Archaeology of Empire: Egypt and Kush 1600-700BC (ARC3008)

15 credits

The Kingdom of Kush lay in the NileValley south of Egypt. It fell to Egyptian imperial expansion around 1500 BC. The 400 years of Egyptian rule saw extensive temple and town building, ‘acculturation’ and ‘Egyptianisation’. You will explore in detail the archaeological and historical evidence, and how it has been interpreted. Broader theoretical issues about ‘empire’ and culture will be discussed, with parallel examples from the contemporaneous Egyptian domination of parts of south-western Asia (Palestine) and the concepts of Romanisation. Issues about imperial collapse, successor states and cultural legacy will also be discussed.