An Egyptian Occulus: Examining the Middle Kingdom through the Wedjat Eye
Loading...
Date
2014-06
Authors
Benedick, Jered Thomas
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
One of the fundamental purposes of archaeology is identifying and
understanding periods of socio-cultural change in past societies, especially those that
lack a historical record. The Egyptian Middle (2050-1650BCE) Kingdom is, for the
most part, one of these periods. The Middle Kingdom emerged from 1 00 years of
political fallout after the collapse of a highly centralized Old Kingdom (2649-
2150BCE) in a flourish of culture, social leveling, and stable political control. With the
first examples of Egyptian historical documentation appearing late in the period,
archaeology is left to decipher these developments from the material evidence -
primarily from mortuary assemblages.
This thesis will examine the lives of Middle Kingdom Egyptians, mostly from a
non-royal context, in an effort to broaden the understanding of Egyptian personal
identity and social structure. Building from basic mortuary theory, it will focus on data
collected from three separate excavations within the Abydos North cemetery, all dated
to the Middle Kingdom and its peripheries: Janet Richards' 1988 excavation near the
cemetery center, John Garstang's 1901 excavation in the northern segment (designated
Cemetery E), and T. Eric Peet's series of excavations in the greater North Cemetery area (both the designated Cemetery S and general North Cemetery, from 1911-12). Though
the widespread use of scaraboid amulets during the Middle Kingdom has been
established as one symbol intrinsic of the so-called "democratization" of Egyptian social
and cultural belief, this thesis proposes that a different symbol, the wedjat eye, presents
itself as an equally strong symbol of these cultural and social processes. It will prove
that this amulet, from its system of production to its mortuary manifestation, serves as
the perfect oculus through which Egyptologists can view the intricate, transitional social
patterns of Middle Kingdom Egypt.
Description
77 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Anthropology and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2014.