Catalogue: page 1

These are some of the entries in a selected, annotated catalogue of  WWW hypertext documents (or "articles") which I consider useful to those studying the Ancient History of Egypt, especially Middle Kingdom & New Kingdom/Empire periods.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

Ancient Egypt (c.3000-525 B.C.)

• Abstract: The Overview emphasizes Egypt's history as a great hydraulic or river civilization of the ancient Near East, depending on the Nile floods to survive. The history, c.3000-525 B.C. is summarized in brief 1-page documents on the eras:
  • Old Kingdom
  • First Intermediate Period
  • Middle Kingdom
  • Second Intermediate Period
  • New Kingdom
  • Final Decline of Ancient Egypt
• Author: "Writen (sic) by Chris Butler (cbutler@uni.uiuc.edu)" under the aegis of the University Laboratory High School, situated on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• Key-terms: agriculture; Amon (god); Armarna; Black land (Kmt); civilization; floods; Heliopolis; hydraulic civilization; Hyksos; irrigation; kingship; Nile; nomes / nomarchs; priests / priesthood ; Re (god); river civilization; Sea Peoples; Thebes; trade;
• Chronology: Old Kingdom; First Intermediate Period; Middle Kingdom; Second Intermediate Period; New Kingdom (18-Dyn. Amenhotep I, Thutmose I, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep IV / Akhenaton, 19-Dyn. Ramses II); Late Periods;
• Opinion: Emphasis on Egypt as the Black-land and gift of the Nile is a common approach of textbooks; usually with an Egyptian-like antithesis on the defensive importance and resources of the Red-land. The history summaries make a good 4000-word overview (half of which is spent on the New Kingdom). Of course simplifications abound -- indeed they are necessary; but occasionally simplification becomes erroneous mis-statement. E.g., "Technically, she [Hatshepsut] was only a regent, or temporary ruler, for the young king, Thutmose III." Given the 200-odd words the document spends on Hatshepsut & Thutmose's subsequent revisionist editing of her deeds and the over 200 words on Thutmose I, the misleading sentence above should have been omitted, or the surrounding paragraphs rewritten more concisely to included one sentence covering the T1-> T2-> H-> T3 succession. This resource is an excellent overview intended for secondary school students; quite useable for a Stage-1 course. The choice of language enhancing the interest and highlighting the dynamic nature of the historic trends and reverses.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

Ludek Berec's Egyptian SubPage: A Short History of the Ancient Egypt.

• Abstract: This is one page summary of history, with additional subheadings on the subjects:
  • Pyramid Building in the Old and Middle Kingdoms
  • Art and Architecture in the New Kingdom
  • The Cult of the Sun God and Akhenaten's Monotheism
• Author: This document is under the home page of Ludek Berec, but it clearly acknowledges its source: " This file extracted from Dept. of Commerce, Economics & Statistic's Division's Apr. 1994 NATIONAL TRADEDATA BANK (NDTB) CD-ROM, SuDoc C1.88:994/4/V.2 Processed 5/11/1994 by RCM (UM-St. Louis Libraries/ AAH70005
• Key-terms: Akhetaten; Armarna; art; Aten (god); feudal states; Giza; kingship; Maat; Nile; floods; nomes / nomarchs; pyramids; Re (god); temples; Thebes; tombs; unification (of Upper & Lower Egypt); Valley of the Kings;
• Chronology: Prehistory; Early Dynastic Period; Old Kingdom; First Intermediate Period; Middle Kingdom; Second Intermediate Period; New Kingdom (Amenophis I, Thutmose III, Amenophis III, Amenhotep [Amenophis] IV /Akhenaten); Late Periods;
• Opinion: Approximately 3200 words. Some generalizations veer from imprecise to dubious. Minor inconsistancies suggest the document was composed from, or relied on, differing reference sources -- e.g. the Amenophis / Amenhotep inconsistency. The historic content is brief (e.g., the 1st Intermediate period is only one paragraph, and the Middle Kingdom even less); nonetheless the overall political trends are concisely stated and the document is recommended to the novice because, in an exemplary manner, it explains all the terms it introduces.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

