Herodotus and an Egyptian mirage: the genealogies of the Theban priests

2002 ◽  
Vol 122 ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian S. Moyer
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Late Period ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Historical Moment ◽  
Scholarly Discourse ◽  
Historical Past ◽  
Egyptian History

AbstractThis article re-evaluates the significance attributed to Hecataeus' encounter with the Theban priests described by Herodotus (2.143) by setting it against the evidence of Late Period Egyptian representations of the past. In the first part a critique is offered of various approaches Classicists have taken to this episode and its impact on Greek historiography. Classicists have generally imagined this as an encounter in which the young, dynamic and creative Greeks construct an image of the static, ossified and incredibly old culture of the Egyptians, a move which reveals deeper assumptions in the scholarly discourse on Greeks and ‘other’ cultures in the Mediterranean world. But the civilization that Herodotus confronted in his long excursus on Egypt was not an abstract, eternal Egypt. Rather, it was the Egypt of his own day, at a specific historical moment – a culture with a particular understanding of its own long history. The second part presents evidence of lengthy Late Period priestly genealogies, and more general archaizing tendencies. Remarkable examples survive of the sort of visual genealogy which would have impressed upon the travelling Greek historians the long continuum of the Egyptian past. These include statues with genealogical inscriptions and relief sculptures representing generations of priests succeeding to their fathers' office. These priestly evocations of a present firmly anchored in the Egyptian past are part of a wider pattern of cultivating links with the historical past in the Late Period of Egyptian history. Thus, it is not simply the marvel of a massive expanse of time which Herodotus encountered in Egypt, but a mediated cultural awareness of that time. The third part of the essay argues that Herodotus used this long human past presented by the Egyptian priests in order to criticize genealogical and mythical representations of the past and develop the notion of an historical past. On the basis of this example, the article concludes by urging a reconsideration of the scholarly paradigm for imagining the encounter between Greeks and ‘others’ in ethnographic discourse in order to recognize the agency of the Egyptian priests, and other non-Greek ‘informants’.

AιΘιοπεσ Makpobioi

1923 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-36
Author(s):  
Hugh Last
Keyword(s):  
Modern Times ◽  
The Past ◽  
The People ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
Satisfactory Account ◽  
The Mediterranean

The tale current in antiquity that a certain section of the people known as Αίθίοπες was peculiar for its longevity is one of whose origin a satisfactory account is still to seek. To say that the legend was attached by the Greeks to the Aithiopians through their remoteness from the Mediterranean world is no explanation; nor is it a very cogent conjecture that the fable may have arisen from misunderstood reports of an African five-month year, for which there is some evidence in modern times. With the utmost diffidence I venture to make a suggestion which, whether it carries conviction or not, is at least so obvious that it can hardly fail to have occurred to many schdiars in the past. My one excuse must be that it does not seem to be mentioned either in the more ordinary books of reference, where it might be expected to appear, or in any other works which have come my way.

Perils, Potential and Perspectives of Bioarchaeological Analyses in the Study of Mediterranean Mobility

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-108
Author(s):  
Giulia Saltini Semerari ◽  
Britney Kyle ◽  
Laurie Reitsema
Keyword(s):  
Biological Variability ◽  
Collective Identities ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
First Millennium ◽  
Open Discussion ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Skeletal Samples ◽  
Collaborative Efforts

The resolution of bioarchaeological analyses has improved dramatically in recent years, and bioarchaeology is increasingly employed in areas of the world where preservation issues and disciplinary traditions had previously hindered its application. One such area is the Mediterranean region. Bioarchaeological analyses arguably are the most direct indicator of human behavior in the past, and as a result the full integration of bioarchaeology and archaeology into Mediterranean research shows much promise. However, several methodological, theoretical and practical challenges have emerged: (1) discrepancies between cultural and biological variability; (2) discrepancies in the dating of skeletal samples and of migration events in the two subdisciplines; (3) diverging interpretations of (collective) identities; and (4) the fostering of effective cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration. While the first two points are especially salient for Mediterranean research, the third and fourth are relevant for the archaeological discipline more generally. In this paper, we discuss each challenge in turn, focusing on the first millennium bc Greek diaspora in the Mediterranean. We believe that both disciplines would benefit from open discussion of these issues, which we hope might spur more collaborative efforts towards their resolution.

