The question of the elite formation process is fundamental to understanding the stability of Pharaonic civilization, which is one of the oldest and most enduring political entities in history. The Old Kingdom (2700-2160), characterized by the construction of the pyramids and the establishment of a territorial state, represents a relevant field of application due to the considerable increase in epigraphic, papyrological, and archaeological documentation in recent years. Provincial elites played a vital role in the functioning of the Egyptian state and the monarchy's access to the various resources located in or transiting through the provinces. Using a comprehensive and cross-analysis of sources and contributions from the renewal of studies on elites in history and sociology, the author proposes an innovative theory to explain the emergence of provincial elites at this time. Composed of five chapters, this historical essay successively addresses the concept of elites in Egyptology, the mechanisms of emergence and enrichment of provincial elites, the progressive diffusion of elite culture from the capital to the provinces during the Old Kingdom, the factors of the social reproduction of these elites and their opposition, sometimes violent, as well as the similar processes of rise to power of elite groups in the societies of the ancient East.
The Making of Elites in Pharaonic Egypt. An Essay on the History of Provincial Elites and Their Formation at the Time of the Pyramids (2700-2160 BC).
Saffron| N° d'inventaire | 31695 |
| Format | 17 x 24 |
| Détails | 240 p., paperback |
| Publication | Brussels, 2024 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9782874571404 |
The question of the elite formation process is fundamental to understanding the stability of Pharaonic civilization, which is one of the oldest and most enduring political entities in history. The Old Kingdom (2700-2160), characterized by the construction of the pyramids and the establishment of a territorial state, represents a relevant field of application due to the considerable increase in epigraphic, papyrological, and archaeological documentation in recent years. Provincial elites played a vital role in the functioning of the Egyptian state and the monarchy's access to the various resources located in or transiting through the provinces. Using a comprehensive and cross-analysis of sources and contributions from the renewal of studies on elites in history and sociology, the author proposes an innovative theory to explain the emergence of provincial elites at this time. Composed of five chapters, this historical essay successively addresses the concept of elites in Egyptology, the mechanisms of emergence and enrichment of provincial elites, the progressive diffusion of elite culture from the capital to the provinces during the Old Kingdom, the factors of the social reproduction of these elites and their opposition, sometimes violent, as well as the similar processes of rise to power of elite groups in the societies of the ancient East.