Chicago Chapter
Archived Events & Meeting
Summaries
August 2011 Meeting:
Speaker:
Lindsay Ambridge, Oberlin College
Topic: Race and Imperialism in a High School
Textbook: James Henry Breasted’s Ancient Times
Description: James Henry Breasted (1865-1935),
founder of the Oriental Institute at the University of
Chicago, was a prolific writer of popularizing books on
the ancient Near East. In 1914, at the outbreak of World
War I, he began writing Ancient Times, a History of the
Early World, published in 1916 by one of the largest
distributors of American textbooks. Widely read and very
popular, a revised version appeared at the end of his
career in 1935. This lecture examines the book’s themes
of race, imperialism, and Breasted’s definition of
“civilization”, highlighting significant changes between
the first and second editions. Breasted mapped the
geo-racial boundaries of early civilization and advanced
a model of enlightened exploitation which not only
explained the ancient past to generations of students,
but also provided a commentary on the socio-political
conditions of his own time.
Photo: James Henry Breasted.
Courtesy of
University of Chicago Library
August 2011 Meeting:
Speaker: James S. Westerman, Director of the
Osireion Research Project
Topic: Trying to Answer Six Fundamental Questions
about the Osireion. 25 Years and Counting of
Archaeological Investigations in Abydos
Exploring the Osireion 25 Years and Counting of
Archaeology Investigations in Abydos, Egypt
The Osireion is one of the most enigmatic buildings ever
built by man. There are six fundamental questions about
it which still have not been answered. They are: Why was
it built? When was it built? How was it built? Why was
it built in water? What is the source of the water? What
is inside the central island? For the past 25 years
James Westerman, a fellow of the Explorers Club and
director of the Osireion Research Project has been
investigating the Osireion. In this lecture he will be
discussing his research and the new discoveries he and
his team have made over the years. He is still actively
engaged in trying to answer these six questions.
July 2011 Meeting:
Speaker: Melinda Hartwig
Topic: Work in the Tomb of Menna
Description: The tomb of Menna (TT 69), one of
the finest painted tombs in Egypt, underwent extensive
non-invasive analysis and documentation from 2007-2010
in a joint ARCE-Georgia State University-USAID/ARCE
project. This talk will focus on the different methods
used and their results. The findings from Menna give
important information about the tomb owner and the time
in which he lived as well as artistic methods, work
process, and the status circulation of materials.
June 2011: No meeting is scheduled
May
7, 2011
Speakers: Dr. Mansour Buriak, Director General of
Luxor Antiquities, Supreme Council of Antiquities and John Shearman
Topic: ARCE's projects in Luxor
Description: John Shearman, who directs ARCE’s
work in Luxor, will discuss projects including the
conservation of damaged pylons, walls and columns in
Luxor and Karnak Temples; conservation of a side chapel
and installation of walkways in Khonsu Temple; the
preservation and documentation of Talatat blocks from
the reign of Akhenaten; the cleaning and maintenance of
sacred lakes; and the training of Egyptian conservators.
February 5, 2011
Speaker: Farouk Mustafa speaking on the political
situation in Egypt. Dr. Mustafa addressed the group
several years ago on the beginnings of the "Kefiya"
movement. Now hear about the results.
Dr. Melinda Hartwig, speaking on the tomb of Menna, has
been rescheduled to Saturday, June 4, 5:00pm.
January 8, 2011
Speaker: Alan Francisco, Registrar, Department
of Anthropology
The Field Museum, Chicago
Title of Lecture: Museum Registration:
Implementing Improved Collections Management at the
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
This presentation described the formation
of the Egyptian Museum's new Registration, Collections
Management, and Documentation Department under the
directive of the country's Supreme Council of
Antiquities, with training provided by the American
Research Center in Egypt and funding by the US Agency
for International Development and the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation. This 4-year project, concluded in October of
2010, was a significant achievement in Egypt's ongoing
efforts to develop better methods for protecting its
cultural heritage. Mr. Francisco worked on the project
in 2009-2010.