Ancient Egypt

• Abstract: An Overview of the civilization & history of ancient Egypt.
• Author: primarily David O'Connor who has published articles in: AJA; Antiquity; JARCE; JEA; etc. Provided as a web document through the Baylor Interdisciplinary Core, Baylor University.
• Key-terms: Akhetaten; Armarna; art; civilization; continuity; Deir el Medinah; environment (as it affected history); houses; Karnak,  Great Temple of Amon-Ra; kingship; Memphis; mythology; New Kingdom; Old Kingdom; Pharaoh; priests / priesthood; pyramids; religion; royal succession; statuary; tombs; trade;
• Chronology: Prehistory; Early Dynastic Period; Old Kingdom; First Intermediate Period; Middle Kingdom; Second Intermediate Period; New Kingdom (18-Dyn. Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten, 19-Dyn.); Late Periods;
• Opinion: This is probably one of the better constructed 1-document summaries of Egyptian history & culture -- although comparatively long, at about 6,200 words (plus bibliography). However, its layout is less clear. It has no hypertext links or distinguishing typeface variations (font, size, italics, bold, etc); and therefore the occasional sub-headings are undifferentiated from normal text. This reinforces its appearance as a text-only extract from an encyclopedia -- which it apparently is (c.1995 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc).

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

A Short Introduction to Hieroglyphs

• Abstract: Short introduction to Middle Egyptian hieroglyphics.
• Author: Serge Rosmorduc.
• Key-terms: gods' names; hieroglyphs; kings' names; names; translation; transliteration; writing;
• Opinion: The images of the hieroglyphs look, as one would expect, like chunky bit-map representations; lacking are many of the subtleties which are essential to understanding a symbol, or differentiating it from similar signs. This makes the site less suitable for the beginner at whom it is aimed; which is regrettable, because the text is excellent -- more concise than Gardiner. For those familiar with the hieroglyphs, the signs are usually clear enough. The transliterations are also bit images, but sufficiently legible; probably this was the wise choice (rather than forced usages such as 3,i,',w, etc. The document is, at present, incomplete and only an introduction. Gardiner (or an nth-generation photocopy of Mueller) will still be needed for even one's first year of the language.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

Ancient Egyptian Monuments in Cairo

• Abstract: Concise, 1-page travel-guide to the pharaonic monuments near Cairo.
• Author: Alaa K. Ashmawy, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Geosystems Engineering at the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Key-terms: Giza; Great Pyramid; Memphis; Pyramid Texts; pyramids; Saqqara; solar boats; Sphinx; Step-Pyramid of Djoser;
• Chronology: Old Kingdom (3-Dyn. Djoser, 4-Dyn. Cheops, Chephren, 5-Dyn. Unas);
• Opinion: Sumarizes each monument in a few, brief sentences. The information is intended for the tourist, not the student [hopefully one can be both]. Distance & from Cairo are given; although not times or special conditions of visiting -- but I don't consider that a significant oversight, and by omitting such minor details the document avoids error.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

ANTIQUITY: INDEX to volumes 51-69 (1975-1995)

• Abstract: INDEX to volumes 51-69 (1975-1995) of ANTIQUITY, a quarterly specialist journal of archaeological research. Each number - published on the 1st of March, June, September and December - makes a book of about 220 pages. Indexes by
  • author
  • reviewer
  • title of reviewed work
  • subject.
• Author: n/a
• Key-terms: ANTIQUITY (Journal); Index (to journals);
• Opinion: Most ANTIQUITY articles are not within the scope of this project -- nonetheless, this index is obviously very useful for those that are on things Egyptian (e.g., the subject entries under Egypt on page-e).

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

LATE BRONZE (1570 - 1200 B.C.E.)

