Entheotopos. On a Heuristic Viewpoint Concerning Sacred Landscapes Creation in Ancient Egypt

Abstract

The examination of funerary landscapes in ancient Egypt has traditionally encountered challenges in establishing comprehensive perspectives that could facilitate the formulation of theories explaining the paradigms governing the creation and evolution of these spaces. Indeed, in recent decades, with the advent of new methodological and epistemological approaches, certain foundational principles explaining the placement of necropolises, the organization of tombs and the symbolism inherent to these environments have been called into question. This article seeks to introduce a fresh perspective on the Egyptian funerary landscape and its role in shaping cosmogonic narratives, establishing sacred spaces and contributing to the cultural transmission of these elements. Employing a methodological framework rooted in emerging fields of study like cognitive archaeology, fractal geometry and a reexamination of Egyptian protoculture, we aim to provide a novel understanding of this landscape. Given the evidence we have presented, it has become necessary to articulate a new concept that crystallizes these innovative viewpoints and offers a fresh interpretive framework for the study of landscape archaeology, not only within Egyptology but also in the broader realm of archaeology as a whole.