A Journey Through Ancient Egypt’s New Kingdom: A Talk by Mr FitzGerald
7 May 2025 - Academic
Last week, Mr FitzGerald gave a fascinating and thought-provoking talk about Ancient Egypt, considered by most scholars to be the world’s first nation state, specifically focusing on the New Kingdom (1550–1070 BC). He began by discussing aspects of Ancient Egyptian society and architecture, linking the Egyptians’ strong interest in the afterlife to the famous, geometrically fascinating pyramids of Giza, which were built as tombs for pharaohs to eternally display their power and control. He then moved on to talk about Egypt’s most mighty king, Rameses II, and the importance of an Egyptian empire for both prestige and additional resources in the form of personnel for building projects and money from tribute. Finally, he addressed the reliability of the limited surviving historical sources and our ability to infer knowledge from artefacts and architecture displaying writings and artistic depictions, as well as the preservation of mummified bodies. Overall, we all learned a great deal about one of the world’s most remarkable civilisations.
Izzy
UV
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