Stanford Continuing Studies Course: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology

http://continuingstudies.stanford.edu/courses/liberal-arts-and-sciences/ancient-egyptian-art-and-archaeology/20162_ARC-14

ARC 14 — Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology

Quarter: Winter

Day(s): Wednesdays/Sun

Course Format: On-campus course

Duration: 9 sessions

Date(s): Jan 11—Mar 5

Time: 7:00—9:10 pm

Drop Deadline: Jan 24

Unit(s): 2

Tuition: $445

Status: Open

Please Note: This course has a different schedule than what appears in the print catalogue. The course will meet over 8 Wednesdays, Jan. 11 - Mar. 1, from 7-9:10 pm. There will also be a museum visit to Stanford's Cantor Arts Center on Sunday, Mar. 5.

Egypt’s long and magnificent ancient history of more than three millennia allowed it to develop unique achievements that had a lasting influence on the arts, mythology, literature, and monumental architecture of the ancient world. Its relative isolation—surrounded by deserts and a marshy delta and mostly accessible only by the Nile River—encouraged it to thrive independently and maintain a uniquely stable culture mainly free from invasion during the Early to Late Bronze Ages (2600–1100 BCE). From pyramids and temples to wall paintings, illustrated hieroglyphic papyri, funerary arts, science and engineering practices, stone working, and jewelry, along with its reputation as the Land of Gold in antiquity, the legacy of Egypt is astonishing. So much survives from ancient Egypt that its heritage is far better preserved than many other, almost forgotten cultures. In this course, we will revel in Egypt’s remarkable past, examining the history of such places as Hierakonpolis, Memphis, Giza, and Thebes (Waset), and the mysteries of rulers including Khufu and Menkaure, Senusret III, Hatshepsut, Thutmose III, Akhenaten and his Amarna Period, Tutankhamun, and some of the Ramesside dynasties. We will also reflect on the archaeologists who pioneered Egyptology, including Champollion, Flinders Petrie, and others. Finally, we will focus on the Rosetta Stone as a key artifact that unlocks Egyptian history and language.

This course includes a field trip to the Cantor Arts Center’s Egypt Gallery. The details will be discussed at the first class meeting.

Patrick Hunt, Former Director, Stanford Alpine Archaeology Project

Patrick Hunt has taught at Stanford since 1993. He is the author of seventeen books, including Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History and A Few Hundred Thoughts. He is a current research associate in archeoethnobotany at the Institute for EthnoMedicine. Hunt’s archaeology research has been sponsored by the National Geographic Society. He received a PhD from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Textbooks for this course:

(Required) Patrick Hunt, Ten Discoveries That Rewrote History (ISBN 978-0452288775)
(Required) Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt (ISBN 978-0192804587)

DOWNLOAD THE PRELIMINARY SYLLABUS » (subject to change)

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