New KingdomLand of the Living

Chronology

3100 – 2686 BC Early Dynastic (Dynasty 0 – 2)2686 – 2181 BC Old Kingdom (Dynasty 3 – 6)2181 – 2025 BC First Intermediate Period (Dyn. 7 – 10)2025 – 1700 BC Middle Kingdom (Dyn. 11 – 13)1700 – 1550 BC Second Intermediate Period (Dyn. 14 – 17) 1550 – 1069 BC New Kingdom (Dyn. 18 – 20) 1069 – 664 BC Third Intermediate Period (Dyn. 21 – 25)664 – 332 BC Late Period (Dyn. 26 – 31) 332 – 30 BC Ptolemaic Period

Second Intermediate Period

(Selected)

New Kingdom Rulers18th Dynasty (ca. 1550 – 1300 BC)• Ahmose I• Hatshepsut • Thutmose III• Amenhotep III• Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten• Tutankhamun

(Selected)

New Kingdom Rulers19th Dynasty ( ca. 1300 – 1190 BC)Ramesses ISeti IRamesses IIMereneptahTauseret

20th Dynasty (ca. 1190 – 1077 BC)Ramesses III - XI

Uluburun wreck discovered by a sponge diver in 1982 off the coast of Uluburun, near Kas in Turkey

Located at 44-61 m depth, which prevented looting

Excavated between 1984-1994 over the course of 22,400 dives by the Institute of Nautical Archaeology at Texas A&M

George F. Bass and Cemal Pulak

Lab analysis and conservation based at Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Turkey

15 m long and 5 m wide

Built of Lebanese cedar

Capable of carrying 20 tons of cargo, about 17 tons of artifacts brought up from sea floor

10 tons of copper, 1 ton of tin (ratio for making bronze 10:1)

149 Canaanite amphorae mostly filled with pistachia resin

9 Cypriot pithoi filled with olive oil, grapes, pomegranates and Cypriot ceramics

175 glass ingots

African hardwood

70,000+ glass and amber beads

1 elephant tusk and more than a dozen hippo teeth

Gold, silver and bronze jewelry and vessels

Swords and other metal tools

Spices, herbs, food stuffs, murex shells and orpiment

A stowaway mouse

Tomb of Rekhmire, ca. 1400 BC

Amarna Letters

Discovered around 1887, date from ca. 1360 – 1332 BC

Gift Exchange

• Diplomatic exchange of raw materials and gifts between the great kings of the time – Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Mitanni, Hatti

• Copper• Semi-precious stones• Luxury goods: oils, perfumes, fine vessels, etc.• Jewelry• Chariots and horses• Spouses

Rise of (the priesthood of) Amun-Ra

Akhetaten (ca. 1348 – 1335 BC)

Monotheism?

Like father (Amenhotep III) like son

John Reinhard Weguelin –The Obsequies of an Egyptian Cat (1886)

Types of Temples

Temples of GodsEast Bank of Nile

Mortuary TemplesWest Bank of Nile

“Houses of Millions of Years”

Upper Egypt Lower Egypt Beginning of Egypt

Hapy/Nile

Edward John Poynter –Feeding the sacred ibis in the halls of Karnac

Gods could take many forms:

• Animal-headed humans (form which facilitated interaction with the king)

• One god can be many different animals

• Physical examples of these animals could be kept in temples

• Gods could be worshipped in particular regions of Egypt (Thoth in Hermopolis, Amun in Thebes, Osiris in Abydos, etc.)

Ibis coffin; Ptolemaic Period; Brooklyn Museum, 49.48

King as chief priest

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, Procession of the bull Apis; Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington D.C.

Houses of the gods

Karnak Temple precinct, Luxor

Cult statue of Amun (EA60006); Late Period; British Museum

Cult statue of Bastest, aka Gayer-Anderson cat (EA64391); Ptolemaic Period; British Museum

The Priesthood

• Hem-Netcher (“servant of the god”) priests main body of priests who served the gods

• Wab (“purification”) priests performed physical duties and rituals within the temples

• Sem & Ka (“mortuary”) priests served mainly at tombs and memorial temples, performing the elaborate rituals of burial, and offering

Scenes of daily ritual from the temple of Seti I at Abydos

Exclusivity

Religion in the home

Figurine of Bes (EA20865); British MuseumEar stela (OIM 10758); Oriental Institute of Chicago

Ancestor bust from Deir el-Medina (66.9945); Metropolitan Museum of Art

Party time!

Festivals

Party Time!

• Food• Music• Dancing • Drinking

Frederick Arthur Bridgman, Procession of the bull Apis; Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington D.C.

Sacred Barques

• Used for carrying the god or goddess’ cult statue

• Used for oracles and answering prayers

Opet Festival

Moulid of Abu el-Haggag