December 4, 2010
Speaker: Emily Teeter
Title of Lecture: Gallery Talk on “Visible
Language”
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
Writing was independently invented four times
in world history to store very different kinds of
information. A new exhibit at the Oriental Institute
explores the earliest Egyptian hieroglyphs and
Mesopotamian cuneiform writing, as well as the invention
of the alphabet in the Middle East. Join Oriental
Institute Research Associate and Special Exhibits
Coordinator Emily Teeter to consider the ways that
writing changed ancient societies, and to hear about new
finds, new research tools, and new perspectives on the
origins of writing.
Related Resources:
Speaker
Biography:
Emily Teeter is an Egyptologist and Research
Associate at the Oriental Institute at the University of
Chicago. She received a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the
University of Chicago in 1990. Her area of
specialization includes the history and religion of
second millennium B.C. Egypt with emphasis upon popular
religion and cult ritual. She has participated in
expeditions at Giza, Luxor and Alexandria.
Emily is the author of a wide range of scholarly and
popular articles which have been published in journals
in the United States and abroad as well as the
monographs “Ancient Egypt: Treasures from the Collection
of the Oriental Institute;” “Ritual and Legitimacy in
Ancient Egypt: The Presentation of Maat;” and “Egypt and
the Egyptians.” She is currently working on a book on
the practical aspects of Egyptian religion.
Emily has served as a consultant for permanent
installations of ancient Egyptian art at the Oriental
Institute, the Seattle Art Museum and the Art Institute
of Chicago. She has been a consultant for numerous
television and productions and multi-media projects.
She also services as the ARCE Chicago Advisor and OI
Representative.
October 2, 2010
Speaker: Th. Emil Homerin, University of
Rochester
Title of Talk: Emanations of Grace: The Mystical
Verse of A’ishah al-Ba’uniyah
In this lecture:
A’ishah al-Ba’uniyah (d. 1517) was one of the greatest
women scholars in Islamic history. A mystic and prolific
poet and writer, A’ishah composed more works in Arabic
than any other woman prior to the 20th century. Often,
she expressed her great devotion to God and His prophet
Muhammad, and spoke of love and longing on the mystical
quest for union. She also alluded to her extensive
education and mystical training, and her own particular
life experiences that are often reflected in her verse.
Though many of her works are lost today, several still
exist in manuscript including her poetic collection The
Emanation of Grace and the Gathering Union. This is a
remarkable autobiographical collection of over 300
poems, which span much of A’ishah’s mystical life, from
her days as a novice and student, to her later years as
a Sufi master. In this presentation, I discussed
A’ishah's life and mystical along with a reading of her
poems.
About the speaker: Th. Emil Homerin is Professor
of Religion in the Department of Religion & Classics at
the University of Rochester, where he teaches courses on
Islam, classical Arabic literature, and mysticism. He is
an expert of the Sufi movement in Egypt. Among his many
publications are From Arab Poet to Muslim Saint (2001),
his anthology of translations, Ibn al-Farid: Sufi Verse
& Saintly Life (2001), The Wine of Love and Life (,
2005) and several chapters on Islam in the volumes The
Religious Foundations of Western Civilization (2006) and
Introduction to World Religions (2010).
September 11, 2010
Speaker: Otto Schaden, Field Director: the
Amenmesse and KV 63 Project
Title of Talk: Work in the Valley of the Kings:
New Research on the Finds from KV 63
In this lecture: Otto Schaden, who discovered the
enigmatic tomb no. 63 in the Valley of the Kings,brought
us up to date on the finds, including the coffins,
pottery, and seal impressions. Part of the current work
includes conservation of the coffins in the effort to
recover some of the inscriptions which might shed more
light on the tomb and its function.
About the speaker: Otto Schaden received his PhD
in Egyptology from the University of Minnesota. He was a
member of the Oriental Institute Nubian Expedition in
1962-1963 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.
August 7, 2010
Speaker: Farouk Mustafa,
University of Chicago
Title of Talk:
Contemporary Arabic Fiction in Egypt
Abstract or Summary
of Presentation: Egypt has a thriving community of modern fiction writers
who explore the full gamut of social and political
issues through drama, comedy, and parody. Increasingly,
contemporary Egyptian works of fiction are being
translated into English. In this talk, noted translator
Farouk Mustafa (Farouk Abdel Wahab) will discuss trends
in contemporary fiction as well as the challenges that a
translator faces.
