AEMES

Weekend Conference 2006
Programme

Friday 21 April:

17.00 – 18.00 Registration
18.30 Dinner
19.40 Chairman’s welcome.
19.45 Paul Nicholson: “The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara - A Review” (Baker Memorial Lecture)

Saturday 22 April:

Egypt Exploration Society Study Day

8.30 Breakfast
9.30 Chris Naunton: “What is the Egypt Exploration Society For?”
10.45 Tea/Coffee
11.15 Angus Graham: “The Emerging Island of Karnak: from small beginnings to national religious & economic centre”
12.45 Lunch
14.00 Pamela Rose: “Recent Work at Qasr Ibrim: Napatan remains & the implications of their dating”
15.30 Tea/Coffee
16.00 Andrew Bednarski: “A City of Plenty: the work of the EES at Tell el Amarna, past & present”
18.15 Dinner
19.30 Antony Lee: The Collection (Lincoln)

Sunday 23 April:

8.30 Breakfast
9.30 Annual General Meeting
10.45 Tea/Coffee
11.15 Michael Hoadley: “Solomon’s Temple and the Hidden God”
12.45 Lunch
14.00 Colin Humphreys: “When was the Exodus & Where is the True Mount Sinai?”
15.30 Tea/Coffee
16.00 Close

[Open to non-members]

• The Conference Weekend is to be held at Horncastle College, Mareham Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6BW. Telephone 01507 522449. It is situated at the south side of the town and is clearly sign-posted.

• The College is set in pleasant surroundings and offers accommodation in either single or twin-bedded rooms, which are equipped with hand-basins and tea/coffee-making facilities. Soap and hand-towels are provided.

• There is a fully licensed bar in the main building and TV facilities in the house lounges.

• Disabled participants should note that whereas adaptations to the teaching and dining areas have taken place, specially adapted residential accommodation is not provided. Please contact the AEMES Secretary or the College to discuss your requirements before booking.

The speakers and their subjects, in programme order are as follows:

“The Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara, A Review”
The Baker Memorial Lecture
Dr Paul Nicholson

This paper will look at the work of the E.E.S. from the time of Professor Emery to the present day, with particular emphasis on Emery’s last season at Saqqara, during which the North Ibis Catacomb was discovered. The recent work will concentrate on the examination of the North Ibis Catacomb and on the conservation and recording of a cache of bronzes unearthed outside the Falcon Catacomb.

Paul Nicholson is Senior Lecturer and Head of Archaeology at Cardiff University. He has worked for many years at the sites of Tell el Amarna and Memphis, and at the Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara, Hatnub and Berenike on the Red Sea coast. He has written several books and contributed to various other volumes, with particular emphasis on faience and glass making. Paul is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an E.E.S. Committee member and the President of AEMES.

“What is the Egypt Exploration Society For?”

Chris Naunton

The EES has conducted fieldwork in Egypt since 1882. The resultant publications are of the highest standard, and many, even those which were published more than a century ago, have never been superseded. These remain invaluable for research into sites such as Tanis and Tell el-Amarna, and monuments such as the temples of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri and Sety I at Abydos, or the now destroyed fortress at Buhen. Times have changed since 1882 of course, especially in terms of the political situation in Egypt, the advances made by Egyptology – now a multi-disciplinary science rather than a treasure hunt – and the financial situation and problems of attracting funding for archaeological research. In other ways though, things have changed less. This talk will give members of AEMES and guests an idea of the history of the EES, and show how guiding principles and outside restrictions have affected the work that has been undertaken, concluding with an overview of the current situation showing why the EES and other organisations like it are still fundamentally important for Egyptology, but also why their value cannot be taken for granted.

Chris Naunton joined the staff of the Egypt Exploration Society in January 2001, working initially as the Society’s librarian and now also as its archivist. He is responsible for the EES website and the reviews section of the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, is a member of the editorial board of Egyptian Archaeology. He has recently republished a number of colour fascimiles from the archives, and oversaw the reprinting of the Rock Tombs of el Amarna series. Chris studied Ancient History and Archaeology (BA Hons Class 1), and Egyptology (Mphil) with Dr Anthony Leahy at the University of Birmingham, and is now a PhD student at the University of Swansea. His research then, as now, focussed on the priests and officials of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty. He has worked in the field at Abydos and is currently a member of the Italian mission to the tombs of Harwa (Theban Tomb 37, 25th Dynasty) and Pabasa (Theban Tomb 279, 26th Dynasty)

