Chicago Chapter
Meeting
Summaries
April: 25-27, 2008:
Annual
National Meeting in Seattle
Saturday, March: 29, 2007:
Jennifer Westerfeld, "Coptic Graffiti and Early Christian Impressions of the Past"
Abstract: Spray-painted across walls or scratched onto the windows of subway cars, graffiti is often seen as a modern, urban phenomenon. However, the practice of writing graffiti actually goes back many thousands of years, and graffiti from the ancient world can be a valuable source of information for modern historians, giving us greater insight into how the ancients interacted with local landscapes. This lecture drew on recent fieldwork at Abydos and sites in Egypt's Kharga Oasis and discussed how Christian graffiti from the late antique period (roughly 350-750 CE) reflected changing attitudes towards sacred space and can help us reconstruct early Egyptian Christians' impressions of the Pharaonic monuments that still dominated the landscape at that time.
Bio: Jennifer Westerfeld is a Ph.D. candidate in Egyptology at the University of Chicago, where she is working on a dissertation that deals with social memory and the re-interpretation of pharaonic monuments in the Christian period. As a member of the Kharga Oasis Coptic Graffiti Project, she has been studying the Coptic graffiti from Kharga since 2004.
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008:
(co-sponsored with the Oriental Institute)
Terry Wilfong, Associate Curator, the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology,
and Associate Professor, Department of Near Eastern Studies,
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
"Anxious Egyptians: Personal Oracles as Indices of Anxieties in the
Later Periods"
Saturday, January 19,
2008
Jan Johnson, Professor of Egyptology, the Oriental Institute,
University of Chicago.
"Women in Ancient Egypt: Legal Equality, Social Differentiation, and
Symbol of Sexuality and Fertility."
Janet Johnson received
her PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. She is the
Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor of Egyptology at the
Oriental Institute and also the Director of the Chicago Demotic
Dictionary. She has published widely on Egyptian grammar, and social
and legal history, especially of the Late Period.
Saturday, November
17,
2007
Jackie
Jay, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
"He knew my
character": Glimpses of Personality in the Ancient
Egyptian Tales"
In the
ancient Egyptian Tale of Sinuhe, the Asiatic ruler
Amunenshi reassures the Egyptian fugitive Sinuhe,
saying, "You will be happy with me." According to
Sinuhe, he said this "because he knew my character."
The ancient Egyptians were obviously well aware of
one another's character traits; indeed, the Late
Period Instruction of Onchsheshonqy counsels that "A
man's character is on his face."
Through action and speech, ancient Egyptian literary
protagonists display facets of their personalities,
both good and bad. Sinuhe, the Shipwrecked Sailor,
and Setne, among others, are all three-dimensional,
flawed individuals. By examining the personality
traits exhibited by characters in ancient Egyptian
literature, we may gain a better understanding of
how the ancient Egyptians perceived and portrayed
themselves.
Jackie Jay is completing her PhD dissertation on
ancient Egyptian literature at the University of
Chicago. She is on the staff of the Chicago Demotic
Dictionary project at the University of Chicago and
has spent the past two summers in the Valley of the
Kings studying Demotic graffiti.
Saturday,
October 20,
2007
Dr. Otto Schaden
"Tomb 63 in the Valley of the
Kings: Current and Future Work"
The world was astounded
when, in 2006, Schaden and his team discovered what is now known as
tomb 63 in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Egypt, for the valley
was thought to have been thoroughly explored. The last discovery
made there-more than 80 years ago - was the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Tomb 63 has proved to be an intriguing historic puzzle. Dr. Schaden
will discuss the discovery and his ongoing research of this famous
find.
Otto Schaden received his PhD in Egyptology from the University of
Minnesota. He was a member of the Oriental Institute Nubian
Expedition in 1962-63 and the Sudan Expedition the following season.
He started work in the Valley of the Kings in 1972 when he undertook
a study of the tomb of King Ay. From 1992 to the present day, he has
worked at the tomb of king Amenmesse (KV 10). In the course of that
excavation, he discovered tomb 63.
Recommended Links:
Saturday, September 22
, 2007
Geoff
Emberling, Ph.D., Director,
Oriental Institute Museum
"New Light on the
Kingdom of Kush: Oriental Institute Salvage
Excavations at the 4th Cataract"
There will be a chapter
board meeting at 4:00PM immediately after that we
will have a general chapter meeting before enjoying
the presentation by Geoff Emberling.
RSVP Here
Recent
research has suggested that the Kingdom of Kush was
an extensive state controlling up to 1200 km along
the Middle Nile by the Classic Kerma Period (ca.