About the speaker:
Farouk Mustafa is the Ibn Rushd Professorial Lecturer in
Modern Arabic Language in the Department of Near Eastern
Languages and Civilization at the University of Chicago.
Under the name Farouk Abdel Wahab he is the translator
of a wide variety of Arabic novels including No One
Sleeps in Alexandria, The Lodging House, Love in Exile,
Zayni Barakat and A Certain Woman. His most recent and
highly praised translation was of Alaa Al Aswany’s novel
Chicago.
July 10, 2010
Speaker:
Nadine Moeller
Title/Position of Lecturer: Assistant Professor
of Egyptian Archaeology, Director, University of Chicago
Tell Edfu Project
Biography:
Nadine Moeller is Assistant Professor of Egyptian
Archaeology at the University of Chicago’s Oriental
Institute. Since 2001 she has been the Director of
excavations at Tell Edfu in southern Egypt. She received
her Ph D from Cambridge University (UK) in 2003. She has
excavated and worked at many sites in Egypt including
the Valley of the Kings, Abu Rawash, Dendera, Memphis,
and Elephantine.
Title of Lecture:
Tell Edfu: The Discoveries of the 2009 Season
Abstract or Summary
of Presentation:
The 2009 season at Tell Edfu focused on the full
excavation of the SIP silos after we had received
permission to excavate the exposed wall remains and
layers covering them. Three small silos abutting one of
the large ones (Si 303) were newly discovered. In the
demolition layer filling the inside of one of those
silos another clay figurine has been found showing a
female carrying a baby on her back. We can now
distinguish at least three phases of silo building in
this area. More than 120 hieratic ostraca recording
administrative activities have come to light in the
enormous fill layers that accumulated during the NK and
were covering the granaries. Another unexpected find of
this season are numerous bones and jaw fragments of
hippopotami. According to the stratigraphy, these hippo
bones were deposited during different periods (SIP and
NK) and are not from a single animal. In the same area,
excavations also uncovered more elements of the columned
hall dating to the late MK. In the N-E corner of the
tell, close to the Ptol. temple enclosure wall, we
cleared several meters of sebbakh and old excavation
debris in order to reach the OK levels beneath which
were already visible in the vertical sections along the
side of the tell. Ceramic evidence indicates
archaeological remains, which date to the 4th Dynasty.
Website:
www.telledfu.org
May 1, 2010
Speaker: Virginia L. Emery
Title/Position of Lecturer: Doctoral Candidate in
Egyptology, Dept of Near Eastern Languages and
Civilizations, University of Chicago
Title of Lecture: The Palace in Ancient Egypt: An
Introduction
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
The study of Egyptian architecture traditionally has focused
on temples and tombs as massively constructed stone
edifices, passing over a consideration of a third category
of monumental architecture: palaces. Although temples and
tombs have been well studied, both architecturally and
functionally, palaces have received less attention in the
archaeological world, leaving questions of identification
and interpretation yet unanswered. However, the initial
investigation and comparison of ancient Egyptian palaces
indicates that many of these questions of identification and
interpretation can be answered by appealing both to textual
sources and to exemplars provided by non-royal architectural
styles. This talk will highlight some of the most crucial
issues involved in identifying ancient Egyptian palaces and
some of the most intriguing questions of interpretation.
April 10, 2010
Title of Lecture: Egyptology Graduate Student
Mini-Symposium
Join us to hear Egyptology graduate students talk about
their most recent research as they prepare to present
papers at the Annual Meeting of ARCE in Oakland. Not
only do you get to hear it first, but the students will
benefit from your questions and comments.
March 13, 2010
Title of Lecture: Aspects of the Ancient Egyptian Economy
Speaker: Edward Castle
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
It is commonly believed that the Egyptian economy was a purely
redistributive system organized by the temples. But was there no
role for private trade? If so, what form did it take? Did it
function by barter or was there a means of valuation and exchange?
In other words, did money play a part in the economy, and if so what
form did it take?
