Cultures and Religions

The course will offer an in-depth analysis of the Egyptian religion in pharaonic times (4th -1st millennium BCE ca) from an archaeological perspective that will include both the theoretical premises of the discipline and the methodological contribution of religious studies in recovering religious processes from the material record. Through a focussed review of case-studies, it will illustrate a range of basic themes (sacred topography and architecture; ritual activities and temple cults; funerary practices), sketching the main lines of research and emphasising the material and acted elements of religious phenomena. At the end of the course, the students will be able to (1) critically interpret materiality as parcel and part of religious experience; (2) assess themes and problems of the archaeology of sacred in Egypt in relation to the pertinent theoretical debate and literature; (3) independently address a relevant topic by combining different sources and using the discipline-specific terminology.