in English

Tales from Egypt

WesamMødedato: Torsdag d. 11/4 2019 kl 18
Lokale: KUA 15A.0.13

Understanding ‘real-life’ Heritage issues: Tales from Egypt, v. Wesam Mohamed, PhD Fellow Aarhus University

The high significance of Egypt’s cultural heritage has widely influenced the academic fields since centuries. However, stories beyond the formal research might shed light on more crucial contexts.

This talk discusses critical ideas about Egyptian antiquities and their value using real-life examples. It presents different patterns of conceptions and behaviours concerning heritage; aiming to offer an in-depth view from inside the issues of value, ownership and identity.

Excavations in museums stores

Hermann Junker i Turah 1910

Hermann Junker i Turah 1910

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 25/4 2019 kl 19
Lokale: KUA1 23.0.49

Excavations in museums stores – Updating the cemetery of Turah, v. Dr. Vera Müller, OREA – Institute for Oriental and European Archaeology, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna

At the time when Hermann Junker excavated the cemetery of Turah in 1910 it was very easy to receive permission to export excavated objects from Egypt, especially if they were not considered as unique or precious. The latter was especially true for the items from Turah, as they consist in their majority of pottery vessels and some stone vessels, whereas personal articles such as jewellery, cosmetic object or tools were rare.

Junker was nevertheless very happy about this disinterest, as the period from the late Predynastic and Early Dynastic Periods (end of 4th – beginning of 3rd mill. BC) were not yet represented in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Ever since its publication in 1912, the cemetery of Turah has been considered as one of the key sites of this period.

After more than a hundred years, the publication needs, however, an update based on modern methods. What Junker did not anticipate, was a similar disinterest of his colleagues in Austrian and some other museums, which means that nowadays a lot of effort has to be undertaken to even identify the material in the museum’s stores.

Hjemmeside (tysk): https://www.khm.at/en/learn/research/projects-and-results/aegyptisch-orientalische-sammlung/der-friedhof-von-turah/ 

 

Seminar – Tutankhamon

Trompet med trækerne fra Tutankhamons grav

Trompet med trækerne fra Tutankhamons grav

Tutankhamon i krig og fred

Mødedato: Lørdag d. 15/9, 2018, kl. 11-16
Lokale: 23.0.49

Foredrag 1 kl. 11-12.15:

Trompeter i det gamle Ægypten, v. Lise Manniche, mag. art., PhD

I Ægypten var trompeten ikke et musikinstrument, men et signalinstrument, og dermed hører den også hjemme blandt stridsvogne og andre krigseffekter.

trompet-holdes

Lise vil gennem billederne præsentere trompetens historie i landet og ved hjælp at det unikke fund af to trompeter i Tutankhamons grav diskutere dels trompeternes klangmuligheder, dels deres historie gennem de seneste næsten 100 år.

Kl. 12.15 Frokostpause (medbring selv mad og drikke)

Foredrag 2 kl. 13.00-14.15:

Double compound bow, decorated with bark, object card (Griffith Institute)

Double compound bow, decorated with bark, object card (Griffith Institute)

Bull’s Eye! Bows from the Tomb of Tutankhamun, v. André J. Veldmeijer Visiting Research Scholar, American University in Cairo

A variety of weapons and related equipment was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, such as bows and arrows (and their accompanying wrist-guards, quivers and bow-cases), chariots, throwing sticks, clubs and daggers. Bows in particular feature prominently. This talk presents the results of an initial study of some of the bows coming from Tutankhamun’s tomb, with a discussion about their manufacture and suggestions for comparison and further study.

Pause kl. 14.15-14.45

Foredrag 3 kl. 14.45-16.00:

Tutankhamon

Tutankhamon

“Hans Majestæt kommer til syne på sin stridsvogn ligesom Re” – Stridsvogne i Tutankhamons grav, v. Ole Herslund, PhD

I det Ny Rige blev stridsvogne en integreret del af det faraoniske kongedømme. Fundet af hele seks stridsvogne og tilhørerende udstyr i Tutankhamons grav kaster lys over Farao som kriger og feltherre. I samspil med andre kilder diskuteres stridsvognens forskellige roller på slagmarken og dens indvirkning på militæret, kongens aktiviteter, ikonografi og ideologi.