Speaker Bio: Edward Castle Graduated Ph.D. in Egyptology from
the University of Chicago 2001. He worked for the Epigraphic Survey
of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago from 1995 to
2001.
February 6, 2010
Title of Lecture: What is Demotic and Why Write a
Dictionary?
Speaker: Janet H. Johnson
Title/Position of Lecturer: The Morton D. Hull
Distinguished Service Professor, Oriental Institute;
Professor of Egyptology; Editor, The Chicago Demotic
Dictionary Project
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
Demotic is the highly cursive script that was used to write
the Egyptian language from about 650 BC to the 5th century
AD. In the last decades, the study of Demotic has been among
the most dynamic aspects of Egyptology. Newly translated
Demotic texts are adding tremendously to our knowledge of
religious ritual, economic, social, and political systems,
and literature. For many years, the only dictionary was a
single volume published in 1954. Major advances in the
translation of Demotic texts are due to the Oriental
Institute’s compilation of a more complete dictionary based
on a much greater number of texts that present more diverse
vocabulary and orthography. This talk discusses the range of
texts found in Demotic, and the purpose and status of the
Chicago Demotic Dictionary.
Lecturer Bio:
Professor Jan Johnson studied Egyptology at the University
of Chicago’s Oriental Institute and has taught there since
1972. She is a specialist in the legal and social status of
Egyptian women, in Egyptian grammar, and in the late stage
of the Egyptian language and script known as Demotic. She is
the author of a wide range of articles on grammar and on
social history, and she is a pioneer in the application of
computers to papyrology. She is also the author of the
standard grammar of Demotic, “Thus Wrote 'Onchsheshonqy - An
Introductory Grammar of Demotic”.
Relevant Links:
January 9, 2010
Speaker:
Dennis O’Connor
Topic: Joseph Lindon Smith: Painter of Pharaohs
and Pashas
Abstract:
American painter Joseph Lindon Smith (1863-1950) enjoyed
a long and prolific artistic career. The majority of his
paintings took as their subject matter the art and
architecture of ancient cultures that were being
discovered during the first half of the twentieth
century, especially that of ancient Egypt. For many
decades, Smith was an active member of George A.
Reisner’s Boston/Harvard expedition, painting yearly
throughout Egypt along the Nile Valley as far south as
Meroe and Napata. In the last decade of his life, he
became the only artist to date to attain the distinction
of having his canvases, which he described as
“portraits,” put on display at The Egyptian Museum in
Cairo in yearly shows alongside the original artifacts.
Although still held in the collections of many of
Americas finest museums, Smith’s beautiful paintings
today are largely forgotten and off display. This
presentation re-introduces Joseph Lindon Smith to the
public and examines not only his devotion to the art of
the ancient world, but many other aspects of his long
and multifaceted career. Several original Smith works
will be on view during the lecture.
Bio: Dennis O’Connor has enjoyed a lifelong
fascination with all things ancient Egyptian. He holds a
Master’s Degree in Art History from the University of
Memphis, with a concentration in Egyptian Art and
Archaeology. Currently, he is at work writing a
biography of the life and work of the artist Joseph
Lindon Smith.
December
5, 2009
Speaker
Name: Courtney Kleinschmidt-Jacobson
Affiliation: University of Chicago
Speaker Bio: Courtney Kleinschmist-Jacobson is a
graduate student in the Egyptology program at the
University of Chicago.
Lecture Title: Symbols of Sexual Rebirth: Aspects
of Monkey Vessels
Lecture Abstract:
Monkey vessels
represent a distinct artifact group, one that was
connected to a broad web of symbols for sexual rebirth
in ancient Egypt. This discussion examined the nature of such connections, as illustrated
by the images, provenance, and use of these and other
artifacts.
November 7, 2009
Speaker
Name: Ann Macy Roth
Speaker’s Title: Clinical Associate Professor in
the Departments of Art History and Hebrew & Judaic
Studies at New York University
Speaker Bio: Ann Macy Roth received both her PhD
in Egyptology from the University of Chicago. She spent
two years as a research assistant at the Museum of Fine
Arts, Boston, two more as a lecturer at the University
of California, Berkeley, and then ten years as an
assistant and associate professor at Howard University
in Washington, DC, before coming to New York University
in 2003. She is currently a Clinical Associate Professor
in the departments of Art History and Hebrew & Judaic
Studies at NYU, and she is director of graduate studies
for the program in Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian
Studies.
