As goes with most if not all historical accounts of major civilizations, I think that it is safe to say that we basically know nothing about Ancient Egypt. The more I read, the more I find myself wondering how scholars were able to piece together Ancient Egypt with so many archaeological limitations and biased historical interpretations? I am a little worried that what I am saying here may lead fellow readers to think that my reflection has no significant insight, and that may be true. First, let me clarify my statement: for as much as we “know” about Ancient Egypt, there is so much more that we do not know. As discussed by Hassan, we know that the dynamics of Nile inundation gave rise and sustainability to Egypt, and that the Nile helped shaped Egyptian chronology yet rare to no legitimacy or validation can be found in archaeological evidence (e.g. kings lists) that leads to conclusive findings and objective interpretation.

Hassan says that the Nile plus culture equals lack of an archaeological past (The Dynamics of a Riverine Civilization). Ward says that the Nile plus archaeological remains equals lack of Egyptian chronology which was rooted in their culture (The Present Status of Egyptian Chronology). Meanwhile, there is a cake flavored with Introductions of Ancient Egypt and it is layered with artifacts and timelines and maps. Hassan adds the icing on the cake by telling us to reconsider everything we know about Ancient Egypt (Egyptian Archaeology). All seems kind of contradicting and consistent with my reflective statement of we know nothing in regards to ancient Egypt. Could it be that everyone is so specialized in their fields of anthropology and Egyptology that it hinders us from obtaining more knowledge? Or is there simply not enough “usable” evidence to guide us in the right direction of “knowing?” Or both? 

Whatever the reason may be, I understand that research and building literature on what we know about Ancient Egypt may help us arrive to some true conclusions, but I, also,  understand that we may never arrive to a conclusion. This is the result of seeking knowledge in the first place. I do appreciate that Hassan acknowledges that even though we know about certain subjects (mortuary practices, hieroglyphics, Nile inundation) there is still more to know about what we know, and there are more ways to shift our thinking about Ancient Egypt and holistically approach how we learn what we want to know.