• Abstract: Overview of the Late Bronze Age as it impacted on the Near East (and hence Egypt) with links to translations of appropriate, contemporary records excerpted from James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts ( Princeton, 1969).
• Author: Jack Abercrombie, Assistant Provost for Computing, Brandeis University. Interested in the material culture of the Ancient Near East.
• Key-terms: art; Asiatics (as depicted by Egyptians); Canaanites; coastal road to the Near East; egyptianization of foreign lands; houses (in the Near East); jewelry; Karnak, Great Temple of Amon-Ra; Late Bronze Age; Near East; Palestine; pottery (Late Bronze Age); Syria; temples (in the Near East); weapons (Late Bronze Age);
• Chronology: New Kingdom (18-Dyn. Thotmosis III, Amunhotep III, Ahkenaten / Amunhotep IV, Tutankhamun, 19-Dyn. Seti I, Ramesis II, Merneptah, 20-Dyn.);
• Opinion: This article is primarily concerned with the Near East rather then Egypt proper; but in the New Kingdom, these two subjects are almost inseparable. Excellent blend of concise summary and illustrative detail. This resource is richly endowed with links to gif-files.

| About the project |        | Author Index |        | Title Index |        | Key-term Index |        | Chronological Index |

IRON AGE (1200 - 550 B.C.E.)

• Abstract: Overview of the Iron Age as it impacted on the Near East (and hence Egypt) with references to appropriate sections of James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts ( Princeton, 1969)
• Author: Jack Abercrombie, Assistant Provost for Computing, Brandeis University. Interested in the material culture of the Ancient Near East.
• Key-terms: mines; Near East; scarabs; Sea Peoples;
• Chronology: New Kingdom (20-Dyn. Ramesis III); Late Periods;
• Opinion: The Iron Age coincides with the decline in Egyptian imperial power. Therefore, compared with the Bronze age (cf), this article on the Near East has fewer Egyptian entries (and those tending to relate to the Defence of Egypt proper from the 20th Dynast onwards.

Resources for History of Ancient Egypt

• Abstract: Actually a series of interrelated pages, all for Northwestern University/ University College students on the History of Ancient Egypt. Because I don't have Acrobat, I shall only consider:
  • Basin Irrigation in Egypt
  • Egyptian and the Afro-Asiatic Languages
  • The Status of Women in Ancient Egyptian Society
  • Nubia: The Land Upriver
• Author: Peter A. Piccione, Oriental Institute (University of Chicago) etc [see his home page] ; published in JNES, etc.
• Key-terms: Afro-asiatic languages; Buhen; C-group culture; Cataracts (of the Nile); class distinctions; crime; Demotic (script); dialects; Dongola; egyptianization (of foreign lands); Elephantine; floods; forts (in Nubia); Hamito-semitic languages; hieratic (script); hieroglyphs; Hyksos; Irem; irrigation; Kerma cultures; Kush; Late Egyptian (language); legal rights & contracts; literacy; Medjay (people); Meroe; Middle Egyptian (language); mines; Napata; Nile; Nilometer; Nubia; Old Egyptian (language); property; Punt (land); root (linguistic); Semna; Sudan; trade; tumulus; vernacular; vocabulary; vowels / vocalization; Wawat; women -- status/role/rights; writing; Yam;
• Chronology: Prehistory; Old Kingdom (4-Dyn. Khufu, 5-Dyn. Sahure, 6-Dyn. Pepi I, Pepi II) ; First Intermediate Period (11-Dyn. Antef II); Middle Kingdom (11 Dyn. Mentuhotep II, 12-Dyn. Amenemhat I, Sesostris I, Sesostris III); Second Intermediate Period (17-Dyn. Kamose); New Kingdom (18-Dyn. Tuthmosis I, Tuthmosis III, Akhetaten); Late Periods;
• Opinion: These 4 essays of various lengths cover their topics well, and with detail absent in other summarizing documents -- this is the resource to briefly cover irrigation or the concept of "Egypt, gift of the Nile". Similarly this is the best Internet resource on the Nubia covering, over several pages, the history, geography, peoples & cultures. A suitable map is also included. Note that, because of the extent and detail of this set of documents, not all appropriate key-terms have been listed, and some of the above are amalgamated into broader terms to cut down the total number of entries.

The Great Pyramid of Giza

• Abstract: Physical description, illustrations and history of the Great Pyramid.
• Author: Alaa K. Ashmawy, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Geosystems Engineering at the Georgia Tech School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
• Key-terms: Giza; Great Pyramid; pyramid building; religion; solar boats;
• Chronology: Old Kingdom (4-Dyn. Cheops);
• Opinion: good, brief summary of the Great pyramid. Passing references to other pyramids and pyramid building.