Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Identifier
909
Date
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Major
Art History
Concentration
Egyptian Art and Archaeology
Committee Chair
Lorelei H. Corcoran
Committee Member
Suzanne L. Onstine
Committee Member
Patricia V. Podzorski
Committee Member
Robert P. Connolly
Abstract
This thesis is an exercise in applying classic and contemporary anthropological class theory to an ancient Egyptian context. The primary goal of this study is to argue for the emergence of a middle class during the First Intermediate Period (2118 - 1980 BC). The rise and fall of the Second Style in relief carvings found on funerary stelae will be related to the emergence of this class. As the class emerged, it took for itself this artistic style as one of its defining characteristics. By its conclusion, this thesis will have proved that a middle class did indeed arise during the First Intermediate Period. The ultimate fate of this middle class, however, is a matter for future study. This thesis will hopefully open the way for future discourse on the use of class theory in Egyptology as well as widen our understanding of the social complexities of the First Intermediate Period.
Library Comment
Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.
Recommended Citation
Stelter, Christopher Walter, "Obtained by One's Own Hands: a Theory on the Middle Class of Ancient Egypt and Funerary Stelae of the First Intermediate Period" (2013). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 762.
https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/etd/762
Comments
Data is provided by the student.