HIST4390 Ancient Egypt: History, Art, Religion and Modern Perceptions

This course is designed to give the students basic knowledge of the culture of ancient Egypt. Subjects such as history, art, religion, literature, society, science and technology will be discussed. In addition, the students will also learn through the example of Egypt how our modern perception of ancient culture was formed, subjects such as the changing images of Egypt throughout history in the West, and the modern appropriation of Egyptian themes in art, literature and cinema will be part of the discussion. It is hoped that, by taking this class, the students could obtain a solid and factual based understanding of ancient Egyptian culture, learn to appreciate a different and distant society and culture, and to develop the ability to reflect upon the nature of history and how history and historical knowledge could be formed and utilized or distorted for different objectives.

Course outline for 13 weeks

Regulations for assessment:

1. On attendance:
   1. Attend every session of the lecture.
   2. Finish the course readings before lecture.
2. On participation of discussion: Actively participate in the discussion sections held in lecture.
3. On mid-term paper:
   1. Finish and hand in a mid-term paper in time.
   2. The subject of the paper: should be discussed with the lecturer at least 3 weeks earlier of the deadline.
   3. Length: the text body should be at least 10 pages (cover page excluded if there is one), but the overall length should be no more than 40 pages.
4. On final paper:
   1. Finish and hand in a final paper in time.
   2. The subject of the paper: should be the extension of the mid-term paper and discussed with the lecturer no more than 3 weeks after the submission of the mid-term paper.
   3. Length: The text body should be at least 12 pages (cover page excluded if there is one), but the overall length should be no more than 60 pages.
5. On paper format:
   1. Language of main text: English.
   2. A content table listed below/after the title is required.
   3. The text amount of quotation should be below 1/4 of the whole main text body.
   4. Font: Arial or Times (New) Roman in English and PMingLiU in Chinese.
   5. Text size: 12 pt.
   6. Paragraph: 1.5 line spacing, before and after spacing: 6 pt.
   7. Reference format: footnote preferred.
   8. Bibliography: at least 5 pieces.
   9. Page format: A4 size with 2.54cm/1inch at four margins and page number at bottom of the pages.
   10. Non-textual content: pictures, tables, charts, and drawings required as reference in research should be well numbered and placed at the end of the text body.
   11. More rules and guidance please follow online version of the Chicago Manual of Style (see: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html)

Backup plan for assessment

• Face-to-face teaching would be replaced by online teaching.
• The discussion of taught content and students’ paper topics could also be maintained as online tutoring, if needed.
• The delivery of mid-term and final papers could be practiced through email, and printed hardcopy can be spared.

Required readings

1. 蒲慕州，《法老的國度》（台北：麥田，2001）.
2. Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000).
3. S. Smith (rev. by W. K. Simpson), The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1965, 1981).
4. Frankfort, Ancient Egyptian Religion (New York: Harper & Row, 1961).
5. Szpakowska, Kasia Maria, Daily Life in Ancient Egypt: Recreating Lahun (Blackwell Publishing, 2008).
6. Montet, Everyday Life in Egypt in the days of Ramesses the Great (London: Edward Arnold, 1958)
7. R. Harris, The Legacy of Egypt (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971).
8. MacDonald and M. Rice eds., Consuming Ancient Egypt (London: University College Press: 2003).

Recommanded Readings

1. H. Gardiner, Egypt of the Pharaohs. (Oxford University Press, 1969).
2. G. Trigger et. al., Ancient Egypt, A Social History. (Cambridge University Press, 1983).
3. J. Kemp, Ancient Egypt, Anatomy of a Civilization. (London: Routledge, 1991).
4. Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt (Oxford: Blackwell, 1992).
5. 蒲慕州，《尼羅河畔的文采：古埃及文選》（台北：遠流，1993）
6. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature 3 vols. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973-80).

Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations. Details may be found at http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/.

With each assignment, students will be required to submit a signed declaration that they are aware of these policies, regulations, guidelines and procedures.

• In the case of group projects, all members of the group should be asked to sign the declaration, each of whom is responsible and liable to disciplinary actions, irrespective of whether he/she has signed the declaration and whether he/she has contributed, directly or indirectly, to the problematic contents.
• For assignments in the form of a computer-generated document that is principally text-based and submitted via VeriGuide, the statement, in the form of a receipt, will be issued by the system upon students’ uploading of the soft copy of the assignment.

Assignments without the properly signed declaration will not be graded by teachers.

Only the final version of the assignment should be submitted via VeriGuide.

The submission of a piece of work, or a part of a piece of work, for more than one purpose (e.g. to satisfy the requirements in two different courses) without declaration to this effect shall be regarded as having committed undeclared multiple submissions. It is common and acceptable to reuse a turn of phrase or a sentence or two from one’s own work; but wholesale reuse is problematic. In any case, agreement from the course teacher(s) concerned should be obtained prior to the submission of the piece of work.