1700-1550 BC). A significant threat to Egypt of that
time, it was also allied with the distant land of
Punt. Survey and excavation in the Merowe Dam
salvage area at the 4th Cataract, an area previously
untouched by archaeologists, has shown significant
Middle and Classic Kerma occupation. This talk
will report on the Oriental Institute's 2007 season
working at two sites in this area and will touch on
issues related to production, trade, and political
control along the Nile during the 2nd Millennium BC.
Geoff Emberling has been Director of the Oriental
Institute Museum at the University of Chicago since
2004. He received his BA in Anthropology from
Harvard and his PhD in Anthropology from the
University of Michigan with a dissertation on
ethnicity in early Mesopotamia. He has held
positions as Lecturer at the University of
Copenhagen and as Assistant Curator in the
Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. From 1998 to 2004
he directed excavations at Tell Brak, a site in
northeastern Syria that contains the remains of one
of the earliest and largest Mesopotamian cities, and
he has more recently directed a season of salvage
excavation in the 4th Cataract of the Nile in
northern Sudan.
June 2, 2007
Josef
Wegner - University Of Pennsylvania
"Beneath the
Mountain-of Anubis. Ancient Egypt's First Hidden Royal
Tomb"
(click
here for minutes from this meeting)
Co-sponsored by the Oriental Institute and the
Archaeological Institute of America
The Oriental Institute, Breasted Hall
1155 East 58th Street, Chicago
Pharaoh Senwosret III of the 12th Dynasty was
responsible for building two mortuary complexes: a
pyramid at Dahshur, and a subterranean tomb at Abydos.
The Abydos tomb is remarkable achievement of ancient
Egyptian mortuary architecture. Built 100 feet below the
surface in the bedrock, this tomb extends over a length
of 800 feet; its interior substantially lined with
masonry and once sealed with a complex blocking system.
Although its interior is not decorated, the form of its
architecture provides insight into concepts of the royal
afterlife at this time in Egyptian history. The tomb's
design shows many of the features of later New Kingdom
tombs in the Valley of the Kings, giving new insight
into the emergence of the hidden royal tomb. Although it
was first discovered in 1902, the Senwosret III tomb was
not excavated at that time and has remained inaccessible
until the present day. In 2006, the tomb's interior was
reopened as part of a project to completely excavate,
and ultimately to restore this major monument. The
lecture includes a photographic tour of the tomb's
interior, and discussion of new evidence indicating that
Senwosret III was buried at Abydos. New discoveries
include an ancient necropolis seal that names the
location of this tomb: Mountain-of-Anubis, as well as
remains of ceremonial activities that may have included
the burial rites of Senwosret III
Dr. Josef Wegner is Associate Professor of Egyptian
Archaeology in the Department of Near Eastern Languages
and Civilizations, and Associate Curator in the Egyptian
Section of the Penn Museum of Archaeology and
Anthropology. Since 1994, as part of the combined
University of Pennsylvania-Yale-Institute of Fine Arts,
New York University Expedition to Abydos, he has
directed excavations at the mortuary complex and
settlement site dedicated to pharaoh Senwosret III at
South Abydos.
To read
more on Josef Wegner or Senwosret III use links below:
April
20-22, 2007
ARCE 58th Annual Meeting at Wyndham Hotel in Toledo,
Ohio
Below is
a list of the lectures that our board found interesting at
the Annual Meeting:
As a follow-up to
our Board discussion on June 2, here are presenters and
talks that I found interesting and well presented:
Peter Brand (University of Memphis) -- Peace with Honor:
Ramesses II and the Egyptian-Hittite Peace Process. Good
presenter, interesting topic
J .J. Shirley (University of Wales) -- The Beginning of the
Empire: Viceroys, Viziers & the Amun Priesthood in the Early
18th Dynasty. Interesting topic.
John J. Wall (Independent scholar - location(?)) -- The
Cause of the Third Intermediate Period. Good presenter,
interesting topic.
Sarah Parcak (Cambridge University) -- Google Earth and
Egyptian Archaeology: Not Just Another Pretty Picture. Good
presenter, interesting topic.
Salima Ikram (American University in Cairo) --
Gayer-Anderson's Egyptian Collection in Cairo. Good
presenter, interesting topic, would be a big draw, possible
co-sponsor with OI, when will she next visit the US?
Lyn Green (Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities
(location ?)) -- Feasting and Dance as Expressions of Social
Interaction in Ancient Egyptian Art. Good presenter,
however, most of presentation was commentary on another's
work.