 

Khufu’s harbour and papyri on the Red Sea

Mødedato: Tirsdag d. 20/11 2018, kl. 19.00
Lokale: KUA 21.0.54

Khufu’s harbour and papyri on the Red Sea: excavations at Wadi el-Jarf, v. Pierre Tallet, Professor of Egyptology – Sorbonne University, Paris

The Wadi el-Jarf site, excavated since 2011 by a team of the Paris-Sorbonne University, is a harbour on the Red Sea shore that was used at the beginning of the 4th dynasty to reach the copper and turquoise mines of the south-western part of Sinai Peninsula.

During the 2013 archaeological campaign, hundreds of fragments of papyrus from the end of Khufu’s reign were collected at the entrance of one of the storage galleries that are one of the most remarkable features of the site. This is, from now on, the oldest papyrus archive ever found in Egypt. This material was produced by a team of sailors which is already well known for its work on the harbour, and it mainly includes two categories of documents: accounts of commodities delivered to the workers, and logbooks recording their daily activities over several months.

Most surprisingly those last documents, for what is preserved of them, do not report to the activity of this group on the Wadi el-Jarf site. They describe previous missions led under the direction of the « inspector Merer », mainly devoted to the transport of limestone blocks from the quarries of Tura to the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, then under construction on the opposite bank of the Nile.

 

Silt, Sand and Sherds – før sommerfesten

Mødedato: Tirsdag d. 12/6 2018 Kl. 18.00

Lokale: KUA1 22.0.11

Silt, Sand and Sherds: land- and waterscapes of ancient Thebes, ved Dr. Angus Graham, Wallenberg Academy Fellow, Dept. of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Sweden; Director, Egypt Exploration Society Theban Harbours and Waterscapes Survey

The Theban Harbours and Waterscapes Survey (THaWS) has been conducting a geoarchaeological, geophysical and topographic survey in the floodplains of the West and East Bank of Luxor since 2012.

The project has identified a secondary channel of the Nile lying just in front of the Ramesseum and the Colossi of Memnon. This finding has considerable influence on the reinterpretation of a connection between the temples of Millions of Years on the West Bank, the festivals and the possible location of the ‘marketplace’ of Deir el-Medina. An intensive survey has been carried out in and around the Temple of Millions of Years of Amenhotep III (Kom el-Hetan) in collaboration with Dr Hourig Sourouzian’s mission.

The talk will discuss the sedimentological picture of the ground upon which Amenhotep III founded his temple and why he placed it where he did. Other on-going work and future plans will also be discussed.

DÆS-sommerfest tirsdag d. 12/6 2018 efter foredraget

Travellers and Pilgrims

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 8/2 2018 Kl. 18.00

Lokale: 15A.0.13

Travellers and Pilgrims at the Time of the Ptolemies: Recent Investigations by the Oxford Expedition to Elkab, ved Luigi Prada, Visiting Associate Professor in Egyptology, University of Copenhagen & University of Oxford

The site of Elkab, in Upper Egypt, is renowned for the decorated tombs of its governors, dating to the New Kingdom, and for the colossal walls surrounding its ancient town, particularly the temple complex of the vulture-goddess Nekhbet.

Under field-director Vivian Davies, Oxford University’s expedition has recently extended its investigation of the site to the study of the reuse of its pharaonic monuments in the Late and Graeco-Roman Periods, at a time when pilgrims and travellers on the caravan routes of the Eastern Desert stopped-like today’s tourists-to visit the necropolis’ tombs and the temples of the nearby Wadi Hilal, leaving testimony of their visit in graffiti and inscriptions.

This lecture will offer an overview of the results of the work of the Oxford Expedition to Elkab, showing how a city that had seen the acme of its power in the New Kingdom was thriving with a second life a millennium later, at the time of the Ptolemies.

A Royal Building in the Capital

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 8/3 2018, kl. 19.00
Lokale: 23.0.49

A Royal Building in the Capital. Results of the Recent Excavations at Qantir-Piramesse, ved Dr. Henning Franzmeier, Field Director Qantir-Piramesse-Project
Roemer- and Pelizaeus-Museum Hildesheim

Qantir-Piramesse can be considered one of the largest archaeological sites of the Late Bronze Age far beyond the borders of Egypt. Between 1996 and 2012 large scale magnetic measurements were carried out at Qantir-Piramesse which give an impression of the layout of whole parts of the capital of Ramesside Egypt. Amongst the structures visible is a monumental building complex, interpreted as a temple and/or palace.

