The Past as Viewed in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

This article aims to investigate ancient Egyptians’ view of their past. Relying on well-known archaeological and written artefacts, including the Palermo Stone, Karnak, Abydos, Saqqara lists and Turin papyrus, the paper examines the use of then-archaic literary texts as pedagogical tools during the New Kingdom and Ramesside periods. It also explores other expressions of the remembrance of the past and of nostalgia, such as visits to ancient historical sites by nobles, tourists, scribes and teachers during the New Kingdom and Ramesside periods. The paper presented here relies on a number of modern sources to further our understanding of Pharonic Egyptians’ approach to history.