T A S M A N I A N
Issues in Society
C E R T I F I C A T E
Ancient Civilisations
O F
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E D U C A T I O N
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Issues in Society – Ancient Civilisations
ISSUES IN SOCIETY – ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS
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History
Ancient
Legal
•
•
Issues of international law
and rights of sovereign
nations to ban others/visa
issues.
Ethics (archaeological) vs
law
Political
•
Role of the media –
reporting or inflaming the
conflict?
•
Who was Nefertiti? Why was
she important?
•
Why was she mummified?
•
How might her body have
got into the tomb of
Amenhotep II?
ISSUE
Dr J Fletcher (2003) publicly
announced discovery of the
mummy of Nefertiti. Dr Z
Hawass (Supreme Council of
Antiquities) bans her and her
University from Egypt for
unethical behaviour.
Modern
•
What is the SCA and how
did it develop?
•
Cultural imperialism?
•
UK-ARE relations (UK
occupation, Suez crisis, etc)
•
UK and ARE governments’
reactions
•
Conflict resolution issues
Social
•
Politics within institutions
(eg Universities, SCA)?
•
Why are we so interested in
ancient Egypt, mummies and
their ideas of the Afterlife?
•
Australia’s
with the ARE
•
Why did Hawass act as he
did? Was it fair?
•
How sound was Fletcher’s
evidence?
•
How might the conflict have
been avoided?
•
The ‘cult of the individual’ in
Egyptology
•
Impact
on
Australians
‘digging’ in Egypt
relationship
* ARE = Arab Republic of Egypt
This is an example of an ‘ancient civilisation meets modern world’ issue. Similar maps could apply to issues
such as the return of the Elgin Marbles; the degree to which Athenian Democracy has impacted on our political
system; the legacy of Roman architecture and building methods; Roman ‘blood-sports’ and modern mass
entertainment/sport.
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Issues in Society – Ancient Civilisations
Legal
•
Forced migration – ‘needs
of the few vs those of the
many’.
•
•
History
•
Who are the Nubians? What
were their relations with the
Egyptians in ancient and
modern times?
Who ‘owns’ the relocated
monuments?
•
World heritage - sites of
significance to humankind
vs national needs
What ancient, medieval and/or
modern
buildings
were
affected? History of them?
•
How was the High Dam built,
and why with the help from
the USSR?
ISSUE
Political
•
Role of Nubians in ancient
and/or modern Egyptian
politics
The flooding of Nubia under the
waters of Lake Nasser – loss of
Nubia homeland and salvage
archaeology to save the
monuments.
Social
•
Nubian culture and society,
forced migration
•
Nature of relocation areas,
threats to Nubian culture
•
Role of UN and UNESCO
in saving the monuments of
Nubia
•
Who owns Lake Nasser?
Water – politics in North
Africa
•
Impact of the High Dam on
Egyptian agriculture, industry
and society
•
Egypt’s relationship with
UK, USA and USSR
following
Nasser’s
revolution
and
current
political alliances.
•
Tourism and its impact on
Egyptian life
This example focuses on modern needs and their effects on human and/or heritage sites. Similar ‘maps’ could
be made for: aboriginal sites threatened by ‘development’; the conservation/protection of ancient sites; impact of
forced migration on local cultures, etc.
The issue ‘The social and economic impact of development’ could be investigated via a case-study approach.
For example a specific development could be examined in great detail (eg the flooding of Nubia behind the
Aswan High Dam or the destruction of a local natural environment or of a specific historical site). Alternatively a
variety of cases might be studied (perhaps including a mixture from Australia and overseas) so as to allow a
‘compare and contrast’ approach to the issue.
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Issues in Society – Ancient Civilisations
Legal
•
What were the legal
rights/responsibilities of the
people of Ancient Egypt?
History
•
Who ‘owns’ the pyramids
(humankind’s
legacy/Modern Egypt?)
•
Outline of the politicoreligious historical setting of
the pyramid age
•
Modern problems –
conservation, costs, tourism
•
Technology and historical
development of stone-working
in Ancient Egypt
•
The history of the Pyramids in
Ancient and Modern times
ISSUE
Why did the Ancient Egyptians
build pyramids? How have they
survived? What is their impact
on the modern world?
Political
•
•
•
Relationship between
religion and politics in
Ancient Egypt
Participation of different
social classes in decision
making
European
‘looting’/archaeology in 19th
and 20th Century – how and
why?
Social
•
Role of the King in society
•
Views of Afterlife
•
Slaves or free labourers?
•
Social unification and
pyramid making
•
Interpretation of the
pyramids over time (eg
‘Joseph’s granary’)
•
‘pyramidiots, alien theories,
etc.
•
Modern
USA)
pyramids
(Paris,
The issue ‘Our Cultural Heritage’ could be investigated via a study of various specific topics. These might
include: the disputed ownership of objects such as the Rosetta Stone and the Elgin Marbles; the work of
UNESCO (eg the saving of the monuments of Nubia); the impact of development (eg the flooding of the Zeugma
mosaics in Turkey); Australia’s contribution to world culture (aboriginal art, outstanding artists/architects (eg the
Sydney Opera House), the role of the National Museum and the National gallery, etc); Australia’s contribution to
the conservation of significant objects/sites in other countries (aid, fieldwork - eg Australian Egyptologists
working at Saqqarah and Thebes).
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