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Zhu, Lingling

University of British Columbia

Using a source-critical approach, this thesis examines the apocalyptic narrative in chapter 12 and the king-list narrative in chapter 10 of the Demotic Chronicle to demonstrate the intersection of propagandist and historiographic traditions, which was enabled by the rich literary tradition associated with ancient Egyptian temples. In looking at the presentation of the Persians in the DC’s chapter 12, a renewed timeframe of composition (373 – 351/0 BCE) is suggested. By further examining the future-oriented temporality in the apocalyptic narrative, a non-royal initiative of the source narrative is proposed. With a historic critical analysis of available material evidence from the period, it becomes clear that the famine motif in this chapter is largely idealized and adheres to the narrative convention of royal propaganda. Hence, the authors of the DC could have synthesized an earlier text with non-royal initiative into a later piece of royal propaganda. After defining the propagandist orientation of the DC, the listing of kings bearing historiographic traits in its chapter 10 is then examined through intertextual analysis with the Turin Canon and the Aegyptiaca. A small section of the DC’s king-list, the account of the Sebennyte kings (Dynasty 30), employs dynastic division and day-exact chronology, and demonstrates an active synthesis and processing of historical records. In conclusion, the propagandist intention and historiographic practices appear to coexist in the DC. The various examples of source narratives from temple libraries indicate a rich textual and literary tradition associated with the temples, which might have contributed to the complexity of the DC. Because of the emphasis on Dynasty 30, a further hypothesis of the DC’s place of composition as Sebennytos, the capital of Dynasty 30, is proposed.

Text

2025-04-24

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/90746

Classics

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/