RLB398 Egyptian Deities in the Greco-Roman World

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Tomáš Glomb, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Aleš Chalupa, Ph.D. (alternate examiner)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. David Zbíral, Ph.D.
Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. Šárka Londa Vondráčková
Supplier department: Department for the Study of Religions – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
each odd Tuesday 12:30–14:05 K12 nerezervovat
Prerequisites (in Czech)
RLB238 Greek Religion || RLB239 Hellenistic Religions
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course illustrates the situation in the Hellenistic world after the conquest of Alexander the Great when the barriers between Egyptian and Greek pantheon collapsed. It describes processes and mechanisms which caused the success of originally Egyptian cults in the cultural environment of ancient Rome and Greece. The course introduces Egyptian cosmogonies and cosmologies and shows the connections with their Greek counterparts. The course also addresses the methodology of the study of syncretic processes during the Hellenistic period, because it is still debated and unresolved issue in the academic discussion. Finally, the course focuses on ways of self-legitimisation of the Ptolemaic rulers.
At the end of the course students will have knowledge of elementary facts about the religion in ancient and hellenistic Egypt. They will be able to understand and work with various methodologies and theories withint the research of syncretic processes during the hellenistic period. They will be able to critically analyse literary sources and other archaeological evidence.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to religion in ancient Egypt I: Cosmogonies, cosmologies and their parallels in the Greek world.
  • 2. Egyptian pantheon
  • 3. Introduction to religion in ancient Egypt II: Cult
  • 4. Alexander the Great in Egypt and his position in Egyptian pantheon
  • 5. Ptolemaic dynasty: legitimisation of rulers, their relationship to Egyptian and Greek cults, political development
  • 6. Interaction between the Egyptian and Greek pantheon
  • 7. Sarapis: Origins of the god and his role in the Hellenistic world
  • 8. Isis: cult, spread of the cult, great goddesses and early christianity
  • 9. Asclepius and Imhotep: identification, cult, origins and evolution of the figures
  • 10. Theory and methodology in the study of syncretic processes during the Hellenistic period
Literature
  • BAINES, John, Leonard H. LESKO and David P. SILVERMAN. Náboženství ve starověkém Egyptě : bohové, mýty a náboženská praxe. Edited by Byron E. Shafer. 1. vyd. Neratovice: Verbum, 2009, 237 s. ISBN 9788090392014. info
  • ALVAR, Jaime. Romanising oriental gods : myth, salvation and ethics in the cults of Cybele, Isis and Mithras. Translated by Richard Gordon. Leiden: Brill, 2008, xx, 486. ISBN 9789004132931. info
  • Religions of the ancient world : a guide. Edited by Sarah Iles Johnston. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004, xvii, 697. ISBN 0674015177. info
  • DOSTÁLOVÁ, Růžena and Radislav HOŠEK. Antická mystéria. Vydání první. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1997, 365 stran. ISBN 8070212179. info
  • WITT, R. E. Isis in the ancient world. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997, 336 s. ISBN 0801856426. info
Assessment methods
Lecture, seminar
Colloqium
Requests for colloqium:
- active participation in seminar discussions based upon reading and written comments on the given text
Language of instruction
Czech
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Information on course enrolment limitations: Zápis mimo religionistiku je podmíněn souhlasem vyučujícího.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2018, Spring 2019.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2015, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2015/RLB398