Saturday 12th September 2026
Subject: The Golden Boats: Sailing the Nile by Dahabiya
Speaker: Dr Chris Elliott
What better way to see the tombs and temples of Egypt than by leisurely cruising the Nile on a
dahabiya boat, with its great lateen sail. But did the reality live up to the romance, and what happened when steam arrived? Find out why, in the early days, you needed to sink your boat before boarding it, what happened when you reached the Cataracts, where a sheep came in, and why everything depended on the wind.
Talk is preceded by the AGM
Saturday 10 October 2026 VIA ZOOM
Subject: Ancient Egypt in 50 E.E.S. Discoveries
Speaker: Dr Campbell Price
The Egypt Exploration Society has contributed decisively to the kaleidoscopic image we have of
‘Ancient Egypt’. Drawing on museum objects, archival sources and oral histories, this lecture reviews some of the most significant findings from the EES’ first century and suggests how they came about and how they give an insight into Egypt’s rich cultural heritage.
Saturday 14 November 2026 VIA ZOOM
Subject: Tutankhamun’s Last Secret
Speaker: Dylan Bickerstaff
Although Tutankhamun’s name did not appear in any of the ancient King Lists-and Horemheb and Seti I had usurped his cartouches-he was far from unknown to early Egyptologists. Why then was his tomb not searched for with greater confidence? But the tomb is only half the story. What other monuments should we have been searching for? Where should we have been looking? Has Tut’s missing monument been found? Many fascinating clues. Many fascinating images.
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Saturday 12th December 2026
Subject: Amenhotep-son-of-Hapu - Official - Architect - Demigod’
Speaker: Professor Aidan Dodson
Amenhotep-son-of-Hapu was one of the most remarkable figures in Egyptian history. In life, was an official of Amenhotep III, of exceptional prominence, but apparently modest origins. Holding a vast array of titles, he was responsible for the management of the king’s principal works and was honoured with numerous statues and a unique mortuary temple in royal style. Then, a millennium after his death, we find him elevated to divine status, in conjunction with an even more ancient royal builder, Imhotep of the Third Dynasty. As such, he appears in temples around Thebes, even being honoured by a colossal statue at Karnak.
© Jerzy Strzelecki - Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3252260
Saturday 9th January 2027
Members' Annual Lunch – Details to be confirmed nearer the date
Saturday 13th February 2027
Subject: Life of a Temple: The Memnonion and Ramesseum in Abydos
Speaker: Dr Hana Navrátilová
When Ramesside temples in Abydos were built, they were newcomers in an already ancient sacred landscape, closely linked with the veneration of Osiris. During their first 1000 years of existence, the temples were maintained by local staff, welcomed distinguished, (and difficult) visitors, and became a focus for pilgrims and tourists. Their visitors left graffiti in many languages and scripts. We will visit these temples and meet the scribes who organised their building, priests who ran their rituals, and we will walk in the footsteps of the visitors who came from Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean.
Saturday 13th March 2027
Subject: The Imiwt - Investigating Its’ Role and Function
Speaker: Ali Ball
From the pre-dynastic period through to Greco Roman times the’ imiwt’ is ever present in ancient
Egypt, yet very little attention has been given to this strange and curious ritual object. In this talk we will look at clues to try and explore the meaning and function of these peculiar upside-down beheaded creatures attached to sticks. Our journey will take us from Heb Sed festivals, to the mysteries of Osiris and into the skies for an eternal life amongst the gods! We will examine the evidence and become ‘imiwt’ detectives!
Saturday 10th April 2027
Subject: From the T’wy to the Tawe: Welsh Egyptological Collections
Speaker: Dr Ken Griffin
This lecture explores the enduring connection between the ‘tꜣwy’ (Egypt’s ‘Two Lands’) and Wales, tracing the influence of Welsh scholars from Sir John Gardner Wilkinson to J. Gwyn Griffiths. While Swansea’s Egypt Centre remains a primary hub, the Welsh contribution is surprisingly widespread, with over 20 diverse collections across the nation housing ancient Egyptian artefacts. This talk will present an overview of these collections, highlighting how the distribution of objects across Wales reflects a deep-seated national fascination with the Nile.
Saturday 08 May 2027 VIA ZOOM
Subject: Nile Travel and Professionalising Egyptology in America, 1870-1930
Speaker: Dr Kathleen Sheppard
Dahabiyas and steamers are well known in the history of leisure travel on the Nile in the 19th and early 20th century. They are also associated with the travel of Egyptologists. We will discuss the work of two American Egyptologists, Charles Wilbour and James Breasted, their travel on the Nile, and their impact on Egyptology in the US. One might argue that Charles Wilbour was not an Egyptologist, and I will talk about his boat, the ‘Seven Hathors’, and his circle of influential Egyptology friends. James Breasted was America’s first university- trained Egyptologist, and by 1907 he was so convinced of the utility of dahabiyas that he had proposed a grant for a custom-built steamer that he called a “floating headquarters and working laboratory.”
Saturday 12th June 2027
Subject: ‘Everywhere the glint of gold’: Tutankhamun’s Treasures at the Grand Egyptian Museum
Speaker: Lucia Gahlin
Now opened in its’ entirety, the long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum has the largest ever display of treasures found in Tutankhamun’s’ tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Over 5000 objects, many displayed for the very first time. ‘Everywhere the glint of gold!’ were the words uttered by archaeologist Howard Carter when he peered into the dark sepulchre soon after its’ discovery in 1922.This lecture will be a feast for the eyes as Lucia takes us into these beautifully lit new galleries and tells about many of the wonderful objects discovered.
NB: The meetings will be held at our venue at: St James Church, St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JS or via Zoom where indicated
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.