The History of Ancient Egypt

Knowing what makes ancient Egypt so interesting; how one knows what one knows about it; understanding what can one, as a student, expect from these lectures.

Seeing just how old 'old' is; the basic divisions of prehistory are discussed; each category is defined and its specific characteristics delineated; once these categories are clear, discussing the difficulties of studying a prehistoric civilization.

Knowing what distinguishes mythology, religion and philosophy from one another; understanding the role did each plays in the lives of the ancient Egyptians.

Knowing why modern Egyptology begins with Napoleon; how is Egypt studied before he and his army arrive with 150 scientists in tow in 1798; the Description de l'Egypte that Bonaparte's savants produce becomes a benchmark for future publications.

The Rosetta Stone is a large granite stela, unearthed by French troops in 1799; it provides the key to decoding the ancient Egyptian language; the four scripts in which ancient Egyptian can be written; the three ways hieroglyphic signs can be used.

Egypt becomes history's first nation; King Narmer unifies Upper and Lower Egypt; building a power that dominates the Near East for millennia; why the political structure of ancient Egypt makes this possible; how the Narmer Palette tells this story.