Violence and Power in Ancient Egypt

Image and Ideology before the New Kingdom

Laurel Bestock

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Hardback

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English

Routledge
30 October 2017

History of art: ancient & classical art; Ancient history: to c 500 CE; Egyptian archaeology & Egyptology

Series: Routledge Studies in Egyptology

Violence and Power in Ancient Egypt examines the use of Egyptian pictures of violence prior to the New Kingdom. Starting with the assertion that making and displaying such images served as a tactic of power, related to but separate from the actual practice of violence, the book explores the development and deployment of this imagery across different contexts. By comparatively utilizing violent images from a variety of other times and cultures, the book asks that we consider not only how Egyptian imagery was related to Egyptian violence, but also why people create pictures of violence and place them where they do, and how such images communicate what to whom. By cataloging and querying Egyptian imagery of violence from different periods and different contexts—royal tombs, divine temples, the landscape, portable objects, and private tombs—Violence and Power highlights the nuances of the relationship between aspects of royal ideology, art, and its audiences in the first half of pharaonic Egyptian history.

By: Laurel Bestock
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 725g
ISBN: 9781138685055
ISBN 10: 1138685054
Series: Routledge Studies in Egyptology
Pages: 314
Publication Date: 30 October 2017
Audience: College/higher education , College/higher education , Further / Higher Education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

List of figures Acknowledgements Chronological chart Chapter 1 Picturing violence The Structure of this Book Themes Chapter 2 The Origins of Violent Imagery The Earliest Images of Violence in Egypt The Evidence from Early Egypt: Naqada I The Evidence from Early Egypt: Naqada II Order and Chaos Chapter 3 The Violence Inherent in the System: Imagery and Royal Ideology in the Period of State Formation Violence in Egyptian Art in the Period of State Formation Violence in Early Dynastic Imagery Continuity and Discontinuity Chapter 4 To Live Forever: The Decoration of Royal Mortuary Complexes The Old Kingdom The Middle Kingdom Interpreting Imagery of Violence from Royal Tombs Chapter 5 Uniter of the Two Lands: Images of Violence in Divine Temples Egyptian Temples as a Context for Imagery Chapter 6 The Preservation of Order: Images in the Landscape The Early Dynastic Period The Old Kingdom Reading Rock Carvings of Smiting Chapter 7 Out and About: Images of Violence on Portable Objects Images of Triumph on Portable Objects Images of Captivity on Portable Objects Movement and Meaning Chapter 8 Who is Who? Private Monumental Images of War The Old Kingdom The First Intermediate Period The Middle Kingdom Inscriptions and Images in Private Tombs Interpreting Private Images of War Chapter 9 Violence, Power, Ideology Bibliography Index

Laurel Bestock is an Associate Professor of Archaeology and Egyptology at Brown University (USA). She received her PhD in Egyptian Archaeology and Art from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University (USA). She directs excavations in Egypt at the site of Abydos, where she investigates early kingship. In the Sudan, she co-directs excavations at the Egyptian fortress of Uronarti, seeking to understand lifestyles and cultural interactions in a colonial outpost from nearly 4000 years ago. For her next project, she hopes to work on a book focused on food and culture at Uronarti, both anciently and in the context of a modern excavation team camping in tents along the Nile.

Reviews for Violence and Power in Ancient Egypt: Image and Ideology before the New Kingdom

This book is a significant contribution to the study of Egyptology and ancient art history, delivering the results of cutting-edge research in an area of central importance. Its essential focus is violence in Ancient Egypt which is a topic of increasing interest in current historical and cultural studies, and discusses a large corpus of images of great value, recognising the need for a more theoretical approach to the study of Egyptian artistic expression, and emphasising the critical importance of context in evaluating the function of representations. Throughout, the analysis shows a healthy awareness of the problem of evidence - or lack thereof. The book has a valuable cross-cultural dimension which makes it relevant not only to the Egyptological community, but also to art historians, ancient historians in general, and anthropologists. The result is a study which breaks much new ground and forces the reconsideration of entrenched views. - Dr Alan Lloyd, Swansea University, UK