Egyptian Love Poems: An analysis of female representations, love and sexuality in Ancient Egypt (New Kingdom, XIX-XX Dynasties, 1295-1069 B.C.)
Ancient Egypt - Love Poems - Individualism - Gender - Sexuality
The New Kingdom, especially during the Raméssida period (XIX-XX dynasties - 1295-1069 B.C.), was one of the periods of greatest transformations in the various fields of Egyptian society, as there were numerous changes political, economic, social, cultural changes, etc. Most Egyptologists agree that during this period there was an extremely radical change in the way of thinking about the world and thinking about the individual for himself. As a result of these factors, there is a greater development of Egyptian literature, with the emergence of new literary genres, such as lyric-amorous poems – our sources of research. In these texts it is possible to notice the strong presence of an individualism in his writing and a distinction between feminine and masculine points of view. In addition to presenting the feeling of love as something naive and natural, these sources present erotic and / or sexual aspects at different times, which will also be addressed. In this research, therefore, an analysis of Egyptian love poems will be proposed, in order to understand the characteristics of the historical context and mentality of the time that may have influenced the development of the form of loving poetic writing in ancient Egypt. In addition, we will consider the Egyptian female representations present in the texts, seeking to understand their role in that society.