Papers by Elizabeth Eltze
The Amphora Issue, 2016
This work analyses key elements of historiographical information gathered from the short passage ... more This work analyses key elements of historiographical information gathered from the short passage from Book 2, section 86 of Herodotus’ Histories, which describes the elaborate practices of the mummification process performed on deceased elite Egyptians. This analysis will form a historiographical study of Herodotus’ use of the description of Egyptian ‘barbarian’ mortuary customs. It is my intention to support the argument that Herodotus may have been constructing a comparison between the Egyptian barbarian ‘other’, and alternative barbarian ‘others’ specifically for his Greek audience. The investigation will be undertaken through a succinct consideration of the written material’s hypothetical interpretations, as well as evaluating the purpose of Herodotus’ writing concerning this particular topic. A concise exploration of Herodotus’ presentation of evidence, in the form of personal experience or as part of his ‘enquiries’, as well as his hypothesised methods of collecting said evidence, will be made. Moreover, the intended recipients of this work, and the possible reasoning behind what information was included, will also be addressed briefly. In doing so, an attempt will be made to substantiate the assertion that mortuary customs were an essential aspect of creating a Greek sense of identity, as well as of the ethnographical and geographical ‘other’. This advances the assertion that Herodotus was attempting to stimulate his audience to consider the Egyptians within an alternative framework to that of other 'barbarian' groups within the Persian Empire.
The Amphora Issue, 2015
This brief article reviews the Taharqa—den Sorte Farao/
Taharqa—the Black Pharaoh exhibition held... more This brief article reviews the Taharqa—den Sorte Farao/
Taharqa—the Black Pharaoh exhibition held 10 April 2015–28 June 2015, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.
This brief abstract outlines the arguments made in my recently completed doctoral thesis. This do... more This brief abstract outlines the arguments made in my recently completed doctoral thesis. This document is currently being prepared for publication.
Travel as an enactment of the king’s performance of his legitimation in the physical world has be... more Travel as an enactment of the king’s performance of his legitimation in the physical world has been amply addressed within an ancient Egyptian context.However, material that addresses this motif in detail with regard to Kushite kings is virtually unheard of. Therefore, this work seeks to apply the hypotheses of modern scholars regarding ancient Egyptian royal travel as a framework for legitimation to the ‘Dream Stela’ official royal document of Tanutamani, final king of the Kushite Twenty-Fifth Dynasty of Egypt.
This thesis examines the representation of each king in three key texts from the Kushite Twenty-F... more This thesis examines the representation of each king in three key texts from the Kushite Twenty-Fifth Dynasty of Egypt. The depiction of the king upon public monuments was an essential feature of the propaganda of kingship throughout ancient Egyptian history. However, the recognition of why and how representations of the king were considered propagandistic has been somewhat neglected.
This paper analyses the “Triumphal Stela” of Piye (representing the beginning of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty), Stela Kawa IV of Taharqa (illustrating the mid-point of this Kushite rule), and the “Dream Stela” of Tanutamani (delineating the end of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty). Many scholars have analysed these stelae, and their historical and socio-political frameworks. However, this thesis examines how elements of language within these documents (including iconography and rhetoric) functioned as royal propaganda in response to their historical contexts. This complements previous studies by analysing fundamental aspects of how and why these stelae are considered propagandistic.
This dissertation attempts to create a tentative outline of the earliest origins of Osiris’ ident... more This dissertation attempts to create a tentative outline of the earliest origins of Osiris’ identification as a deity affiliated with grain agriculture and the cult of the dead. The main focus of this investigation is Osiris’ first appearances as a mortuary deity, juxtaposed with mortuary offerings of the most essential comestibles in ancient Egypt: bread and beer, which were staples of agrarian ancient Egyptian life and central to conceptualisations of the afterlife.
A number of scholars have addressed Osiris and his purviews throughout the history of ancient Egypt, particularly focussing on his manifestations as a god of agriculture and the Inundation in later periods. However, this dissertation departs somewhat from traditional scholarship in that it examines the beginnings of the cult of Osiris from an agricultural perspective in conjunction with mortuary aspects, rather than solely the cult of a funerary deity. It examines closely how Osiris’ earliest intimate associations with death almost inevitably lead to his later affiliation with fertility and agriculture, especially the cultivation of grain and grain products.
