Course Home | Setting | Nile Hydrology | Predynastic Development | Dynastic Egypt |
Course Home | Setting | Nile Hydrology | Predynastic Development | Dynastic Egypt | |
The Rise of Hydraulic Civilization
Charles Nelson |
Brief course description: eMail the instructor Have you ever pondered over the wonders of ancient Egypt? The religious mysteries that live on in Masonic tradition? The artistic vision that continues to influence our own sense of style? This course considers the underlying geography, technology, economic organization, and social structure that created and sustained ancient Egyptian kingdoms for a period 3,000 years, and which made Egypt one of the centers where ancient civilizations first arose. |
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MENU . = recently added material. LAST UPDATE: 11-7-2012 Butzer's Early Hydraulic Civilization STATE HISTORY & STRUCTURE CRITIQUE OF HYDRAULIC CIVILIZATION ANCIENT HYDRAULIC TECHNOLOGY NILE HYDROLOGY TODAY (23.9mb) KOM EL-HISN settlement excavation WEB GLOSSARIES/SITES: •PREDYNASTIC TIMELINES MYTHOLOGY systematic presentation MYTHOLOGY alphabetical listing SYMBOLIC GLYPHS COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED DEITIES NOMES & THEIR GODS DETAILED DYNASTIC HISTORY ALL THINGS PHARAONIC 18th DYNASTY AMARNA in virtual 3D AMARNA BACKGROUND INFO VISIT KING TUT'S CORNOR |
COURSE OUTLINE Download as PDF The Nile BasinGeography Climate Discharge A Thumbnail history of Nile Cultures Upper Palaeolithic hunter/fisher/gatherers Nile Neolithic Pastoral Neolithic Predynastic polities Dynastic polities Role of the Greeks Post-dynastic polities Nomarchy Some details on Nomarchies here. Origin and meaning of concept How the Nomarchies may have developed How Nomarchies were organized on the ground How Nomarchies projected political/religions power How Nomarchies were organized from above Hydraulic engineering at the level of the Nomarchy Settlement structure Administrative settlements: city, large & small centers, large villages Settlement distribution by administrative type & Nome Land holdings, their uses and ownership Hydraulic benefits and obligations The role of religion in stabilizing settlement structure and distribution Centralized power & responsibility above the Nome Gods, governors and kings Problem of Upper & Lower Egypt: view from Memphis Food as energy, food as power Collection and redistribution of food Labor as energy, labor as power Internal conscription: deployment of knowledge, experience and labor External conscription: deployment of knowledge, experience and labor When resources exceed "political carrying capacity" How the King limited the power of individual Nomes History of hydrological development in Egypt Irrigation systems and technology Access by settlements and political units Dispersion of land ownership, temple & Nome interests Population size density through time Instabilities in the system The Nomarchy as a semi-stable system Difficulties of growing beyond the Nile How technological development destabilizes kingdoms and encourages the development of empires External invasions and how these were survived Decline of Nomarchy, hydraulic system & population Expect to see additions and elaborations as the course is refined. |
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©2012 by Charles M. Nelson All rights reserved. |