Jessica Levy (Brown University) -- Nepthys and Seth: Anatomy
of a Mythical Marriage. Very good presenter, interesting
topic
Linda Evans (Macquarie University, Sydney) -- The Protuding
Tongue: A Visual Code in Ancient Egyptian Art. Good
presenter, interesting topic.
Pearce Paul Creasman (Texas A&M University) -- Dovetails or
Lashings: A Case Study in Middle Kingdom Ship Construction
(The Cairo Dashur Boats). Good presenter, interesting topic
(Field Museum boat).
Edwin Corville Brock (ARCE, Cairo) -- The Luxor Dewatering
Project. Good presentation, interesting topic.
March 31, 2007 Lecture
"A
retrospect on 11 seasons of fieldwork in the tomb of
Senneferi at Thebes (TT99). The talk will illustrate
all aspects of the tomb, but concentrates
particularly on the history and archaeology of the
monument. The finds illustrate many phases of tomb
use from the 18th dynasty to AD 1907, and paint one
of the clearest pictures so far known of the complex
history of an ancient Egyptian tomb."
Dr.
Strudwick is a curator in the Department of Ancient
Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum, London. For
many years he has conducted excavations and
clearances in the Theban necropolis. For more
information on Dr. Strudwick please visit the
following web sites:
March 3, 2007 Lecture
"Viagra on the Nile:
Impotence and Infertility Cures in Modern
Egypt from Ancient Times"
Presented
by Nicole Hansen
(click
here for minutes from this meeting)
Lecture Summary: Like their modern counterparts,
the ancient Egyptians loved children. If a couple
failed to conceive a child, they turned to cures of
a medical, magical or religious nature. The methods
they used continue until today in Egypt and are the
subject of this talk.
Brief Bio:
Nicole Hansen has a PhD and MA in Egyptology from
the University of Chicago and a BA in the same field
from UC Berkeley. She spent 7 years in Egypt and the
focus of her research is on connections between
ancient and modern Egyptian culture. Currently, she
is editing a book written by the late Omm Sety
called _Omm Sety's Living Egypt: Surviving Folkways
from Pharaonic Times, to be published in 2007.
Nicole is also active in the promotion of Egyptology
through the use of the Internet. She was editor of
the award-winning Theban Mapping Project Web site
and archivist for the Giza Plateau Mapping Project
responsible for converting 15 years of excavation
records to database format. She recently founded
Glyphdoctors.com,
offering online courses in Egyptology and
hieroglyphs to anyone around the globe interested in
the fascinating culture of ancient Egypt.
Recommended Links:
January 2007 Lecture
-
(click
here for minutes from this meeting)
"Egypt and
the Amarna Letters:
International Relations in the Late Bronze Age"
Presented by Dennis Campbell
Overview of the
Presentation
The
Amarna tablets are named after the site Tell el-Amarna
(in middle Egypt) where they were discovered. The
first Amarna tablets were found by local inhabitants
in 1887. They form the majority of the corpus.
Subsequent excavations at the site have yielded less
than 50 out of the 382 itemized tablets and
fragments which form the Amarna corpus known to
date.
The majority of the Amarna tablets are letters.
These letters were sent to the Egyptian Pharaohs
Amenophis III and his son Akhenaten around the
middle of the 14th century B.C. The correspondents
were kings of Babylonia, Assyria, Hatti and Mitanni,
minor kings and rulers of the Near East at that
time, and vassals of the Egyptian Empire.
Almost immediately following their discovery, the
Amarna tablets were deciphered, studied and
published. Their importance as a major source for
the knowledge of the history and politics of the
Ancient Near East during the 14th Century B.C. was
recognized. The tablets presented several
difficulties to scholars. The Amarna tablets are
written in Akkadian cuneiform script and present
many features which are peculiar and unknown from
any other Akkadian dialect. This was most evident in
the letters sent from Canaan, which were written in
a mixed language (Canaanite-Akkadian). The Amarna
letters from Canaan have proved to be the most
important source for the study of the Canaanite
dialects in the pre-Israelite period.
Bio For Dennis
Campbell
Dennis Campbell is a Ph.D. candidate in Hittitology
in the University of Chicago’s Department of Near
Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He specializes
in the languages and cultures of ancient Anatolia.
Recommendations
Links
November 2006 Lecture
Overview of the
Presentation
This lecture was
about the cleaning and conservation projects implemented by
ARCE at four important post-Pharaonic sites; the Monasteries
of St. Anthony and St. Paul by the Red Sea, the ‘Red
Monastery’ near Sohag, and the mural paintings from Saqqara
and Bawit now in the Coptic Museum. It ended with a brief
introduction to a new project at the Luxor Temple.
