Kinship and family in ancient Egypt : archaeology and anthropology in dialogue / Leire Olabarria.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Olabarria, Leire, 1984- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kinship--Egypt.

Kinship.

Egyptians--Kinship.

Egyptians.

Egypt--Antiquities.

Egypt.

Egypt--History--Middle Kingdom, ca. 2180-ca. 1551 B.C.

Egypt--Civilization--To 332 B.C.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 279 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2020.

Summary:

In this interdisciplinary study, Leire Olabarria examines ancient Egyptian society through the notion of kinship. Drawing on methods from archaeology and sociocultural anthropology, she provides an emic characterisation of ancient kinship that relies on performative aspects of social interaction. Olabarria uses memorial stelae of the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom (ca.2150-1650 BCE) as her primary evidence. Contextualising these monuments within their social and physical landscapes, she proposes a dynamic way to explore kin groups through sources that have been considered static. The volume offers three case studies of kin groups at the beginning, peak, and decline of their developmental cycles respectively. They demonstrate how ancient Egyptian evidence can be used for cross-cultural comparison of key anthropological topics, such as group formation, patronage, and rites of passage.

Contents:

Introduction : ancient Egyptian kinship between relatedness and material agency

Understanding the sources : dating, characterisation, contextualisation, and display

Setting the terms : etic and emic approaches to ancient Egyptian relatedness

Between the emic and the etic : kin groups in ancient Egypt

Dynamising kin groups

The birth of a kin group : from filiation to group formation

The summit of a developmental cycle : non-genealogical relatedness

Displaying decline: survival strategies and marriage patterns

Conclusions : the dynamism of the social fabric.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 26 Feb 2020).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-108-58491-8

1-108-59883-8

1-108-67048-2