Photos by James Kellie
Summer School 2012 - programme in detail
25 - 29 June
WARFARE UNDER THE PHARAOHS: FROM NARMER TO AUGUSTUS
Course Director: Mr George Hart
The warrior pharaoh is a vivid image on ancient Egyptian monuments, sometimes reflecting historical facts but often promulgating royal propaganda. We will explore the evidence for battles and campaigns, momentous events such as the liberation of Egypt from the Canaanite Hyksos rulers; the Battle of Megiddo where Thutmose III laid the foundation for empire; the Battle of Kadesh where Ramesses II almost lost his life fighting the Hitittes; and the invasion of the Sea Peoples thwarted by the strategy of Ramesses III. Exploring the conquest of Egypt by outside powers will bring us face to face with kings from Nubia, Assyria and Achaemenid Persia. We will evaluate developments in weaponry such as the horse and chariot and composite bow and study the impressive military architecture of fortresses built at the Second Nile Cataract. Finally we will review the impact of Alexander the Great and the significant battles of the Ptolemies, finding elephants as war-machines, before we leave Egypt under the control of Roman legions.
This course will include sessions taught in the Petrie Museum and British Museum.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
VOICES FROM ANCIENT IRAQ: LIFE IN MESOPOTAMIA
(AS REVEALED BY THE TEXTS)
Course Director: Dr Jonathan Taylor
When writing was invented in Iraq over 5,000 years ago, it unleashed a flood of creativity. Hundreds of thousands of documents survive, gifting us windows into life in Mesopotamia. And who better to direct a course on this subject than the Curator of Cuneiform Collections at the British Museum, Dr Jon Taylor.
Through a combination of wide-ranging lectures and some practical activities we will explore the origins of a technology that has changed the world; how cuneiform works; how tablets were made; who used cuneiform; what kinds of texts they wrote; and how we are able to understand them today.
What was school life like? What was in the earliest libraries? Why did scribes make, and fake, history? How did experts predict the future? Literature and law, magic and medicine, science, mathematics, letters, business records, map-making and drawing, and more. Meet the ancient scribes with us and marvel at their craft.
At least one session will be taught in the British Museum.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
DAILY LIFE RITUALS IN ANCIENT EGYPT
Course Director: Dr Stephen Harvey and Ms Jan Picton
We are excited that Stephen Harvey and Jan Picton have agreed to team up to co-direct this fascinating new course.
Our view of Egyptian religion is dominated by the great temples of the state gods, but how much did these impact on non-elite Egyptians? This course explores not the great state religions of ancient Egypt but the religious and ritual practices of ordinary individuals and communities. What do we know about local cults and domestic religion? The material culture associated with ritual practice – the votive objects, ritual tools, amulets, figurines etc. - functioned as a manifestation of the concerns of the people. By studying these we can examine how religion impacted on daily life. What role did magic play? What did individuals do to ensure the well-being of themselves and their families?
All this will be explored through lectures, object handling sessions and gallery work in the Petrie Museum and British Museum.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
HIEROGLYPHS FOR BEGINNERS
Course Director: Dr José-R. Pérez-Accino
We are delighted to announce that we will be running our much requested Beginners’ Hieroglyphs course again this year. Dr José-R. Pérez-Accino has vast experience of teaching hieroglyphs and has worked closely with Mark Collier and Bill Manley creators of the brilliant How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs.
This course offers an introduction to the world of Egyptian hieroglyphs and does not require prior experience. Through a series of lectures and practical sessions, you will progress from grasping the basics of writing and language notions of the Ancient Egyptians, to being able to read some of the monuments on display at the British Museum. The course is for beginners but it will also appeal to those of you who are hieroglyphs students wishing to refresh your knowledge. This will be a stimulating learning experience during an intense and eye-opening week, culminating in a visit to the British Museum to read some of the inscriptions.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
AKHENATEN, NEFERTITI AND THE PEOPLE THEY RULED
Course Director: Professor Barry Kemp
The Amarna Period of ancient Egypt brings into focus the 17-year reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten and his extraordinary attempt to change the relationship between himself as king and the principal god of the state, renamed the Aten. Essential for the accomplishment of his plans was the creation of a new sacred place which also came to accommodate a city of several tens of thousands of people. This was the place Akhetaten, its modern name is Tell el-Amarna. Who better to teach this course than the dig director there for over thirty years now, Professor Barry Kemp.
We will examine the key sources for our knowledge of the Amarna Period and its contributions to the history of Egyptian art and thought. We will then proceed to look at Amarna itself, and the abundance of its archaeological remains, both buildings and objects, including the results of current excavations there.
A half-day with guest lecturer Dr Corinne Duhig will be devoted to the human remains of the period, and especially those that might be of the Amarna royal family.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
READING HIEROGLYPHS: A JOURNEY WITH SINUHE
Course Director: Dr José-Ramon Pérez-Accino
Back by popular demand ... more reading hieroglyphs with Dr José-R. Pérez-Accino.
Our hieroglyphs courses have for many years been regarded as among the best in the U.K. This course is a follow up to the BSS courses Hieroglyphs for Beginners, Hieroglyphs: the next step, and Hieroglyphs: Practice and Progress. It is not essential to have taken these courses, but this course is not for beginners.
The aim of this course is to enable you to read a literary text in its original hieroglyphic script. We will devote ourselves to a detailed reading of selected passages from The Story of Sinuhe, a classic Egyptian composition from the Middle Kingdom. During the course you will become familiar with the structure of the ancient Egyptian narrative language and with grammatical aspects not covered in other BSS Hieroglyphs courses. This contact with Egyptian literature in the original will provide you with the tools and confidence to continue reading Egyptian texts.
timetable tbc | suggested reading | course director(s) | back to '2012 programme at a glance' and on-line booking
