PROGRAMME 2015/2016
Saturday 12th September 2015
Subject: "The Age of the Pyramid. Part 1"
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Speaker: Janet Diamond
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Preceded by the AGM
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Janet commenced her talk c. 5,000 BCE with the stone circles & megaliths of Nabta Playa, explaining basic pit burials, stone-lined and rock cut tombs, and moved on to the mastaba burials, ending at the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara. Janet then gave us a detailed account of the pyramind itself with its associated structures, and finally, its interior. We look forward to hearing Part 2.
Saturday 17th October 2015
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Subject: "An Introduction to Egyptian Astronomy"
Speaker: Dr. Bernadette Brady
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Armed with a 14 page print-out, we got down to trying to understand the ancient star signs and how the hours were calculated by observing the stars rising through the night. Why would a mummy need to tell the time, the "clock" being detailed on its sarcophagus lid? Dr Brady spoke of Decans & Helical Risings, Unwearing Stars and much more, and went on to explain the meanings of the astronomical ceilings in the tombs of Senenmut and Seti I, and the temple at Dendera. We were pleased to welcome members from the Taunton Astronomical Society.
Saturday 14th November 2015
Subject: "Obelisks in the Eternal City"
Speaker: Dr. Luigi Prada
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Luigi took us on a tour of the obelisks in Rome, told us about their origins, how they were acquired and transported and about their placements around Rome etc. There are 13 obelisks in Rome, and they have now been in this city much longer than in Egypt! Egyptian priests from the temples of Isis, who could read hieroglyphs, would have guided the masons who carved those later commissioned by the Romans, hence some of the strange, but still decipherable, glyphs. All of the obelisks in Rome had fallen and broke at some time before restoration, with the exception of the Vatican obelisk. We saw other obelisks around the world, closing with the "modern" obelisks in Rome in the Villas Medici, Bourgeoisie and Torlonia in the 18th C, and the Carrera marble ones in the Foro Italico (Mussolini) in 1932, and the Marconi in 1937, which was only erected in 1959 for the Olympic Games.
Saturday 12th December 2015
Subject: "Thomas Legh & the rediscovery of the Temples of Nubia"
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Speaker: Dr. Robert Morkot University of Exeter
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In 1774 James Bruce travelled “to discover the Source of the Nile” and could claim on his return to have “discovered” Meroe! In 1799 Napoleon's Savants travelled as far as Aswan. After serving at Waterloo, Thomas Legh of Lyme Park, Cheshire, set out on the “Grand Tour”. Burckhardt, who walked south as far as Dongola & back, recorded meeting Legh & his companions at Kasr Ibrim in 1813. Legh published “A Narrative of a journey in Egypt & the Country Beyond the Cataracts” in 1816. The period after Waterloo, saw a lot of ex-Military travellers visiting, the recently opened Temple at Abu Simbel being “the place to go!”. There is a portrait of Thomas Legh in Arab dress with his “servant”, now thought to be James Curtin, he was in Egypt with the Belzoni's who called him “my servant” or the “Irish Lad”. Curtin broke his leg demonstrating a water wheel, & when Legh met the Belzoni's in Jerusalem 1818, Sarah “passed him on” to Legh. He accompanied Legh, Captains Mangles & Irby & William Bankes, to Petra & then back to London. Curtin learnt 5 languages during his travels with Belzoni, Legh gave him excellent references enabling him to return to Egypt as a guide.
Followed by the Christmas Party
Saturday 11th February 2016
Subject: "The Lure of the East"
Speaker: Lee Young
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Lee divided her talk into “Gentlemen travellers/diarists”, Scholars & artists known as “Orientalists”. Travellers noted monuments & everyday life. Scholars were serious recorders of the monuments & even tho' they had no idea of the meaning of the glyphs they copied them well enough to be read today. A lot of temples & tombs they visited are now damaged or “lost” and theirs are the only records we have. Hoskins & others made “squeezes” which damaged the surfaces. A Facsimile should be an exact copy! Belzoni was not overcareful with his copying – his “Seti tomb” not being a very good copy! Bankes skilfully copied texts also not knowing their meaning. We saw paintings by Ricci, Linant, Bankes, Wilkinson, D'Athenasi (Yanni), Robert Hay & many others. A Camera Lucida was sometimes used. Early photography was not good enough. A huge change of accuracy came with Howard Carter. Norman & Nina de Garis Davies were the forerunners of today's techniques of copying. Nina experimented with ancient pigments & mediums. Now too time-consuming, we have turned to colour photography.
