Old Kingdom Burial Practices: New Discoveries from Middle Egypt
Date and Time
Location
Free Public Lecture
Marleen De Meyer, Research Associate in Near Eastern Studies, KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium; Assistant Director for Archaeology & Egyptology, Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, Leiden University
Throughout their history, the ancient Egyptians performed funerary rituals in the forecourts of tombs. While this is apparent from tomb wall scenes and inscriptions, archaeological evidence is scarce. A recent Belgian expedition has searched for traces of these funerary, or cultic, rituals in the forecourts of late Old Kingdom rock-cut tombs at Dayr al-Barsha (Middle Egypt). Marleen De Meyer will discuss expedition findings, including what appears to be the oldest embalming cache ever identified in ancient Egypt and a late Old Kingdom funerary mask that is the first of its kind to come from the provinces. These recent provincial cemetery excavations challenge current notions about funerary practices toward the end of the Egyptian Old Kingdom, or Pyramid Age. Free parking is available at the 52 Oxford Street Garage.