This week’s readings over mortuary changes and progressions in the afterlife had some very interesting topics and theories. I found it very interesting that when the Nubians came and took control over Egypt they embodied some of the old rituals and reintroduced them back into Egyptian culture. It makes me think that they kind of regenerated and re-sparked the Egyptian culture in ways. If they hadn’t stepped in and maneuvered their way to power what would have Egypt become? Or what traditions would have been lost or replaced, along with what new ones would have been created in those times? It also begs the question that this is the first time we really see a stronghold of foreign rulers in a sense, after the Nubians, the Libyans take control of Egypt. Possessing many ideas and ways that were already similar to the old Egyptian ones during their reign but introducing new concepts that would change the face of Egypt. Pharaohs began to become assimilated with their inner circle as well as later on, we see a further blurring of the lines between the upper elite and common townsfolk. There is also mention of Libyans being the ones to introduce more rights and movement for women within the culture and nation-state.
Among the changes in mortuary practices, I find the change in burial sites and methods very intriguing. Especially the fact that there was evidence to show the integration of burial methods that were the same between kings, elites and common folk. This suggested that the king was more common and known to his people, suggesting that he interacted with them more when they were alive than in the old times. I also found the fact that some kings were buried with the same inscriptions and scenes from the ‘Book of the Dead’ that were normally used in non-royal tombs. It is also interesting that Taylor states that royalty is no longer buried separate but within groups whether it is for family ties or other relatives that have passed away. We are also shown evidence where people are buried together in larger groups based on family units or the jobs that they may have held during the time they were alive. Even with the integration of a king and his subjects, there is still evidence of a hierarchy. Which was displayed through the placement of the burials within a necropolis. We see this in the placement of burials around a single burial and the connections of where they lie within distance to the ‘upper’ burial. Whether its “attracting relatives or descendants” or it is “the subjects being laid at the feet of their lord”. Another really cool aspect I found striking was the fact that graves and tombs were starting to be reused, by adding new burials to chambers or especially if the tomb had been looted. They just up and replaced the person who had been buried there as if they never existed because of the fact that it looked like no one had since everything was stolen.
You do propose some interesting questions. I agree that this topic is quite interesting. I found a lot of what I read kind of eye opening. I did know about a few of these things, but there were other things that, like the talk of other nations, that I didn’t know of. I completely agree that the mortuary practices were amazing. The whole idea of idolizing pharaohs with temples is incredible. You take a look at the temple of Seti I and the temple of Amnehotep III and wonder the amount of work that would put into these. Today, we get to view the places, but they are definitely not like what they were back in the day. The burial methods are also a very intriguing thing. You bought up a great point. “The integration of burial methods that were the same between kings, elites, and common folk. This suggested that the king was more common and known to his people, suggesting that he interacted with them more when they were alive than the old times.” It is great that a king would interact with the people. I guess some people would assume that a king would just sit on their throne all day and do nothing else. However, they had to deal with political issues and how to advance the Egyptian culture. This also shows that everyone is just the same. People would possibly view this as their king just being any regular human being. That changes the way we view our social system.
I really enjoyed reading your blog post! I think it did a remarkably good job at summarizing the key points of this last chapter we were reading and tying it all together. I especially find this interesting after reading some of the paper proposals, many of which were related to some sort of mortuary activity in ancient Egypt. I think that much of the time when people think of ancient Egypt, they immediately jump to the pyramids and mummies, and don’t really consider how intricate and varied the mortuary practices of the people were. Because of that, I really enjoyed how deeply you looked into the Nubian relation to Egyptian mortuary practices, and especially that you pointed out that there was a revival due nearly entirely to the Nubian presence in the New Kingdom when they invaded and took control of Thebes. I think many times people do not realize how interconnected many ancient civilizations were, and often think of Egypt as one single people that managed to carry one single tradition for a remarkably long period of time in history. It is all too often that we consider ancient Egypt as a uniform and stagnant society, when in reality it is just as diverse and prone to change as both civilizations and society in modern day, just as its ancient sibling civilizations would have been as well.
I agree with the two comments above. It was very interesting to read, and I liked how you proposed your questions. It showed that you put some thought into the reading more than just summarizing and stating things they liked/didn’t like or noticed. I also found it interesting that when the Nubians took control over Egypt they embodied some of the old rituals and added them back into Egyptian culture. I find this particularly interesting because in history and even today you see old stuff become new and not just with rituals. Like fashion from the 80’s and 90’s you see coming back in 2018. That is just my modern take on that subject you could disagree or agree with me. I think that if the Nubians hadn’t stepped in I think that those rituals would have kept evolving and becoming something new. Or on another hand was it meant to be that the old rituals would have come back into their lives? Would someone else have come in and changed them anyways? We just don’t know. I also think that it was interesting that the kind of burial sites say that they were the same between kings, elites and common folk. I like the sound of a king who interacted with the people it just makes it seem like they were more personable and likable than some other kings of the past. I also found that it was interesting they were no longer buried separate but within groups. It makes you wonder what changed to make this happen? What was the reason behind all of this?