The state in ancient Egypt : power, challenges and dynamics / Juan Carlos Moreno García.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Moreno Garcia, Juan Carlos, author.

Series:

Debates in archaeology

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Egypt--History--To 332 B.C.

Egypt.

Egypt--Politics and government--To 332 B.C.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 226 pages) : illustrations, maps.

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2020.

Summary:

This book presents a new analysis of the organization, structure and changes of the pharaonic state through three millennia of its history. Moreno García sheds new light on this topic by bringing to bear recent developments in state theory and archaeology, especially comparative study of the structure of ancient states and empires. The role played by pharaonic Egypt in new studies often reiterates old views about the stability, conservatism and 'exceptionalism' of Egyptian kingship, which supposedly remained the same across the Bronze and Iron Ages. Ancient Egypt shared many parallels with other Bronze and Iron Age societies as can be shown by an analysis of the structure of the state, of the limits of royal power, of the authority of local but neglected micro-powers (such as provincial potentates and wealthy non-elite), and of the circulation and control of wealth. Furthermore, Egypt experienced deep changes in its social, economic, political and territorial organization during its history, thus making the land of the pharaohs an ideal arena in which to test applications of models of governments and to define the dynamics that rule societies on the longue durée. When seen through these new perspectives, the pharaonic monarchies appear less exceptional than previously thought, and more dependent on the balance of power, on their capacity to control the kingdom's resources and on the changing geopolitical conditions of their time.

Contents:

Foreword

State theory, archaeology and the pharaonic states

Integrating spaces

Managing resources

Co-opting leaders

Hidden forces? : invisible actors and their impact on the state

Building up authority

Building statehood through culture

Socio-political change and the state

The pharaonic state(s) in comparative perspective.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [203]-212) and index.

Description based on online resource (Bloomsbury, viewed February 4, 2021)

ISBN:

9781350075023

1350075027

9781350075009

1350075000

OCLC:

1085621494