During two seasons of fieldwork in 2016 and 2017 excavations were carried out within this area to complement the magnetic measurements by archaeological excavation and to gather information concerning the buildings function. This work for the first time gave an insight into a building of a truly monumental scale at Piramesse, producing many unexpected features and finds such as colourfully painted plaster, burnt mudbricks and a mortar pit preserving the imprints of feet from 3,200 years ago.

The lecture will present the recent results and present some preliminary interpretations regarding the dating and function of this building which must have had an important role in Ramesside Piramesse.

Travellers and Pilgrims

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 3/5 2018, kl. 17.30

Mødetid er kl. 17.20, døren låses!

Antikmuseet på Aarhus Universitet,
Victor Albecksvej, Århus C, bygning 414

Travellers and Pilgrims at the Time of the Ptolemies: Recent Investigations by the Oxford Expedition to Elkab, ved Luigi Prada, Visiting Associate Professor in Egyptology, University of Copenhagen & University of Oxford

The site of Elkab, in Upper Egypt, is renowned for the decorated tombs of its governors, dating to the New Kingdom, and for the colossal walls surrounding its ancient town, particularly the temple complex of the vulture-goddess Nekhbet.

Under field-director Vivian Davies, Oxford University’s expedition has recently extended its investigation of the site to the study of the reuse of its pharaonic monuments in the Late and Graeco-Roman Periods, at a time when pilgrims and travellers on the caravan routes of the Eastern Desert stopped-like today’s tourists-to visit the necropolis’ tombs and the temples of the nearby Wadi Hilal, leaving testimony of their visit in graffiti and inscriptions.

This lecture will offer an overview of the results of the work of the Oxford Expedition to Elkab, showing how a city that had seen the acme of its power in the New Kingdom was thriving with a second life a millennium later, at the time of the Ptolemies.

Scribal statues

Niv skriver

Mødedato: Onsdag d. 4/10 2017, kl. 19.00
Lokale: 23.0.49

Scribal statues, v. Ph.d. Niv Allon, Assistant Curator, Metropolitan Museum, New York

The history of scribal statues spans almost two millennia, from the fourth Dynasty into the Late Period.Their consistency in form seemingly indicates stability in meaning to the point of fossilization.

A fundamental change in the statues’ inscriptions already during the Middle Kingdom suggests otherwise. In this period, the inscription on the papyrus surface starts referring to the textual activity itself.

This paper will explore the social and cultural setting of this change and its implications regarding the notion of literacy, as well the agents who took part in it, especially the vizier Mentuhotep who throughout Egyptian history remained the most prolific patron of scribal statues.

 

 

From Egypt to the Lake District

Anna Garnett
Mødedato: Søndag d. 8/10, Kl. 15.00
Lokale: 22.0.11

From Egypt to the Lake District: Objects from John Garstang’s Excavations in Kendal Museum, v. Anna Garnett, Curator, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology

The north-west region is one of the richest in Britain for collections of ancient Egyptian material in public museums. Research into the history of the small Egyptology collection at Kendal Museum, located in the English Lake District, has revealed fascinating stories behind the objects and the characters associated with the collection. This presentation will provide an overview of the collection, focusing in particular on how objects from the excavations of John Garstang, Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Liverpool, made their way to Kendal.

Seminar om Mellemste Rige

Mødedato: Lørdag d. 11/11, 2017, kl. 11-16
Lokale: 22.0.11

Foredrag 1 kl. 11-12.15:
Who made the Middle Kingdom?, v. Stephen Quirke, Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology, UCL London

In one of the most remarkable art historical studies on any period of ancient Egypt, Hans Gerhard Evers labelled the Middle Kingdom as a Staat aus dem Stein (1929).

