Egypt: Archaeology in Ritual Space
Beverly and Raymond Sackler
Art and Archaeology Lectures Symposium, 2005
Friday, April 1st, 2005
University of Connecticut

Throughout the great Egyptian dynasties, rulers used religion to define the State and enhance royal power. From the practice of human sacrifice at Abydos under Egypt's first Pharaoh (ca. 2950 B.C.), to the "seat of eternity," designed by Senwosret III to link himself in death with Osiris (1878 - 1841 BC), to New Kingdom Thebes (1567 to 1085 B.C.), Pharaonic Egypt's sacred spaces reveal telling histories of the social structures and belief systems of early Egyptian civilization.  The 4th annual Beverly and Raymond Sackler Art and Archaeology Symposium will provide fascinating new archaeological insights into multiple facets of religious and social life in ancient Egypt.

This symposium will present critical new material concerning the function of religion in determining  the extent and influence of royal power in ancient Egypt. World-renown Egyptologists will present new data on the architectural and cultural development of funerary complexes, urban spaces and royal residences. Such data provide key information on such issues as the succession and transference of kingly power, and to what extent this was based on religion. The data also allow further interpretation of royal power over religious ritual and clerical hierarchies, as well as over the lives of everyday citizens. This raises complex questions concerning how - and to what extent -- we may write the political history of early Egypt out of the archaeological record, and how such investigations can help us better comprehend our own era.

Schedule for Friday, April 1st, 2005

Dr. David G. Woods, Dean of the School of Fine Arts, University of Connecticut
2 p.m.: Introduction

Dr. Josef Wegner, University of Pennsylvania
2:15 p.m.
"The Royal Necropolis of Anubis-Mountain: New Evidence for the Funerary Ceremonies of Pharaoh Senwosret III at Abydos."

Dr. Daniel Polz, German Archaeological Institute, Cairo
3:00 p.m.
"Before the Valley of the Kings: The royal and private necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga at Thebes"

Dr. David O'Connor, New York University
4:00 p.m.
"Sacred Space at Abydos: The Beginning and the End."

Dr. Betsy Bryan, Johns Hopkins University
4:45 p.m.
"Sex, Drugs, and  Rock and Roll: Temple Ritual 'on the Distaff Side'"

The Beverly and Raymond Sackler Art and Archaeology Lectures Symposium is open to the University community and the greater public.

Admission is free and a reception follows.

The symposium will be held at the Thomas. J. Dodd Research Center, 405 Babbidge Road, on the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut.

The Beverly and Raymond Sackler Art and Archaeology Lectures
The Beverly and Raymond Sackler Art and Archaeology Lectures, now in their fourth year, provide a unique opportunity to explore critical issues in the fields of Archaeology and Art History on the University of Connecticut campus at Storrs. This annual symposium fosters an exchange of ideas between scholars, faculty, and students across the University of Connecticut campus, and throughout the New England area. Dr. Raymond Sackler and his wife Beverly have generously provided funding to make this event possible.

For more information and directions, please explore this website, or contact Professor Robin Greeley at robin.greeley@uconn.edu.

Beverly and Raymond Sackler
Art and Archaeology Lectures
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2003: Mesopotamia under fire
2004: Writing Civilization
2005: Egypt
2006: Ancient Near East
2007: The Aztec Empire