Prof. Roth has specialized in the Old Kingdom period of
Egyptian history (2700-2150 BCE), the age of the pyramid
builders. Her dissertation was a study of phyles, groups
of people who may have begun as tribal groups supporting
the king in the prehistoric period and evolved into a
system rotating service that built the pyramids and
staffed the temples and palaces.
As a student, Professor Roth worked on archaeological
projects in Arizona, at Quseir on the Red Sea, and in
and around Luxor temple in southern Egypt, as well as a
season as an epigrapher for the Oriental Institute
Epigraphic Survey at Chicago House. Since 1989, she has
directed archaeological work on the Giza plateau, both
recording chapel decoration and conducting a controlled
re-clearance of tombs and chapels excavated in the early
20th century. Her second book dealt with a group of
tombs on the Giza plateau, The Cemetery of the Palace
Attendants, and she is currently working on a third book
dealing with the adjacent tombs, The Tombs of the Palace
Guard. In 2009, she received a year-long fellowship from
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to prepare
for publication the three Old Kingdom mastaba chapels at
the museum.
Lecture Title: "Notes on a Scattered Cemetery:
The Three Metropolitan Museum Mastaba Chapels in
Context."
Lecture Abstract: In this lecture, Professor Roth
will present her new research on Old Kingdom mastabas
including their social context and the careers of their
owners.
October 3, 2009
Speaker Name: Peter J. Brand
Speaker’s Title:
Professor of Ancient History and Egyptology, University
of Memphis
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Peter Brand was born in Toronto, Canada in 1967.
After moving to the US in 1979, he studied at the
University of Texas at Arlington, and the University of
Memphis before returning to Toronto where he received
his PhD in 1998. Since 2001 he has been a professor of
ancient history and Egyptology at the University of
Memphis. He is also director of the Karnak Hypostyle
Hall Project which is recording and studying hundreds of
inscriptions in the vast Hypostyle Hall of the temple of
Karnak in Luxor Egypt. Dr. Brand is the author of
numerous articles and a book, and is currently working
on two other books. His specialties include the history
of the Ramesside age, Ancient Egypt’s foreign relations
during the New Kingdom and the recording and
interpretation of Egyptian monumental inscriptions.
Lecture Title: “War and Peace in the Bronze Age:
Ramesses II and the Hittite Empire"
Lecture Abstract: In the 21st year his long reign
(ca. 1276 BCE), Pharaoh Ramesses II forged a treaty of
peace and reliance with the Hittite Emperor Hattusilis
III, thereby ending almost seven decades of conflict
between Egypt and the Hittite Empire. The chief bone of
contention between these two ancient superpowers was
control of the fortified town of Kadesh on the Orontes
river valley and the neighboring territory of Amurru,
both located in southern Syria. Egypt had lost both
provinces to the Hittites during the Amarna Period.
Repeated attempts to recover them by force during the
late Eighteenth and early Nineteeth Dynasty met with
outright failure or sometimes with temporary success.
The famous climax of the war came in 1275 BCE when
Ramesses II’s armies clashed with those of the Hittite
Empire at Kadesh. Less well known are the pharaoh’s
dogged series of campaigns after the Battle of Kadesh
leading up to the peace treaty of his 21st Year. Despite
fleeting success against Hittitte controlled towns like
Dapur and Tunip, the Pharaoh was unable to hold on to
his gains in Syria. After the peace, the two sides
exchanged gifts, numerous diplomatic letters and even
two Hittite princesses in diplomatic marriages.
But what compelled Ramesses to pursue this aggressive
policy in Syria despite repeated failures? Why after
decades of conflict did he finally make peace? How did
the Egyptians and Hittites adjust to their new alliance
after such a ong, bitter struggle? This talk will
examine the ideological and emotional mindset that drove
Ramesses II to war and consider how the Pharaoh adjusted
his thinking to the new reality of peace.