Egypt in the Late Period

2020 ◽  
pp. 719-743
Author(s):  
Tony Leahy
Keyword(s):  
Near East ◽  
Fifth Century ◽  
Late Period ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Egyptian History

Our understanding of the internal history of Egypt from 664 to 332 bc rests on a limited patchwork of hieroglyphic inscriptions and cursive texts in hieratic or demotic, Aramaic or Greek. By contrast, Egypt’s place in the wider world has to be reconstructed from foreign sources—Assyrian, Babylonian, Hebrew, and Greek—supplemented by Egyptian artefacts from the Mediterranean and Near East. At the interface sits the account of Egypt written by Herodotus in the fifth century bc. The ways in which this diversity of evidence has shaped modern interpretation of Egyptian history in this period are here explored.

Economic Stagnation in the Early Roman Empire

1946 ◽  
Vol 6 (S1) ◽  
pp. 63-90
Author(s):  
Mason Hammond
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Roman Domination ◽  
Half Century ◽  
Present Discussion ◽  
The Third ◽  
Mediterranean World ◽  
Economic Stagnation ◽  
The Mediterranean

That the later Roman empire was a period of stagnation, not to say X of decline and total collapse, in the economic as in other spheres has long been recognized. But it has been the contribution of such modern scholars as Frank, Rostovtzeff, and Heichelheim to show that the symptoms and causes of this stagnation are not to be sought solely in the anarchy of the third century A.D. They may be detected earlier, behind the facade of peace and prosperity in the second century, and have roots which reach back into the very beginnings of the Roman domination over the Mediterranean world. In order to avoid too great extension in time, as well as in space, the present discussion will be limited to the symptoms and causes of economic stagnation that may be detected throughout the Mediterranean world during the early Roman empire, the two hundred and fifty odd years that elapsed from the Battle of Actium in 31 B.C., which left Augustus master of the Mediterranean world, to the assassination of Severus Alexander in 235 A.D., which ushered in a half century of anarchy and eventually the totalitarian state of Diocletian and Constantine.

Performing Material Objects: Reconnecting the “now, then and since”

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariah Horner
Keyword(s):  
Material Objects ◽  
Audience Response ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Opting Out ◽  
The Past ◽  
City Hall ◽  
Theatre Company ◽  
Historical Moment ◽  
Historical Past ◽  
City Park

The Cellar Door Project is a theatre company in Kingston dedicated to producing historically authentic, site-specific original plays. Opting out of “pioneer village” style re-enactment and instead turning to slightly romanticized stories based on archival research, we believe that by animating sites that are present but affectively invisible in our daily lives, we inspire a rethinking of our connection to the past. Each show invites audience members to make a pilgrimage to historical local spots (City Hall, City Park, The Royal Tavern, etc.) to watch a semi-fictional re-telling of the stories of the site. Through performance, we hope to strengthen and modify our contemporary connection, create a bridge between that sties’ original historical moment and the multitude of stories that exist between. By inviting people to remember the “now, then, and since” through the material world that has survived, we remind ourselves that we are a part of something bigger, reaching not only into the past but also to an imagined future. This presentation will explore the creation process and audience response to two of our productions. Both Stones in the Woods (City Park) and The Eliza Show (The Royal Tavern) animated spaces that were still active in their real world functions at the time of performance, effectively asking our audience to peer into the past with the present still in view. Questions to be considered include: Is a strictly educations approach the best way to encourage historical connectedness? Can we ask contemporary audiences to apply the same kind of environmental stewardship to the historical past? Works Cited Nora, Pierre. "Between Memory and History: Les lieux de mémoire." Representations. 26 (1989): 7-24. Print.

Al-Rasm al-ʿUthmānī: Towards Correct Pronunciation and the Preclusion of Ambiguity

2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-171
Author(s):  
Nāṣir Al-Dīn Abū Khaḍīr
Keyword(s):  
Specific Pattern ◽  
Writing Style ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Ages ◽  
Correct Pronunciation ◽  
The One ◽  
The Mind

The ʿUthmānic way of writing (al-rasm al-ʿUthmānī) is a science that specialises in the writing of Qur'anic words in accordance with a specific ‘pattern’. It follows the writing style of the Companions at the time of the third caliph, ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān, and was attributed to ʿUthmān on the basis that he was the one who ordered the collection and copying of the Qur'an into the actual muṣḥaf. This article aims to expound on the two fundamental functions of al-rasm al-ʿUthmānī: that of paying regard to the ‘correct’ pronunciation of the words in the muṣḥaf, and the pursuit of the preclusion of ambiguity which may arise in the mind of the reader and his auditor. There is a further practical aim for this study: to show the connection between modern orthography and the ʿUthmānic rasm in order that we, nowadays, are thereby able to overcome the problems faced by calligraphers and writers of the past in their different ages and cultures.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document