Abstract
One of the primary factors motivating the ancient Egyptians to construct monuments, in particular those of a funerary nature, was the desire to overcome the transience of human existence. Many measures were taken to ensure that one would be remembered for eternity, such as building and inscribing texts in a durable material, including one’s name on an enduring monument, protecting against natural damage, and threatening against willful damage. The desire for permanence was also reflected in statements attesting that damage was not done to earlier monuments and that damaged monuments were restored.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Oxford handbook of Egyptian epigraphy and palaeography |
| Editors | Vanessa Davies, Dimitri Laboury |
| Place of Publication | New York |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Chapter | I.3 |
| Pages | 44-58 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780190604653 |
| Publication status | Published - 2020 |
Keywords
- Ancient Egypt
- Egyptian epigraphy
- concept of permanence
- concept of history
- permanence
- monument
- transience
- eternity
- durable
- damage
- restoration
- Egypt
- writing