Website:
http://history.memphis.edu/pbrand/
September 12, 2009
Lecture Title: “Preliminary Report on the ARCE/Epigraphic
Survey, Oriental Institute Reused Block Epigraphic Project
at Khonsu Temple in Karnak, 2008-09."
Speaker Name: J. Brett McClain
Speaker’s Title: Senior Epigrapher, The Epigraphic
Survey of the Oriental Institute.
Speaker Bio: J. Brett McClain received his PhD in
Egyptology from the University of Chicago on the basis of
the thesis entitled Restoration Inscriptions and the
Tradition of Monumental Restoration. He has been on the
staff of the University of Chicago’s Epigraphic Survey since
1998. He hold the position Senior Epigrapher. Dr. McClain is
the author of a number of articles about the theology of
Theban temples.
Lecture Abstract: In the process of conservation and
restoration of the flooring of the Temple of Khonsu at
Karnak, a series of reused blocks have come to light. Dr.
McClain will discuss this project and the findings of the
Epigraphic team.
July
11, 2009
Title of Lecture: George Andrew Reisner and
American Archeology in Egypt
Speaker: Peter Lacovara
Title/Position of Lecturer:
Curator of Ancient Art, the Michael C. Carlos Museum,
Emory University, Atlanta
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
With the exception of Sir Flinders Petrie, no other
archeologist working in the Nile Valley has contributed
so much to our picture of the past than “Indiana George”
Reisner. Born in Indianapolis in 1867, Reisner went to
study Semitic Languages as an advanced divinity student
in 1889. He left to continue his studies in Germany but
became fascinated with Egyptology. In 1897 he went to
Cairo to work on a number of volumes of the great Cairo
Catalog. He then began excavations first, for the
University of California through the generosity of
Phoebe A. Hearst.
After a few
years Reisner left Mrs. Hearst’s sponsorship and
continued working under a joint appointment at the
Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Harvard University. He
also participated in the First Archaeological Survey of
Nubia. The Survey gave Reisner a life long interest in
the civilizations of the Middle Nile and thereafter he
would divide his time between working in the Sudan in
the winter and Egypt in the summer.
He made many important discoveries at Giza and the
cemeteries of Naga ed Deir and excavated many of the
most important sites in the Sudan. He died at Giza in
1942 and his faithful assistant Dows Dunham was inspired
to create the American Research Center in Egypt to carry
on his work.
Dr. Lacovara will recount the illustrious career of
Reisner and the many contributions that he made to
Egyptian archaeology and Egyptology.
June
13, 2009
Title of Lecture: Ancient Egyptian Clothing:
Observations on the Kilt in Late Period Egyptian Art
Speaker: Aleksandra Hallmann
Title/Position of Lecturer: University of Gdansk,
Poland
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
Research on ancient Egyptian clothing involves
particular methodological problems. One encounters
special difficulties when comparing archeological finds
with artistic representations, for they
seem to present completely different realities. As an
example of these particular issues, this lecture
presents a study on the ancient Egyptian wrap-around
kilt which was the primary garment for men. This garment
has aroused exceptional interest among scholars who have
attempted to present several reconstructions of draping
of a kilt. None were particularly successful. The forms
and variations of the kilt, especially as shown in Late
Period art (25th-31th Dynasties), an era when many kinds
of kilts, including some novelties absent in earlier
periods, will be the focus of the talk.
April 9, 2009
Title of Lecture: A Strategic Old and Middle
Kingdom Way Station on the Red Sea coast: The New
Discoveries of the French Mission at Ayn Soukhna
Speaker: Gregory Marouard
Title/Position of Lecturer:
Ph. D. Candidate, University of Poitiers, Visiting
Research Scholar, Oriental Institute
Abstract or Summary of Presentation:
Since 2001, the French Mission (IFAO-University of Paris
IV Sorbonne) has studied the important remains at Ayn
Soukhna on the Red Sea coast 50km south of Suez. The
site was occupied from the Predynastic into the Middle
Kingdom. It was an important way station for the
expeditions extracting copper and turquoise from the
Sinai in the Old and Middle Kingdoms. The upper part of
the site has a series of parallel rock-cut galleries,
some of which were used to store large pottery jars. In
the 2008-2009 season, other galleries were found to
contain carefully dismantled boat parts dating to the
Middle Kingdom. The site also preserves a series of
important Middle Kingdom inscriptions. This lecture is
the first report on this work to be presented the
Midwest.
