Mar 28, 2024  
Academic Catalog 2018-2019 
    
Academic Catalog 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HART406 Tutankhamun Senior Seminar 3cr


For many, the tomb of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh
Tutankhamun is the most spectacular
archaeological discovery of modern times.  With
its inner coffin and burial mask of solid gold,
and rich gold jewelry, it exemplifies for the
public the rewards of archaeology, and new
publications on Tut regularly feature the word
“treasures” in their titles.  The significance of
the tomb reaches far beyond the scrap value of
its precious metals, however.  As the only
Egyptian royal burial that has survived
reasonably intact, it is a unique cultural
document that will yield its “treasures” most
completely if all of its contents are studied
together.  Though the publication of the tomb is
still far from complete, enough is available to
enable us to reconstruct a general view of its
contents.  The focus of the course will be on the
documentary value of the tomb for our
understanding of royal mortuary practice, the
Egyptian perception of kingship, luxury craft
production, regional interconnections, and the
modern construction of ancient Egyptian culture.

Prerequisites: HART-100

Seminar

Spring