Saturday 21st September 2024
Subject: Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age
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Speaker: Dr Kathleen Sheppard
The history of Egyptology is often told as yet another grand narrative of powerful men vying for the day and the precious artefacts for their competing homelands. But this is only half the story. During the so-called 'Golden Age' of Egyptology, women were working and exploring long before Howard Carter discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. Women worked in Egypt, laying the foundations for all future exploration. In her book, Kathleen Sheppard tells the exciting stories of the earliest Western women Egyptologists.
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N.B: This EST lecture will be held in conjunction with The Taunton Literary Festival and will be a ticket only event and will be held at St James Church. Tickets for members and friends from Louise Clatworthy on:
Email: louiseclatworthy@btinternet.com
Telephone: 01460 78649
Saturday 12th October 2024
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Subject: Burials of Queens & Princesses in Ancient Egypt
Speaker: Dr Wolfram Grajetzki
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The tombs of ancient Egyptian kings are well known, but the tombs of the women around the king are not often the focus of attention. Queen Nefertari's tomb is famous, but what about other queens? This presentation will look at the burials of queens and princesses. It will show some of the most amazing examples of ancient Egyptian jewellery, but will also look at the burial equipment in general and show how the burials of queens are positioned between the tombs of private individuals and kings.
To be preceded by the AGM
Saturday 23th November 2024
Subject: The Lost Haunts of Sobek: The Crocodile God
Speaker: Dylan Bickerstaff
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Sobek, the crocodile god, was just one of the fearsome 'evil' deities of ancient Egypt.
A few of his temples are known, but many more shrines and sanctuaries are much less well known. We will track down surprisingly extensive cult centres and follow the clues found there to more fascinating stories and curious connections.
Saturday 14th December 2024
Subject: Isis goes abroad: Temples of the Goddess Outside Egypt
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Speaker: Dr Robert Morkot
Isis is one of the best-known Egyptian deities, appearing in tombs and temples, as statues and amulets. The temples at Philae - 'The Pearl of the Nile' - are one of the great attractions of a visit to Aswan. By the late period, Isis had merged with Hathor to become one of the dominant deities, surpassing even Osiris in popularity and importance. Her cult spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean and, by the time of the Roman Empire, across North Africa to Italy and western Europe. This talk will look at some of the temples dedicated to the goddess outside Egypt and the 'mystery' cult associated with her.
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Saturday 11th January 2025
Members' Annual Lunch – Details to be confirmed nearer the date
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© Paul Nicholson
Saturday 8th February 2025
Subject: Work at the Catacombs of Anubis at North Saqqara
Speaker: Prof Paul Nicholson
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The Catacombs of Anubis, also known as the 'Dog Catacombs', have been known since the 19th century, but have not been systematically studied until 2009, when a team from Cardiff University began to re-plan and study their development and contents. The results provide a surprising insight into the popularity of the cult and raise interesting questions about the procurement of votive sacred animals and the subsequent use of the catacomb, which seems to explain its current state.
​Saturday 8th March 2025
Subject: The Funerary Monuments of Hatshepsut & Senenmut
Speaker: Prof Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)
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The monuments erected to ensure the posthumous well-being of Hatshepsut and Senenmut are of considerable interest. Those of the female pharaoh are the earliest well-preserved examples of a New Kingdom royal funerary complex and can be seen both as a starting point for later developments and as incorporating some glimpses of earlier practice. The monuments of Senenmut, on the other hand, have many unique features, including the first known astronomical ceiling, almost two centuries before such a feature appeared in a royal tomb. They also included a sarcophagus which was almost an exact twin of that of Hatshepsut - perhaps an indication of the true nature of the much debated relationship between the two individuals.
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Saturday 12th April 2025
Subject: The Archaeology of Alexandria, including the tombs of Alexander and Cleopatra
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Speaker: Dr Chris Naunton
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Alexandria was one of the great cities of the ancient world. Although Alexander the Great died before the harbour he founded could be built, his body was buried there and it became the capital of the dynasty founded by his general Ptolemy (I), which ended with the death of the famous Cleopatra. Her tomb was also in Alexandria (probably!). Over the centuries, Alexandria has been the scene of many important events in ancient history. Many of its great monuments, including the Lighthouse, one of the ancient wonders of the world, and the tombs of Alexander and Cleopatra, seem to have been lost, but traces have survived into modern times. Much of what remains is now hidden beneath the modern city - Egypt's second largest - and much more is hidden beneath the waters of the Mediterranean.
Saturday 17th May 2025
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Subject: Memphite Artists in the New Kingdom
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Speaker: Dr Hana Navrátilová
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New Kingdom artists are mostly identified with the exceptional community of Deir el-Medina in Western Thebes: these royal craftsmen and painters are a larger-than-life epitome of an Egyptian artisan or artist. Yet, architecture and works of art were produced across Egypt and were commissioned by the Egyptian elite beyond the circles of the royal family. The necropolis at Memphis was used both by members of the royal family and the Egyptian elite. This necropolis also required a highly skilled workforce, whilst their traces are more elusive than in Thebes: fewer ostraca, graffiti or papyri have survived to tell their story. Nonetheless, it is an equally fascinating story, not least because the Memphite necropolis also embodies the ultimate meeting point of the old and new: with mastabas and pyramids shoulder to shoulder with New Kingdom tombs and temples.​
Saturday 14th June 2025
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Subject: Ancient Egyptian Artistry in Glass
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Speaker: Lucia Gahlin
The ancient Egyptians began making glass in the 18th dynasty after the technique was introduced from Syria - a result of the military campaigns of the great warrior Pharaoh Thutmose III in that part of the ancient world. The Egyptians soon became skilled at producing a wide range of objects in coloured glass, including vessels, inlays, beads, amulets, figurines and even headdresses. In this highly illustrated talk, Lucia will explore the development of glass making in Egypt from the New Kingdom to the Roman period.
NB: All meetings will be held at our new venue at: St James Church, St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JS
Due to copyright and to protect the intellectual property rights of the presenter and privacy of attendees, the Society is unable to record and publish the presentations, or to allow others to do so. To remain within The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as updated on 1 February 2021. Please do not record, photograph or screenshot any part of the presentations.