April 4, 2009
“Settlement archaeology in Egypt: Problems and
Priorities” by Nadine Moeller, Ph.D. Assistant Professor
of Egyptian Archaeology, the Oriental Institute and
Director of Excavations at Tell Edfu
Synopsis of lecture: Our
current knowledge of towns and cities in ancient Egypt
is still relatively limited and discussions often focus
on sites like Tell el-Amarna, Kahun and Deir el-Medina.
This talk aims to provide an overview of issues
concerning the study of ancient Egyptian settlements in
general such as preservation, threats from growing
modern habitation and agriculture as well as pointing
out priorities regarding current research in this field.
The recent results from the last season at Tell Edfu
will be presented as a case study and discussed within
the wider framework of settlement archaeology in Egypt.
March
7, 2009
“The
Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt”
with curator Emily Teeter, followed by Megaera Lorenz
speaking on “Beyond Harpists and Housewives: Women and
Their Employment in Ancient Egypt.”
Emily
Teeter is an Egyptologist and Research Associate at the
Oriental Institute, and Vice-President of ARCE.
Megaera
Lorenz is a graduate student in Egyptology at the
Oriental Institute, and contributor to the catalogue for
the Meresamun exhibit catalogue. She has recently
participated in excavations of the Oriental Institute at
the 4th cataract in Sudan.
Synopsis of lecture: Despite their
misleadingly low profile in the historical record, women
were active participants in ancient Egypt's economy.
This talk examined a few of the varied and often
surprising ways that ancient Egyptian women found
employment.
For more information on the exhibit, go to the
following web sites:
http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/meresamun/
http://chronicle.uchicago.edu/web/090205.mummy.html
for a “vodcast” of the show.
February 21, 2009
Public Symposium
co-sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of ARCE
and the Oriental Institute
“A Mummy
Comes to Life: Science and Art Resurrect an
Ancient Egyptian Priestess.”
This day of talks illuminated the life and death of Meresamun, a Singer in the Interior of the Temple of
Amun at Karnak in about 800 BC, who is the focus of an
exhibit at the Oriental Institute Museum from February
10 through December 6, 2009. Lecture topics include the
historical and cultural setting of Meresamun’s Egypt,
her duties in the temple, women’s occupations and their
legal/social rights, and information about the mummy
obtained with the newest CT technology.
Speakers included exhibit curator Emily Teeter; Janet H.
Johnson, co-editor of the exhibit catalogue and the
Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor of
Egyptology at the Oriental Institute; Hratch Papazian,
Lecturer in Egyptology at the Oriental Institute; and
Dr. Michael Vannier, Professor of Radiology at the
University of Chicago Medical Center and Editor in Chief
of the International Journal of Computer Aided Radiology
and Surgery.
February 4, 2009
Michael
Jones, Associate Director,
The American Research Center in Egypt
Tracing Roman Luxor:
The ARCE Conservation Project to Save the Roman Frescos
In December 2005, the American Research
Center in Egypt completed a major three-year integrated conservation
project on the Roman wall paintings in the Luxor Temple. This work
was part of ARCE’s USAID-funded heritage conservation program, and
was carried out in collaboration with Chicago House and directed by
Michael Jones. The Roman frescos were painted to decorate the
imperial chamber dedicated to the cult of the emperors, at the heart
of the 18th dynasty temple. This project has revealed the high
quality of the paintings, the finest Roman paintings surviving in
Egypt, and offered the chance to see them in situ and against the
political developments of the time. The latest results of this
project will be included in the lecture which will also address the
conservation issues now facing the newly cleaned paintings.
January 3, 2009
Joshua Trampier,
Associate Director,
Center for Ancient Middle Eastern Landscapes
"Looking
Backwards while Moving Forwards: New Archaeological Explorations of
the Western Nile Delta in Egypt Using Historical Satellite Imagery
and Cartography."
