This thesis explores ancient Egyptian descriptions of sicknesses of the inner body, the concepts used to understand them, and the trends in associated therapeutic applications for healing. It... Show moreThis thesis explores ancient Egyptian descriptions of sicknesses of the inner body, the concepts used to understand them, and the trends in associated therapeutic applications for healing. It concludes that the ancient Egyptian system of understanding recorded in writings—while somewhat obscured as the surviving texts were never intended to be descriptive of ideas—can be compared to other ways of thinking and categorising sickness experiences as found in other written cultures. Especially in terms of how such ideas are constructed and how therapies are associated with such concepts. Similarities can be observed in terms of core concepts and associated therapeutic applications recorded in cuneiform compendia of comparable age from Mesopotamia. Rather than using these observations as evidence of an influence of one culture over another, it is argued that these writings include practices and ideas which can instead be considered common to this region of the world, rather than as exclusive and invariably peculiar either the Egyptian and/or Mesopotamian cultures. Show less
De Meyer, M.J.C.; Bruffaerts, J.-M.; Vandersmissen, J. 2024
When Jean Capart baptized the Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth (FÉRÉ) in 1923 in Brussels, it was a relative latecomer in the world of Oriental Societies. Moreover, the scope and aims of the... Show moreWhen Jean Capart baptized the Fondation Égyptologique Reine Élisabeth (FÉRÉ) in 1923 in Brussels, it was a relative latecomer in the world of Oriental Societies. Moreover, the scope and aims of the FÉRÉ were somewhat different from those of other such organisations: it was not primarily created to finance excavations or acquire antiquities for the Royal Museums of Art and History (RMAH), but rather to help the development of Egyptology in Belgium in its broadest sense for both professionals and laymen alike. Making good use of his connections with industrialists and other wealthy patrons of his time, both in Belgium and abroad, Capart managed to finance the FÉRÉ mainly with private funding. It soon established itself as an active and vibrant organisation, organising lectures, conferences, and exhibitions; building a richly furnished Egyptological library and photographic collection; prolifically publishing and creating its own bulletin (Chronique d’Égypte, 1925); and undertaking study trips and excavations in Egypt. This was noted by colleagues, and Brussels was coined as the ideal place to form the nucleus of international Egyptological research. A small country geographically located in the heart of Europe, Belgium was both convenient and non-threatening for the larger national powers surrounding it. In this paper the place of the FÉRÉ amidst the other Oriental Societies is evaluated, its networks of support and influence are mapped, and ultimately also its role as motor of the creation of a transnational research infrastructure for Egyptology is discussed. Show less
The volume is dedicated to the ‘supporting characters’ in the history of Egyptology who are not often in the limelight. This is not intended to work to the detriment of the lead actors, nor is the... Show moreThe volume is dedicated to the ‘supporting characters’ in the history of Egyptology who are not often in the limelight. This is not intended to work to the detriment of the lead actors, nor is the intention to politicize disciplinary history. Rather, it is meant as an appreciation and recognition of the range of agents involved, and relationships within their networks. Rendering disciplinary history more inclusive is a long process. The case-studies assembled in this volume do not aspire to represent the complete range of possible stakeholders. Instead, it is intended to open-out the discourse, and to demonstrate various modes in which individuals have advanced research into ancient Egypt. To cite but two ‘marginalized’ groups, women have often been presented as subservient spirits, assisting their Egyptologist-husbands, with perhaps the concession that ‘behind every great man there has to be a great woman’. For a long time all-but-excluded from academia, such individuals’ contributions have been disregarded. Second, exclusion from academia was also the fate of most early Egyptian Egyptologists. Within the frame of post-colonial studies, they have only recently garnered serious attention. Yet, even then, the paradigm of ‘Western’ disciplinary history has been replicated, concentrating on the outstanding figures and lead players in the field, often to the detriment of lesser-known scholars, officials, and local actors such as the Quftis and workmen. This volume is thus not meant to criticise previous endeavours in the recent development of disciplinary history but, rather, as a constructive contribution or complement to these. We cannot make amends for past implicit slights, or restore a person’s role in the history of Egyptology to its ‘rightful place’, but the aim is to broaden the perspective of the history of Egyptology, while at the same time paying more attention to its diversity. Show less
The location of Persepolis remained lost for about eighteen centuries. During the 17th century CE, the attitude of European travellers towards the monumental complex and its inscriptions changed.... Show moreThe location of Persepolis remained lost for about eighteen centuries. During the 17th century CE, the attitude of European travellers towards the monumental complex and its inscriptions changed. António de Gouveia visits Persepolis in 1602 CE and published his travel account in 1611. His account describes in detail the architectural features, mentions the cuneiform inscriptions. Supporting his interpretations upon classical and biblical sources, Gouveia's account distinguishes itself from previous ones and provides the pattern for following travel reports. The present paper compares Gouveia's description with other accounts of the 17th century, and clarifies its influence on later travel accounts on Persepolis.Destruída em 330 BCE, Persépolis esteve perdida cerca de dezoito séculos. No séc. XVII, dá-se uma alteração na relação dos viajantes europeus com o complexo e as suas inscrições. António de Gouveia visita Persépolis em 1602. Publicado em 1611, o seu relato descreve as estruturas arquitetónicas e menciona inscrições cuneiformes, suportando as interpretações em fontes clássicas e bíblicas. O relato de Gouveia distingue-se dos anteriores e inaugura o padrão dos relatos sucessores. Esta artigo compara a descrição de Gouveia com outros relatos do século XVII (Silva e Figueroa (1619), Valle (1621), Chardain (1666), Struys (1672)) e analisando o teor, o contexto e o impacto de cada relato, procura clarificar a influência de António de Gouveia nos relatos posteriores. Show less
“Temminck’s Order” is the scientific biography of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778–1850), a Dutch naturalist and the first director of ’s Rijks Museum van Natuurlijke Historie in Leiden. It embeds... Show more“Temminck’s Order” is the scientific biography of Coenraad Jacob Temminck (1778–1850), a Dutch naturalist and the first director of ’s Rijks Museum van Natuurlijke Historie in Leiden. It embeds Temminck’s career in the context of the development of nineteenth-century zoological classification, which has been explored only partially. Addressing this historiographic silence, this book examines, among other things, Temminck’s law on the geographical distribution of animals, his classification systems, his definitions of type and genus, and his debates with fellow naturalists. From this study, three main issues emerge as the most relevant at that time: the development of systematics as a discipline, the rise of a meritocracy in natural history and the status of systematics within natural history and natural philosophy. “Temminck’s Order” provides a more detailed view of the complex history of zoological classification, with the conclusion that systematics came of age between 1800 and 1850. Show less
De Meyer, M.J.C.; Vandersmissen, J.; Verbruggen, C.; Claes, W.; Delvaux, L.; Bruwier, M.-C.; ... ; Willems, H. 2019