“The Emerging Island of Karnak: from small beginnings to national religious & economic centre”

Angus Graham

Numerous hypotheses have been put forward as to the relationship between the temple complex at Karnak and the Nile and canals. These include the notion that Karnak was an island, the suggestion that the temples of Montu at North Karnak and Medamud were linked by a canal, and the idea that the river shifted westwards enabling the temple to extend westwards from its earliest origins. Three seasons of coring have been undertaken around Karnak to test these various hypotheses, and the study of the sediments and artefacts together with the use of maps, aerial photography, past and present excavation data at the site and a clear understanding of the development of the complex, have enabled us to begin to interpret the evolving land and waterscapes around the site.

Angus Graham is currently completing his PhD investigating harbours and quays in Pharaonic Egypt at the Institute of Archaeology , University College London under the supervision of Dr David Jeffreys, Director of the EES Survey of Memphis. He is a visiting lecturer in Egyptian archaeology at the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Lifelong Learning in Newcastle. Angus has worked on a number of projects including the survey of Memphis and the EES/University of Durham project at Sais. He currently co-directs a project investigating the past land and waterscapes in and around the temple complex at Karnak, supported by the EES Centenary Award, which is the subject of his presentation today.

“Recent Work at Qasr Ibrim: Napatan remains & the implications of their dating”

Dr Pamela Rose

(Further details of this lecture will be available at the event)

Pamela Rose earned her PhD through the University of Cambridge. She is the EES Field Director at Qasr Ibrim and assists with the on-going excavations at Tell el-Amarna.

 

“A City of Plenty: the work of the EES at Tell el-Amarna, past & present”

Dr Andrew Bednarski

The ancient site of Amarna has inspired imaginations for more than a hundred years. This short-lived city was home to people who deeply affected ancient Egyptian society and whose lives have been reconstructed in a shroud of romance and intrigue. The city was, after all, home to the enigmatic King Akhenaten, his Queen Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun. Yet under the romance and speculation associated with these historical figures lies the extensive archaeological investigations carried out at the former capital. The EES has contributed greatly to this data, working at the site from 1921-36, and from 1977 to the present day. This lecture will highlight the history of the Society’s work at the site, culminating in recent developments and discoveries.

Andrew Bednarski earned his PhD through the University of Cambridge and is a specialist in the history of nineteenth-century British Egyptology. He has also excavated at Hierakonpolis, Abydos, Tell el-Amarna and Dakhla, is the Membership and Outreach Secretary for the EES, and lectures for Cambridge’s Institute of Continuing Education.

“Solomon, The Temple & the Hidden God”

Michael Hoadley

The Hebrew religion of Solomon’s day was probably not the strictly monotheistic practice of Judaism. What we know of the temple provides clues to that earlier religion and encoded beliefs that were later outlawed. What was the nature of the early Hebrew god and did he evolve from a broader religious pantheon? How accurate is the biblical account of Solomon, his temple and his religion?

Michael Hoadley took his Honours degree in Archaeology at University College, London. He has lectured in Archaeology, Anthropology and Egyptology, had 10 years as a field archaeologist and site supervisor in Britain and was an Executive Officer with the Institute of Archaeology. Michael has worked for the BBC and the V & A Museum and published several books. His main areas of expertise are Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, Egyptian religion, Paganism and Shomanic Practice. He is Chairman of T.A.W.S. (The Ancient World Society) and has been a member of AEMES for several years.

 

“When was the Exodus and Where is the True Mount Sinai”?

Professor Colin Humphreys

The date of the Exodus has long been debated and there are two main schools of thought. We will briefly look at the evidence and come to a conclusion. The true site of Mount Sinai has similarly been debated and about 15 different mountains have been suggested. I will give some exciting new evidence which if accepted, enables the site of Mount Sinai to be uniquely determined. This new site agrees with the biblical description in detail. The talk will be illustrated with some striking photographs.

Colin Humphreys is the Goldsmiths’ Professor of Materials Science, Cambridge University, Professor of Experimental Physics at the Royal Institution in London and a Fellow of Selwyn College Cambridge. He became the President of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining at the beginning of 2002 and now chairs its Managing Board. Colin graduated in Physics from Imperial College and some of his research interests include all aspects of electron microscopy and analysis. His hobby is reconstructing what happened in ancient historical events using modern-day science. His book The Miracles of the Exodus was first published in 2003. He was awarded the CBE in the New Years Honours for 2003.