Summary of Presentation: Joshua spoke
about a newly developed archaeological project in the western Delta
under the aegis of the Durham University Mission to Sa el Hagar
(Sais). Using the latest satellite and Geographical Information
Systems (GIS) technology, the project explores dynamic shifts of
ancient rivers and how they impacted the lives of those living on
the fragile western fringe of the Nile Delta. Historic maps and
satellite photos are interwoven to target signature features of a
human-modified landscape and to answer questions about human
settlement and paleo-environment.
Bio:
Joshua Trampier is a Ph.D. candidate in Egyptian Archaeology at the
Dept. of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at the University
of Chicago. His dissertation explores settlement patterning in the
western Nile Delta from 1250 B.C.E. to 600 C.E. using a combination
of remote sensing prospection and archaeological fieldwork. As the
Associate Director of the Center for Ancient Middle Eastern
Landscapes (CAMEL) in the Oriental Institute, he directs projects to
develop its historical archive of spatial data, which includes
thousands of maps, aerial photos, and satellite images. He has also
taught graduate and Oriental Institute courses on ancient Egypt,
landscape archaeology, and remote sensing.
Related Websites:
December 6, 2008
Foy Scalf,
Ph.D. candidate in Egyptology at the University of Chicago.
Repelling the
Enemies of Osiris: The Use of Magical Bricks in Ancient Egypt
Summary of Presentation:
The ancient Egyptians went to great pains to protect the
body of the deceased. Once lowered into the tomb, the
body was well protected from the natural elements and
mummified for preservation of the physical form.
However, other, less visible, dangers threatened safe
passage into the world beyond. To combat such "demonic"
entities, apotropaic texts and objects were employed,
attached directly to the mummy itself or placed around
the tomb. When Howard Carter entered the tomb of
Tutankamun, he discovered four bricks, set in niches
around the walls of the burial chamber. A magical spell
from Book of the Dead had been written on each brick and
a protective amulet had been inserted into the unbaked
clay. These "magical bricks" helped to ward off evil
forces, thereby protecting the tomb owner. In this
lecture, we will look at the use of magical bricks
throughout Egypt's history, paying particular attention
to the important collection of magical bricks in the
collection of the Oriental Institute Museum, which
contains many exciting surprises.
Bio:
Foy Scalf's dissertation work focuses on Demotic
funerary texts from Roman Egypt and the religious
rituals accompanying their use. Interested in Egyptian
religious texts and practices of all periods, last year
he worked as an epigrapher on 4th Dynasty sealings at
Giza and is currently editing several funerary texts
written in hieratic from the Ptolemaic Period.
October 25, 2008
Eugene Cruz-Uribe,
Professor, Northern Arizona University
North, West and
South from the Valley of the Kings - A Pilgrim's Journey
Summary of Presentation: The lecture dealt with a series of
research projects dealing with the ancient pilgrimages to
religious sites. Issues discussed included pilgrimage routes
in ancient Egypt, why the Egyptians went on pilgrimages, how
the Christians began to emulate “pagan” pilgrimage
practices, and the conflicts that arose between the groups
over control of the pilgrimage destination points. The
evidence was taken from the speakers’ extensive fieldwork in
the Valley of the Kings, at the temple of Isis on the island
of Philae and in the Kharga Oasis.
June
28, 2008:
Pearce Paul Creasman,
Texas A&M
"Ancient Egyptian Ships and Seafaring: What Do We Know?"
In this illustrated
talk, Mr. Creasman discussed the primary evidence for Egypt's
place in the larger history of seafaring including types of ships
and their construction.
Pearce Paul Creasman is
a doctoral candidate in the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas
A&M University and has directed research in Egypt and the
Mediterranean for the last five years. For
his Master's thesis, he recorded and analyzed the nearly 4000 year
old Cairo Dahshur boats, two Middle Kingdom vessels in the Egyptian
Museum, Cairo. Pearce Paul's research interests include maritime
archaeology, the Middle East, and cultural diffusion.
April: 25-27, 2008:
Annual
National Meeting in Seattle
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.