His title instantly conveys the impact of the imposing statues of kings and their court, and Evers showed an equal appreciation for other imagery and materials, such as the dramatic faience figures of roaring wild animals. His more inquisitive eye opens the door to a different Nile environment, in which the monumental landscape emerges out of the earth through specific sets of skills, deployed by a wider and more diverse range of people over time. Where, then, can we locate the motors of these skills in the society of their time?

Much of the figurative art we see in museums was destined for liminal spaces – temples within enclosures, and cemeteries in the low desert. Yet these zones may have attracted only special instances of production, marginal to the main arena of ancient life. If we search instead for skill, artistry, among people in villages and towns, a different source of creative power might emerge, on the riverbank itself. In the ancient Egyptian language, the word wekhret means both dockyard and artist workshop.

In this talk, I follow the lead from this clue to rethink our image of ancient Egyptian society and art, and our chances of recognising its generative powers.

Frokostpause kl. 12.15-13.00 (medbring selv mad og drikke)

Foredrag 2 kl. 13.00-14.15:
Stylish Statuary,
v. Daniel Soliman, Postdoc, ToRS, Københavns Universitet

Numerous pieces of Egyptian sculpture in museum collections do not bare any inscriptions and are unprovenanced. By examining the style and the iconography of the sculptures, they can often be dated or even assigned to a specific individual.

For example, the famous greywacke head in the Glyptotek is attributed to Amenemhat III, based on careful comparison to securely dated statues of that king. Indeed, examination of stylistic and iconographic details can help contextualize sculpture, as will be illustrated by statues representing kings of the late Middle Kingdom. However, the study of iconography is based solely on material that survives, and at times it can be misleading.

This becomes particularly clear when we examine the two colossal seated statues, Cairo JE 45975 and JE 45976, which date to the late Middle Kingdom but were reworked under Ramesses II. Despite a commonly accepted iconographic dating criterion, I will argue that they were originally made for king Senwosret III.

Pause kl. 14.15-14.45

PindsvinForedrag 3 kl. 14.45-16.00:
A world in miniature: moulding images in the Middle Kingdom Egypt (2050-1650 BC),
v. Gianluca Miniaci, Senior Researcher, University of Pisa

The imaginary world of ancient societies has been populated by a large number of images, which were often reproduced in small models and statuettes. A diagnostic category of objects for Middle Kingdom plastic arts is represented by small figurines made of faience.

Flodhest-ÆIN-1588These faience models -usually between 5 and 15 cm- portray a broad range of animals taken both from the wild fauna and from the domestic environment, as for example the famous roaring hippopotamus ÆIN 1588. They include also a limited range of human figures principally representing “dwarves” and female figures deprived of the lowest part of the legs, and composite animal-human creatures, such as Aha/Bes or Ipi/Taweret.

Faience figurines were often found together with other categories of objects, such as ivory tusks, cuboid rods and feeding cups, which have been interpreted as tools for the protection of mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth. A comparative approach with other Middle Kingdom images taken both from other sources of the material culture and visual representations will contribute to understand the reasons behind particular inclusion and seclusion of iconographic motives on the faience figurines.

Dayr al-Barsha and Dayr al-Bahri

Harco

Mødedato: Tirsdag d. 5/12 2017, Kl. 18 (før julefesten)
Lokale: 23.0.49

Dayr al-Barsha and Dayr al-Bahri. Two Ritual Landscapes in the time of Mentuhotep II, v. Prof. dr. Harco Willems, KU Leuven, Dayr al-Barsha Project

Archaeological research at Dayr al-Bahri in the past decade and a half has revealed that the famous nomarchal tombs at that site, dating to the Middle Kingdom, did not stand in isolation, but formed the apex of a processional landscape governing the placement of thousands of tombs along a cult axis highlighting the status of the local governors.

The date of origin of this cultic landscape seems to be historically significant, and links Dayr al-Barsha to royal initiatives creating similar landscapes in Abydos and particularly Thebes. These specific examples will be discussed within the wider context of evidence for the evolution of divine and funerary processions in the Old and Middle Kingdoms.

