Abstract
Traditionally, scholars associate many of the known Old Kingdom women’s titles with conferring association, social status, or marital status instead of functional positions. Understanding how titles relate to a person’s rank, affiliation, and occupation is often challenging, and obtaining meaningful translations can be difficult. Women’s titles even more so because androcentric lenses determined many of the original translations. Building upon earlier challenges to these gender biased determinations and owing to the culmination of new evidence from recent archaeological excavations, new interpretations, and a recent dedicated study has brought new insights into some of the most prevalent women’s titles from this period. This paper aims to transform existing narratives on some of the women’s roles from Early Dynastic and Pyramid Age Egypt (c. 3080-2181 BCE) by offering new perspectives into women’s involvement, influence, and impact on the state’s socioeconomic structure in early Egypt. In particular, the meaning and significance of the titles ır͗ı(͗ t) ḫt nswt/rḫ(t) nswt, mıt͗ rt, ẖkrt nswt, ẖkrt nswt wꜥtt, and ḏryt are reconsidered. The methodology employed in this research applies an interpretative and theoretical approach to women’s titles. It offers the ability to reframe the narratives and contribute new interpretations of the lives and times of a cross-section of the female population who held these titles.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Current Research in Egyptology 2023 |
Subtitle of host publication | proceedings of the Twenty-Third Annual Symposium, University of Basel, 10-14 September 2023 |
Editors | L. Dogaer, C. H. W. Fong, E. L. Hertel, M. Kilani, G. K. H. Lunden |
Place of Publication | Oxford, UK |
Publisher | Archaeopress Publishing |
Pages | 221-233 |
Number of pages | 13 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781803278223 |
ISBN (Print) | 9781803278216 |
Publication status | Published - Sept 2024 |
Event | Current Research in Egyptology annual symposium (23rd : 2023) - University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland Duration: 10 Sept 2023 → 14 Sept 2023 |
Conference
Conference | Current Research in Egyptology annual symposium (23rd : 2023) |
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Abbreviated title | CRE 2023 |
Country/Territory | Switzerland |
City | Basel |
Period | 10/09/23 → 14/09/23 |
Keywords
- women
- titles
- Early Egypt
- social power
- agency