107-261 Egypt and its Neighbours

This subject concerns Egypt's relations with its neighbours in the second millennium BC It will examine archaeological and textual evidence to explore how the peoples of the ancient Near East forged economic, political, and diplomatic ties, even though often in mutual conflict. The various relationships of the major imperial players make for fascinating study: sometimes isolationist, sometimes confrontationist, usually suspicious, and always zealous for their own interests. For all these considerations, however, they needed each other, and not only in terms of trade. Over all the details, the study provides some striking parallels for our own recent history: the role of propaganda, the triumph of militarism over culture, experiments in a kind of ethnic cleansing, religion's role in the national fabric, and a regime's problem with legitimacy.