Saturday 12th March 2016
Subject: "The Third Intermediate Period"
Speaker: Dr. Aidan Dodson
University of Bristol.
Chairman of the EES
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Aidan's talk covered the confusing period between the end of the New Kingdom and the Saite Renaissance. High-priests became dominant in Upper Egypt, ruling from Thebes & were depicted on the walls of Karnak as Kings, & the appearance of God's Wives of Amun, while in the North at Tanis, various Princes & Generals, amongst them Shoshonk, Takelot & Osorkon, vied for rulership. After possible Civil War between the two kingdoms, c.790 BCE. relative peace came under Osorkon lll who ruled for 10 years. Towards the end of the period Egypt was again falling apart. Nubians from the South advanced eventually ruling from Thebes, notably Kashka, Piye & Taharqa, before being driven back to Nubia. 663 BCE. marked the end of the period & c. 655 BCE saw reunification of North & South under Psamtik I.
Please note - the lecture takes place at DAS Exeter
Saturday 9th April 2016
Subject: "Ancient Egypt in Historical Literature"
Speaker: John J. Johnson
Vice chairman EES
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John took us through a long list of authors starting c. 1827 when Jane Webb wrote of Khufu being revived in his pyramid by a galvanic battery! Other writers then had Egypt in their stories such as “The Last Days of Pompeii” and others with Rome connections, but none actually set in Egypt. Egyptians were thought corrupt! Edgar Allen Poe wrote but made no reference to ancient Egypt, neither did Conan Doyle, H. Rider Haggard 1887 with “She”, started to include more mention of the ancient civilisation. 1891 Wallis-Budge unwrapped the last mummy in UCL London, this was publicised world wide. This was followed by Rider-Haggard's “Cleopatra” & Bram Stokers “Jewel of the 7 Stars” & a rash of “Mummy” literature, the Victorians liking the illustrations of goddesses in their diaphanous robes! Then on to Agatha Christie with her EES connections & good knowledge of the past. This then led us back to John's previous talk on ancient Egypt in films.
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Saturday 14th May 2016
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Subject: "Adorned by Egypt - Egypt in Arts and Crafts"
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Speaker: Chris Elliott
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Chris began with Egyptian themes in Roman mosaics & frescos. The Renaissance saw imports of small antiquities, 1650/80 the Collegium Romana being the first “museum”. Piranesi decorated the English Coffee House near the Spanish Steps in Rome in Egyptian style, and Pattern Books emerged of Egyptian & Assyrian styled Chimney breasts, doorways etc. for grand houses. Antinous statues were particularly fashionable. There was a grand Egyptian Room in Duchess Street, London, and Interior Design books appeared! The architect Sir John Soane's house was full of antiquities, including the Seti I sarcophagus, & he held Open Evenings. Sevres were commissioned to make an Egyptian Service, one set for Tsar Alexander l, the other for the Empress Josephine, which passed to Louis XVIII and is now in the Wellington collection in Apsley House, London.Victorian paintings depicted scenes from Egyptian history. Mantelpiece garniture & furniture was Egyptianized, likewise Liberty fabrics, carpets & Wedgwood ceramics. We then saw enamelled souvenir spoons & jewellery from the collection of Jasmine Day (do look her up if you missed the talk). 1922 & Tut saw mass-production of all sorts, good & bad, available to all. Chris ended his presentation with a Bradford Exchange advert for an Egyptian-themed “Cuckoo” clock !