Women in Ancient Egypt : the religious experiences of the non-royal woman

[摘要] This thesis explores the importance of the function of religion in the life of theaverage, non-royal woman in Ancient Egyptian society. As Ancient Egyptiansociety and the historical documentation thereof were dominated by the maleperspective, the extent of religious participation by women was, until recently,underestimated. Recent research has shown that women had taken part in,and in some cases even dominated, certain spheres of Ancient Egyptianreligion. This included religious participation in public, as well as the practiceof certain religious rituals in the home.The religious lives of ordinary women of non-royal families were studied bylooking at their involvement in the public aspects of Egyptian religion, such astemples, tombs and festivals, as well as at the influence of religion on theiridentities as women and mothers.The research method followed was that of an iconographical analysis oforiginal sources, which were classified and examined in order to establishtheir religious links to women of the middle and lower classes.A catalogue of sources is given, including sources depicting womenparticipating in public rituals and objects used in a more domestic sphere. Thefirst included tomb paintings and reliefs from tombs and temples, as well asobjects given as public offerings to various deities. The second group includedobjects and visual depictions relating to fertility, birth and death.This thesis attempts better to understand and illuminate to what an extent theordinary women of Ancient Egypt were involved in religious participation intheir daily lives, as well as to illustrate the dimensions of this participation.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University