Focusing on the intersections of violence and gender, this work examines how war and aggression shaped social dynamics in ancient Egypt. By addressing underexplored aspects of gender studies within Egyptology, it reveals the complexities of gender roles and societal norms in the context of violence, offering a fresh perspective on historical narratives.
This Element deals with ancient Egyptian concept of collective identity, various groups which inhabited the Egyptian Nile Valley and different approaches to ethnic identity in the last two hundred years of Egyptology. The aim is to present the dynamic processes of ethnogenesis of the inhabitants of the land of the pharaohs.
Focusing on contemporary archaeological practices, this volume explores how gender influences the field, arguing for its intrinsic role in enriching archaeological studies. It features scholarly contributions that critically examine various concepts, principles, and theories through a gender lens, highlighting the importance of integrating gender perspectives in the discipline's ongoing evolution. The discussions challenge conventional views and advocate for a broader understanding of archaeology's future directions.
Violent Treatment of Enemies and Prisoners
Body and Frames of War in New Kingdom Egypt deals with the relation between violence and the bodies of enemies and prisoners of war in New Kingdom Egypt (ca. 1550/1070 BC) through the lens of „frames of war“ (J. Butler). Archaeological, textual and pictorial sources on military violence (torture, mutilation, execution) are examined with various methods. Numerous attestations of caging, branding and marking, cutting off hands, cutting off phalli, cutting off ears, eyes gouging, strangling, burning, impaling and decapitation of enemies are analysed in detail and compared with treatments of the dead in the Underworld and criminals in ancient Egypt. Uroš Matić for the first time comprehensively compares divine and state violence in ancient Egypt. He discusses evidence from physical-anthropology (skeletal remains) and chooses a constructivist approach to textual and pictorial representations of violence. Bodies of enemies are understood as objects and media of violence. Several theoretical models are consulted in the examination of the material. It is argued that there was a difference in violent acts committed by the king and those committed by the soldiers. The king treats the enemies in the same way as deities and demons treat the dead in the Underworld. The violence committed by soldiers, on the other hand, is mundane and has no religious background. This difference strengthened the divine nature of the king.