The focus of the
monastery projects was the cleaning and conservation of
unique cycles of wall paintings in the well-preserved
ancient churches. These are especially significant because
the mediaeval and earlier churches are still in use and are
part of the living heritage of modern Egypt. The work in the
Coptic Museum was a contribution to the renovation of the
museum, which was reopened to visitors in June 2006. The
lecture illustrated and described the activities of the
projects, their results and an introduction to conservation
principles and how they apply to these projects.
Bio For Michael
Jones
Michael Jones
studied archaeology and Egyptology at Cambridge University
and first came to Egypt to work on excavations at Luxor and
tell el-Amarna. Since then he has worked at numerous sites
including Karnak, Kom Ombo, Qasr Ibrim, Memphis, Giza, Wadi
Firan (Sinai) and Siwa Oasis. He is currently in charge of
the conservation projects carried out by ARCE with funding
from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). He has been especially involved in projects at the
Monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Paul by the Red Sea, the
‘Red Monastery’ near Sohag and the Roman frescoes in the
Luxor Temple.
Recommendations Links
September 2006
Lecture
Overview of the
Presentation
Kingship in general, and the person of the king in
particular, played a preeminent role in the ancient
Egyptian social order. A cult was established for
Pharaoh even during his lifetime, and specific entities,
commonly termed Ka foundations, were created to serve
that cult and manage its services, which were not
limited to religious ones. Although the underlying
principles of Ka foundations remained constant
throughout Egyptian history, the ones operating during
the Old Kingdom appear to differ slightly from their
counterparts in subsequent periods, as their
organization and maintenance seem to mirror broader
socio-economic realities prevalent during that era. This
lecture will examine the significance of royal ka
foundations during the Old Kingdom by presenting both
archaeological and textual evidence of their
characteristics and function.
Bio For Hratch
Papazian
Hratch
Papazian received his PhD in Egyptology from the
University of Chicago in 2005. He had previously
completed a Master’s degree, also in Egyptology, in
Chicago, and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Classical
Studies. Between 1998 and 2000 he worked as an
epigrapher with the Oriental Institute’s Epigraphic
Survey in Luxor and he is currently a Lecturer in
Egyptology at the University of Chicago. In the past he
has taught several courses at the graduate and
undergraduate levels at the university and for the
Oriental Institute Education Department. His research
interests lie in, but are not limited to, the areas of
social history and economic organization of Old Kingdom
Egypt.
Reading
Recommendations
Hratch
Papazian recommends the following books:
August 2006 Lecture
Overview of
the Presentation
The recent CT scans of the mummy of King Tut have
presented new insights. An elite team of investigators
assembled by Zahi Hawass examined the scans and, based
on what they saw, concluded that Tut died as a result of
a fracture of his distal femur.
I have compared the findings of Tut's mummy with other
royal mummies, and based on what we do NOT see, have
come to a radically different conclusion as to the cause
of his death. Dr. Hawass will publish my analysis in a
forthcoming issue of the Annales du Service.
Ancient Egyptian medicine was arguably as good as any in
the world until the past 150 years. Their integration of
science magic, and religion will be presented and
correlated with current medicine.
Bio For Ben Harer
W Benson Harer
Jr, MD, DHL is a retired Clinical Prof of OB/GYN at
Western University of Health Sciences and Adjunct Prof
in the Dept of Humanities, (Egyptology) at California
State University San Bernardino. He was President of
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
2000-2001 and has been a Governor of the American
Research Center in Egypt for 25 years. He has published
and lectured extensively on both subjects.
May 2006
Lecture
Saturday, May 27 5:00PM
Topic: THE
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN SENSE OF HUMOR"
This event was co-sponsored by The Oriental Institute.
What exactly
made the ancient Egyptians laugh? This was an
extensively illustrated lecture from all periods of
Dynastic history. Although many examples, were
pictorial, a surprising number were in written sources.
We explored the what we find amusing in ancient Egyptian
culture.
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Carol Andrews with Emily Teeter |
Sonia Gollance, Carol Andrews,
Tom James, Justine James |
If you would like to purchase one of Carol Andrews books
please order them from ARCE
Chicago Amazon Link
and our chapter will receive a portion of the sale.
To learn more about Carol
Andrews click here for her current CV.
Click here to buy Carol
Andrews Books
March 2006 Lecture
Saturday,
March 4th at 5:00PM
BRUCE B. WILLIAMS
University of Chicago; Co-Curator of the Picken Family
Nubian Gallery
Author of the multi-volume publication "Oriental
Institute Nubian Expedition"
"Adventures in Interpreting The Cultural Dialogue
Between Egypt & Nubia.
