Violence and Power in Ancient Egypt

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.

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

• List of figuresAcknowledgementsChronological chartChapter 1Picturing violence The Structure of this BookThemesChapter 2The Origins of Violent ImageryThe Earliest Images of Violence in Egypt The Evidence from Early Egypt: Naqada IThe Evidence from Early Egypt: Naqada IIOrder and Chaos Chapter 3The Violence Inherent in the System: Imagery and Royal Ideology in the Period of State FormationViolence in Egyptian Art in the Period of State Formation Violence in Early Dynastic Imagery Continuity and Discontinuity Chapter 4To Live Forever: The Decoration of Royal Mortuary ComplexesThe Old KingdomThe Middle KingdomInterpreting Imagery of Violence from Royal TombsChapter 5Uniter of the Two Lands: Images of Violence in Divine TemplesEgyptian Temples as a Context for ImageryChapter 6The Preservation of Order: Images in the LandscapeThe Early Dynastic PeriodThe Old KingdomReading Rock Carvings of SmitingChapter 7Out and About: Images of Violence on Portable ObjectsImages of Triumph on Portable ObjectsImages of Captivity on Portable ObjectsMovement and MeaningChapter 8Who is Who? Private Monumental Images of WarThe Old KingdomThe First Intermediate PeriodThe Middle KingdomInscriptions and Images in Private TombsInterpreting Private Images of WarChapter 9Violence, Power, IdeologyBibliographyIndex