| High Culture and Experience in Ancient Egypt Contributor(s): Baines, John (Author) |
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ISBN: 1845533003 ISBN-13: 9781845533007 Publisher: Equinox Publishing OUR PRICE: $118.75 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: December 2011 Annotation: This novel work uses case studies of unfamiliar materials to expand discussion of aesthetic aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization in order to encompass elite lived experience and problems of elite interaction with other sectors of society. The opening chapter sets out the conceptual ground for the detailed analyses that follow, emphasizing the great importance to the actors of the relatively ephemeral activities under investigation. The first study treats human organization of the landscape and its exploitation to create elite meanings and to mobilize emotional values. Next, a treatment of the planning of settlements on the floodplain argues that Egypt offers a ruralizing ideal that presents an alternative to the urban focus of many early civilizations but has parallels in elite culture in much of the world. The third study analyses how a single year's events were orchestrated to culminate in a celebratory hunt by the king, his court, and high officials. The concluding chapter presents an initial synthesis of the Egyptian elite's treatment of experience, drawing on additional categories of evidence from material culture, literary texts, and the concept of travel. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Ancient - Egypt |
| Dewey: 305.31 |
| LCCN: 2013008295 |
| Series: Studies in Egyptology and the Ancient Near East |
| Physical Information: 1.2" H x 6.4" W x 9.3" (1.85 lbs) 448 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - Ancient (To 499 A.D.) - Cultural Region - North Africa |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: This novel work uses case studies of both familiar and unfamiliar materials, expanding consideration of ancient Egyptian elite culture to encompass lived experience and exploitation of the natural environment. The opening chapter sets out the conceptual ground for the analyses that follow, arguing that the relatively ephemeral activities under investigation were centrally important to the actors. The first and largest study treats human organization of the landscape and its use to create and transmit elite meanings, especially through pictorial and encyclopaedic forms, and to mobilize emotional values. Next, a treatment of the planning of primarily third millennium settlements on the floodplain argues that Egypt offers a partly rural perspective that provides an alternative to the urban focus of many early civilizations but has parallels in elite culture in much of the world. The third study discusses how a single year's events were orchestrated to culminate in a celebratory hunt in which the king, his court, and high officials participated. The concluding chapter presents an initial synthesis of Egyptian treatments of elite experience, drawing in particular upon additional evidence from literary texts and attitudes to travel. |
