit the ancient city of Thebes with the huge
complexes of temples at Luxor and Karnak. You may wish
to attend the Sound and Light performance in the evening.
Day 9: Valleys of the Kings and Queens
The pharaohs of the New Kingdom were buried like the
sun on the west bank of the Nile. We will see Valley of the
Kings, going into one or more of the tombs before going
on to the Valley of the Queens. The reading in Romer’s
Daily Lives are based on the finds at Deir el-Medina, the
village of the men and their families who worked on the
tombs of the pharaohs, queens, and nobles. The tour of
the funerary complex of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri is
important for her possible identification with the pharaoh’s
daughter who adopted Moses. The Ramasseum with
reliefs celebrating the Egyptians’ defeat of the Sea
Peoples including the Philistines. A brief visit to the
Colossus of Memnon will be our last before boarding the
night train from Luxor to Cairo.
Day 10: Cairo and the Egyptian Museum
Arrive in Cairo and take a tour of the Citadel and the
Egyptian Museum. There will be free time in the afternoon
for shopping or people-watching.
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