Danielle Candelora, Immigration and Borders in Ancient Egypt, Cambridge University Press, 2026. Online ISBN: 9781009500111 DOI: 10.1017/97810
A new volume in the “Ancient Egypt in Context” series has just been published within the frame of Cambridge Elements (Cambridge University Press).
The aim of this Element is to explore borders in ancient Egypt – both the territorial and ideological boundaries of the state as well as the divisions such lines draw between ‘Egyptians’ and ‘Others.’ Despite the traditional understanding of ancient Egypt as an insular society isolated by its borders, many foreigners settled in Egypt over the course of the longue durée, significantly impacting its culture.
After examining the applicability of territorial state borders to the ancient world, the boundaries of ancient Egypt are investigated, questioning how they were defined, when, and by whom. Then a framework is presented for considering the reflexive ontological relationship between borders and immigrants, grappling with how identity is affected by elements like geography, the state, and locality. Finally, case studies are presented that critically examine ancient Egypt’s northern, eastern, western, and southern ‘borders’ and the people who crossed them.
The series, edited by Gianluca Miniaci (Università di Pisa), Juan Carlos Moreno García (CNRS–Paris), and Anna Stevens (University of Monash/University of Cambridge).
The Element is available for free download from March 6 to
March 20 – click to download.
To read it online, click here.
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