Here are
the two primary books that were referenced:
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Please
order all books from Amazon.com via these links and
our chapter will receive 5%of the sale.
Below is a general link for Amazon that earns money
for our chapter.
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Websites
Recommended By Bruce Williams:
More
information on Nubian Display During Lecture:
In
the back of the room at the lecture was a display of Nubian
Artifacts provided
Randy Shonkwiler. If
you are interested in purchasing similar items from a fine
retailer in Aswan please contact:
African
Sudanese Bazaar, Founder Farrag Saad. The address of
the shop is Ahmad Maher Street in Aswan. It is located
on the main road in the Suq of Aswan. One can find the
shop by locating the Horus Hotel on the Corniche; there is
an alley by this hotel that will take you directly to the
African Sudanese Bazaar. There you will find
assistance from Essau and Mohammad. Please be sure to
mention Randy from ARCE Chicago and you might get an
excellent deal.
January 2006 Board
Meeting & Lecture
Dr. Stephen
P. Harvey, Assistant Professor of Egyptian Art and
Archaeology, and Director of the Oriental Institute
Ahmose and Tetisheri Project at Abdyos will present:
"The Last Queen's Pyramid: Recent
Excavations at Abydos"
This lecture
is sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the American
Research Center in Egypt and the Center for Middle
Eastern Studies of the University of Chicago.
To learn more about Dr. Stephen P. Harvey click here.
Click Here For Board Meeting
Meetings,
Chapter Minutes
November 2005 Lecture
The Chapter
elected to not have meetings due to organizing the board
and scheduling issues. There was a lecture from
Caroline Williams
(click
here to see that flyer) in November
that was sponsored by our Chapter.
August 2005
Board Only Meeting
We had our first official board meeting. In
attendance were all the newly elected board members
including: Bob Andresen, Dennis Kelley, Sandy Polley,
Jim Ringenoldus, Emily Teeter were elected to the Board.
Janice Brannon declined to serve. Bob Andresen moved to
elect Emily Teeter president and Sandy Polley secretary
of the Chapter with the option to appoint a recording
secretary. Both motions were approved unanimously.
We discussed many business items to review the agenda
or minutes click on the appropriate link
Boarding Meeting Minutes
August 2005
or
1st Board
Meeting Agenda August 2005
July 2005
Meeting
& Lecture
We were
honored to have Farouk Mustafa talk with our group on
the Egyptian Elections and the Kefeya Movement.
Mr. Mustafa is a very interesting and warm man he
decided rather than a formal lecture he would like to
have an open in formal discussion on the topic and our
members found this very entertaining and informative.
After the meeting we had a business meeting about our
own chapter elections where we nominated members for the
board election ballot and we approved our chapter
by-laws. Click here for
July 2005 Meeting Minutes.
June 2005
Meeting
& Lecture
We begin with Chapter Business. Acting President
Emily Teeter opened the meeting. We had an open
discussion about the need to elect officers and a board.
We also discussed the proposed By Laws. It was
agreed that at the July meeting we would hold our
nominations and elections. Given that our next
meeting had to do with Elections and the Egypt's 2005
Elections are making headlines the Chapter decided that
for the July meeting it would be great to get a speaker
in the Political Science Realm.
Next on the agenda we reviewed the success of the Lehner
Breakfast and got a report from our acting Treasurer
Sherian McLaughlin. This was followed by an update from
the acting Secretary Sandy Polley regarding web activity
and membership Forum issues. Our lecturer Peter F.
Dorman delivered a fascinating presentation on the 18th
Dynasty specifically Hatseptshut. After the
lecture, members enjoyed wine, cheese and many delights
as we got to know each other better.
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After the lecture, members enjoyed wine, cheese
and many delights as we got to know each other
better. |
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May
2005 Breakfast & Lecture
We did not
have an official meeting in May in lieu of a breakfast
lecture with Dr. Mark Lehner. After
breakfast with our group Dr. Leher presented his lecture
entitled "ARCE Then for me and now". It was a
fascinating lecture that lasted for about an hour.
We were honored that Dr. Lehner was so generous with his
time given his demanding schedule that day.
Immediately following our breakfast Dr. Lehner was to be
a featured guest speaker at the OI Egypt Unwrapped
Seminar.
Thank you to 19 members that came out so early in
support of this ARCE Chicago Exclusive.
April
2005 Meeting
Organizational meeting on April 2, 2005 was a big success
we had 40 attendees.
To see
meeting minutes click here.