Efter foredraget er der julefest

 

Seminar om kroppen

Anne-Austin

Mødedato: Lørdag d. 4/3, 2017, kl. 11-16
Lokale: 23.0.49

Foredrag 1 kl. 11-12.15:
Embodying the Goddess: Tattooing and Worship in Deir el-Medina
Anne Austin, Ph.D., History Department, Stanford University

While tattooing is an increasingly popular topic, it is rarely discussed in the past owing to the infrequent identification of tattoos in human remains. This is particularly true in dynastic Egypt, where physical evidence of tattooing was limited to a set of three female Middle Kingdom mummies from Deir el-Bahri with geometric patterns placed on their arms and abdomens.

During the 2014-2015 mission of the Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale at Deir el-Medina, however, our team identified at least four individuals with tattoos including one woman with over two dozen separate, figural tattoos placed along her arms, neck, and shoulders.

This talk reviews the significance of this tattooed mummy from Deir el-Medina through a systematic analysis of the placement, orientation, order, and symbolism of her tattoos. These tattoos are compared with local cult objects and temple spaces in order to demonstrate that the use of cult images associated with Hathor links this woman with popular acts of worship at Deir el-Medina.

This mummy therefore not only offers a unique and significant contribution to our understanding of the practice of tattooing in ancient Egypt, but also the potential roles of women in religious worship in ancient Egypt.

LiseFrokostpause kl. 12.15-13.00 (medbring selv mad og drikke)

Foredrag 2 kl. 13.00-14.15:

Fosterbegravelser
Lise Manniche, mag. art., Ph.D.

I Ægypten er der mange eksempler på, at for tidligt fødte eller dødfødte børn har fået særlig opmærksomhed. De kendteste er de to små mumier fundet i Tutankhamons grav, men der er andre med mere beskeden herkomst og fra andre tidspunkter.

Lise har længe søgt en forklaring på dette fænomen og vil i foredraget fremlægge nogle resultater af sin forskning.

Jenny-tt65-mummy

A Coptic burial at TT65 (T. Bács, EA 17, 2000)

Pause kl. 14.15-14.45

Foredrag 3 kl. 14.45-16.00:

Coptic mummies and textiles in Western Thebes
Dr. Jennifer Cromwell, Post.Doc. ToRS, Københavns Universitet

The Theban mountain range was home to a large monastic population during the 7th and 8th centuries AD. From this period, we have a wealth of textual and archaeological information concerning the lives of the monks, including the preparations that they made for their burials.

In this respect, providing the appropriate funerary textiles was vital: new linen sheets and tapes with which to wrap the bodies. The Theban evidence reveals the different stages of the manufacturing process, from the textual record of flax growing, spinning, and weaving and supply of finished textiles, to the archaeological evidence of loom pits and even preserved wrapped mummies.

This presentation will examine the nature and range of the surviving evidence and discuss the importance of textile production to the monastic communities of Western Thebes.

 

The site management of Deir el-Medina

Cedric-Gobeil-DeM

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 27/4 2017, kl. 19
Lokale: 23.0.49

ved Dr Cédric Gobeil, Director of Egypt Exploration Society, Field Director of the French archaeological mission of Deir el-Medina

Cédric Gobeil will speak about the site management of Deir el-Medina as an example of joint multidisciplinary work including all the scientific fields that are needed at a multifaceted site such as Deir el-Medina. The lecture will be with many illustrations.

IFAO (på  fransk) om Deir el Medina:
http://www.ifao.egnet.net/archeologie/deir-el-medina/

 

Recent findings at Saqqara: the Leiden-Turin excavations at a New Kingdom cemetery

Lara-Weiss

Mødedato: Torsdag d. 18/5 2017, kl. 17.30

Mødetid er kl. 17.20, døren låses!

Antikmuseet på Aarhus Universitet,
Victor Albecksvej, Århus C, bygning 414

ved Dr. Lara Weiss, Curator collection Egypt, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden

Lara Weiss deltager i de hollandske udgravninger syd for Djosers Trinpyramide i Sakkara, hvor Horemhebs grav blev genfundet i 1975 fulgt af en række andre grave fra Ny Rige.

Der var tidligere tale om et samarbejde med Egypt Exploration Society, men i dag foregår udgravningerne sammen med Torino. De næste udgravninger er planlagt til at finde sted i foråret 2017, og Lara håber på at kunne fortælle om de nyeste opdagelser, når hun kommer til Danmark.

Læs mere om udgravningerne her: http://www.saqqara.nl