The evidence of the Osirian mythologies’ inception during the Old Kingdom is examined through focused analysis of the Pyramid Texts and the wAg-festival. Predynastic and Old Kingdom evidence of grain preparation methods and the application of grain and grain products in a mortuary context are subsequently considered, and finally, relevant tomb art is discussed. These elements explore the amalgamation of bread and beer as essential mortuary items with the first appearances of Osiris as a mortuary deity. This is in order to support the argument that Osiris’ affiliations with grain and fertility were established much earlier than had originally been considered.
Uploads
Papers by Elizabeth Eltze
Taharqa—the Black Pharaoh exhibition held 10 April 2015–28 June 2015, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.
This paper analyses the “Triumphal Stela” of Piye (representing the beginning of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty), Stela Kawa IV of Taharqa (illustrating the mid-point of this Kushite rule), and the “Dream Stela” of Tanutamani (delineating the end of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty). Many scholars have analysed these stelae, and their historical and socio-political frameworks. However, this thesis examines how elements of language within these documents (including iconography and rhetoric) functioned as royal propaganda in response to their historical contexts. This complements previous studies by analysing fundamental aspects of how and why these stelae are considered propagandistic.
A number of scholars have addressed Osiris and his purviews throughout the history of ancient Egypt, particularly focussing on his manifestations as a god of agriculture and the Inundation in later periods. However, this dissertation departs somewhat from traditional scholarship in that it examines the beginnings of the cult of Osiris from an agricultural perspective in conjunction with mortuary aspects, rather than solely the cult of a funerary deity. It examines closely how Osiris’ earliest intimate associations with death almost inevitably lead to his later affiliation with fertility and agriculture, especially the cultivation of grain and grain products.
The evidence of the Osirian mythologies’ inception during the Old Kingdom is examined through focused analysis of the Pyramid Texts and the wAg-festival. Predynastic and Old Kingdom evidence of grain preparation methods and the application of grain and grain products in a mortuary context are subsequently considered, and finally, relevant tomb art is discussed. These elements explore the amalgamation of bread and beer as essential mortuary items with the first appearances of Osiris as a mortuary deity. This is in order to support the argument that Osiris’ affiliations with grain and fertility were established much earlier than had originally been considered.
Taharqa—the Black Pharaoh exhibition held 10 April 2015–28 June 2015, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen.
This paper analyses the “Triumphal Stela” of Piye (representing the beginning of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty), Stela Kawa IV of Taharqa (illustrating the mid-point of this Kushite rule), and the “Dream Stela” of Tanutamani (delineating the end of the Twenty-Fifth Dynasty). Many scholars have analysed these stelae, and their historical and socio-political frameworks. However, this thesis examines how elements of language within these documents (including iconography and rhetoric) functioned as royal propaganda in response to their historical contexts. This complements previous studies by analysing fundamental aspects of how and why these stelae are considered propagandistic.
A number of scholars have addressed Osiris and his purviews throughout the history of ancient Egypt, particularly focussing on his manifestations as a god of agriculture and the Inundation in later periods. However, this dissertation departs somewhat from traditional scholarship in that it examines the beginnings of the cult of Osiris from an agricultural perspective in conjunction with mortuary aspects, rather than solely the cult of a funerary deity. It examines closely how Osiris’ earliest intimate associations with death almost inevitably lead to his later affiliation with fertility and agriculture, especially the cultivation of grain and grain products.
The evidence of the Osirian mythologies’ inception during the Old Kingdom is examined through focused analysis of the Pyramid Texts and the wAg-festival. Predynastic and Old Kingdom evidence of grain preparation methods and the application of grain and grain products in a mortuary context are subsequently considered, and finally, relevant tomb art is discussed. These elements explore the amalgamation of bread and beer as essential mortuary items with the first appearances of Osiris as a mortuary deity. This is in order to support the argument that Osiris’ affiliations with grain and fertility were established much earlier than had originally been considered.