PhD Dissertation by Thérèse Clarke
Extract from Volume I: Text, 2020
How did elite males progress through civil and temple leadership paths in the Old Kingdom? What t... more How did elite males progress through civil and temple leadership paths in the Old Kingdom? What titles identified that progression? How did their social status/seniority factor into their careers? Is it possible to measure that social status? This thesis examines the career trajectories of elite males with
links to non-Memphite Egypt across the Old Kingdom to answer these questions. The approach adopted is one of cohort-based analysis of the career paths and social status of leaders involved in provincial administration across the Old Kingdom using the tools of prosopography.
The study has applied a robust and systematic approach to analysing career trajectories via an examination of civil and temple leadership titles, as well as an innovative method for measuring social status through development of an index to convert honorifics, Residence-related titles and royal cult titles into a single measure: the Patronage Index. The analysis has demonstrated that those involved in the day to day administration of provinces or temples had very specialist careers when compared to individuals who advanced to higher office. Similarly, there was a significant difference in their seniority. As is the case today, ‘highflyers’ were less common than the ‘typical’, even though 'highflyers' are more likely to be visible in the record than the latter.
The study rejects the use of terms such as nomarch or governor, instead proposing that Provincial Leadership is a spectrum that developed across the Old Kingdom, from locality chiefs through to the Great Overlords, which it collectively terms Provincial Leaders. It challenges existing scholarship
regarding the classification of certain individuals as nomarchs or governors, noting a tendency to conflate high status with Provincial Leadership. It concludes that titles or roles should not be inferred when the evidence does not offer explicit support. It further suggests that social status can be
estimated more effectively through the adoption of a single measure of the totality of links to court (the Patronage Index), than strings of honorifics
Honours Thesis by Thérèse Clarke
A re-examination of the role of the Overseer of Upper Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Data related ... more A re-examination of the role of the Overseer of Upper Egypt during the Old Kingdom. Data related to Volume 1
A re-examination of the role of the Overseer of Upper Egypt during the Old Kingdom.
Awards by Thérèse Clarke
Tele's Angels receiving an Australian Award for University Teaching for Programs that Enhance Lea... more Tele's Angels receiving an Australian Award for University Teaching for Programs that Enhance Learning at Parliament House, Canberra, on Tuesday 16th of November 2010
Lectures by Thérèse Clarke
Lecture to the Kyoto Egyptology Colloquium on study of same name.
Conference Organisation: AEC 6 2022 by Thérèse Clarke
Co-authors listed are members of the Organising Committee and Scientific Committee respectively.
Conference Presentations by Thérèse Clarke
The elite males buried in Qubbet El-Hawa during the Old Kingdom have long attracted scholarly int... more The elite males buried in Qubbet El-Hawa during the Old Kingdom have long attracted scholarly interest. Several of these individuals have variously been described as ‘governors’ and/or ‘nomarchs’ even though only one such title is known within the cemetery. When their careers are examined as a cohort, using the innovative Career Trajectory and Social Status Index approaches I developed as part of my PhD research to examine careers and social standing, it becomes obvious that their career focus was very different to that of other Old Kingdom Provincial Leaders. The significant divergence in roles arose due to the strategic importance of Elephantine as a border control point for the Old Kingdom and the consequently specialised work of these elites as representatives of the Residence in trade and other types of negotiations, together with enforcement of border security.
That analysis approach also provides an opportunity to assess the careers and ties to the Residence of a wider group of 174 individuals based at Elephantine and on the island of Sehel. These individuals were similarly specialised.
My analysis demonstrates that the strategic decisions made by the Residence to grant honorifics and Residence-related titles differed in Elephantine in comparison to other locations in Egypt, reflecting the nature of the location and the ties to the Residence triggered by career responsibilities
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PhD Dissertation by Thérèse Clarke
links to non-Memphite Egypt across the Old Kingdom to answer these questions. The approach adopted is one of cohort-based analysis of the career paths and social status of leaders involved in provincial administration across the Old Kingdom using the tools of prosopography.
The study has applied a robust and systematic approach to analysing career trajectories via an examination of civil and temple leadership titles, as well as an innovative method for measuring social status through development of an index to convert honorifics, Residence-related titles and royal cult titles into a single measure: the Patronage Index. The analysis has demonstrated that those involved in the day to day administration of provinces or temples had very specialist careers when compared to individuals who advanced to higher office. Similarly, there was a significant difference in their seniority. As is the case today, ‘highflyers’ were less common than the ‘typical’, even though 'highflyers' are more likely to be visible in the record than the latter.
The study rejects the use of terms such as nomarch or governor, instead proposing that Provincial Leadership is a spectrum that developed across the Old Kingdom, from locality chiefs through to the Great Overlords, which it collectively terms Provincial Leaders. It challenges existing scholarship
regarding the classification of certain individuals as nomarchs or governors, noting a tendency to conflate high status with Provincial Leadership. It concludes that titles or roles should not be inferred when the evidence does not offer explicit support. It further suggests that social status can be
estimated more effectively through the adoption of a single measure of the totality of links to court (the Patronage Index), than strings of honorifics
Honours Thesis by Thérèse Clarke
Awards by Thérèse Clarke
Lectures by Thérèse Clarke
Conference Organisation: AEC 6 2022 by Thérèse Clarke
Conference Presentations by Thérèse Clarke
That analysis approach also provides an opportunity to assess the careers and ties to the Residence of a wider group of 174 individuals based at Elephantine and on the island of Sehel. These individuals were similarly specialised.
My analysis demonstrates that the strategic decisions made by the Residence to grant honorifics and Residence-related titles differed in Elephantine in comparison to other locations in Egypt, reflecting the nature of the location and the ties to the Residence triggered by career responsibilities
links to non-Memphite Egypt across the Old Kingdom to answer these questions. The approach adopted is one of cohort-based analysis of the career paths and social status of leaders involved in provincial administration across the Old Kingdom using the tools of prosopography.
The study has applied a robust and systematic approach to analysing career trajectories via an examination of civil and temple leadership titles, as well as an innovative method for measuring social status through development of an index to convert honorifics, Residence-related titles and royal cult titles into a single measure: the Patronage Index. The analysis has demonstrated that those involved in the day to day administration of provinces or temples had very specialist careers when compared to individuals who advanced to higher office. Similarly, there was a significant difference in their seniority. As is the case today, ‘highflyers’ were less common than the ‘typical’, even though 'highflyers' are more likely to be visible in the record than the latter.
The study rejects the use of terms such as nomarch or governor, instead proposing that Provincial Leadership is a spectrum that developed across the Old Kingdom, from locality chiefs through to the Great Overlords, which it collectively terms Provincial Leaders. It challenges existing scholarship
regarding the classification of certain individuals as nomarchs or governors, noting a tendency to conflate high status with Provincial Leadership. It concludes that titles or roles should not be inferred when the evidence does not offer explicit support. It further suggests that social status can be
estimated more effectively through the adoption of a single measure of the totality of links to court (the Patronage Index), than strings of honorifics
That analysis approach also provides an opportunity to assess the careers and ties to the Residence of a wider group of 174 individuals based at Elephantine and on the island of Sehel. These individuals were similarly specialised.
My analysis demonstrates that the strategic decisions made by the Residence to grant honorifics and Residence-related titles differed in Elephantine in comparison to other locations in Egypt, reflecting the nature of the location and the ties to the Residence triggered by career responsibilities