MA Egyptology

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2027, the tuition fees are as follows:

• MA (part-time distance learning)
  UK students (per annum): £6,600
  International, including EU, students (per annum): £6,600

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

• Learn more about - student finance options for UK students.
• Learn more about - fees and finance for international students .
• Graduates of The University of Manchester and Manchester Metropolitan University can receive a 10% discount on their master's degree tuition fees as part of our Manchester Alumni Loyalty Discount scheme.

Overview: This 15-credit module is an optional part of the part-time online master’s in Egyptology and will be taught during the first semester of the second year. This module aims to provide the students with an in-depth awareness of the types of evidence which can be employed in the study of ancient Egyptian religion and funerary beliefs. The first part of the module is concerned firstly with the concepts of divinity (what is a god?) and the physical remains of religious ritual (temples, votive stela, statues and cultic objects) as well as the links between the State and religious institutions. This part of the module will also investigate the profane roles of ancient Egyptian temples as economic powerhouses in their own right. The second part of the module investigates the ancient Egyptian attitudes to death and the Afterlife, firstly through an in-depth study of tomb architecture during different times periods, and secondly via a study of human remains (mummified corpses and skeletal assemblages) which testify to mortuary practices, as well as causes of death and post-mortem treatment of the body. The module also includes study of key pieces of funerary literature, both royal and private, such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead.

Pre-requisites:

Historical Studies of Ancient Egypt; Urbanism in Ancient Egypt; Art and Artists in Ancient Egypt.

The unit aims to:

Week 1: Making a Religion: The Concept of Divinity in Ancient Egypt

Week 2: Enclosure of the Gods: Form and Function of Temples

Week 3: The Temple as an Economic Institution

Week 4: Personal Piety

Week 5: The Priesthood

Week 6: Christian Egypt

Week 7: Funerary Literature

Week 8: Mummification and Royal Caches

Week 9: Private Tomb Architecture: Old Kingdom

Week 10: Private Tomb Architecture: New Kingdom

Week 11: Abydos: Development Through Time

Show understanding of the religious and funerary practices employed by the ancient Egyptians.

Demonstrate knowledge of the types of evidence which can be used to study this topic.

Show an awareness of the ethical implications in the study of human remains.

Demonstrate ability to follow complex oral and written arguments and summarise these in a suitable manner.

Demonstrate the ability to construct cogent academic arguments in a written form.

Display knowledge of how to interpret ancient textual material in translation and how to utilise the gained information to form an academic argument.

Demonstrate the ability to understand the limitations of textual data, as well as the ability to compare textual and physical data assemblages. 

Evidence the ability to conduct research independently.

Discussion Boards (formative) 0%

Essay - 2000 words - 65%

Public Facing Article - 1000 words - 35%

Discussion Board - ongoing feedback

Essay - written feedback within 15 working days

Public Facing Article - written feedback within 15 working days

Assmann, J. 2001. The Search for God in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press: Ithaca. 

Assmann, J. 2005. Death and Salvation in Ancient Egypt. Cornell University Press: Ithaca.

Eaton, K. 2013. Ancient Egyptian Temple Ritual: Performance, Pattern and Practice. Routledge: New York.

Germer, R. 1997. Mummies: Life after Death in Ancient Egypt. Prestel: New York.

Grajetski, W. 2003. Burial Customs in Ancient Egypt: Life in Death for Rich and Poor. Duckworth: London.

Hodel-Hoenes, S. 2000. Life and Death in Ancient Egypt: Scenes from Private Tombs in New Kingdom Thebes. Cornell University Press: Ithaca.

Ikram, S. 2015. Death and Burial in Ancient Egypt. AUC Press: Cairo.

Meye, S. (ed.) 2003. Egypt: Temple of the Whole World: Studies in Honour of Jan Assmann. Brill: Leiden.

Quirke, S. 2015. Exploring Religion in Ancient Egypt. Willey: Hoboken.

Richards, J. E. 2005. Society and Death in Ancient Egypt: Mortuary Landscapes of the Middle Kingdom. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge.

Snape, S. R. 2011. Ancient Egyptian Tombs: The Culture of Life and Death. Wiley-Blackwell: Chichester.

Taylor, J. H. 2001. Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt. The British Museum Press: London.

Weeks, K. R. (ed.) 2008. Valley of the Kings: the Tombs and Funerary Temples of Thebes West. VMB: Vercelli.

Wilkinson, R. H. 2000. The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson: New York.