winter 2006 page 1 the oriental institute news &...

WINTER 2006 PAGE 1

Bull Neg 25.5% NEWS & NONEWS & NONEWS & NOTESTEST H E O R I E N T A L I N S T I T U T E

NO. 188 WINTER 2006 ©THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

It is with great pleasure that weannounce the opening on February 25,2006, of the Robert F. Picken FamilyNubian Gallery and the Marshall andDoris Holleb Family Special Exhibits

DISCOVER ANCIENT NUBIA

Nubian pyramids of the Meroitic period (ca. 100 BC–AD 150) at Gebel Barkal. Photograph taken by the University of Chicago Expedition to Egypt and Sudan, 1906

Gallery. These galleries are milestones inmany ways — the first permanent Nubiangallery in the Oriental Institute, the firstgallery dedicated to rotating specialexhibits, and the final galleries to reopenafter the complete reinstallation of themuseum that began on April 1, 1996.

They also present uniqueopportunities. The Holleb Family SpecialExhibits Gallery gives the museum achance to broaden the range of exhibits inthe museum — whether of newdiscoveries and current research, thematicdis-plays drawn from across themuseum’s collections, objects borrowedfrom other countries and insti-tutions, ortopics of broad interest not covered in themuseum’s focus on the ancient history ofthe Middle East. We are already planninga number of special exhibits for thisgallery including evocative photographstaken by Harry Burton during thediscovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb,beautiful traditional clothing of Palestine,and early European maps of the OttomanEmpire.

IN THIS ISSUEAncient Nubia 2

From the Director’s Study 3

Lost Nubia Photography Exhibit 6

Calendar of Events (Detachable) 11

Registration Form (Detachable) 13

Sunday Films 13

Gallery Opening Events 14

Members’ Events 15

Winter Adult Education Courses 16

Women's History Month 18

Oriental Institute News 19

Travel Program 19

Abydos Archaeological Report 20

Suq Corner Back Cover

The Last Egyptian Queen’s Pyramid: New Discoveries at Abydos, Egypt • Page 20

Meroitic jar depicting cobras. OIM 25390

The installation of the Picken FamilyNubian Gallery is above all an occasionto display one of the few collections ofNubian antiquities in the United Statesand to educate our public about thehistory of this relatively little-knowncivilization.

Geoff Emberling, Museum Director

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NEWS & NOTES

Ancient NubiaGEOFF EMBERLING, MUSEUM DIRECTOR

As the Nile River descends from thehighlands of Ethiopia, it emerges intonarrow fertile plains and rocky outcropsthat were known in antiquity as Nubia,an area rich in gold deposits. Located inmodern southern Egypt and northernSudan, by 3100 BC Nubia was home tothe earliest complex societies in Africaoutside Egypt.

Nubia was also a region of greatcultural diversity. The variety of likelynative terms for the region includesWawat, Irtjet, Setju, Yam, and Kush, andarchaeological finds are divided intostylistic groups including A-Group, C-Group, Pan-Grave, Pre-Kerma, Kerma,and the later X-Group. Unraveling therelationships among all these groups iscomplicated by the absence of indigenoustraditions of writing — the earliestNubian texts are written in the Meroiticlanguage in the second century BC, andeven this language remains unknown. Yetcultural traditions — in burial, in formsof material culture — unite these culturesinto a common civilization.

Nubia has been a focus of researchfor the University of Chicago sincebefore the founding of the OrientalInstitute. James Henry Breasted’s trips toEgypt and Sudan in 1905–1907 todocument the historical records of Nubiaare featured in the inaugural specialexhibit in the Holleb Family Gallery(February to May 2006) and described inthe accompanying article, written by

John Larson, Museum Archivist andcurator of the exhibit. From 1960 to1964, the Institute conducted excavationsat sites in the Aswan Dam salvageproject. The excavations have beenextensively published in the seriesOriental Institute Nubian Expedition(OINE), of which eight volumes havebeen written by Bruce Williams, guestcurator of our exhibit. Over 15,000artifacts found by Institute projects in theAswan Dam salvage project, as well asobjects relating to Nubia but excavated atEgyptian sites including Medinet Habu(Thebes) and Abydos, are the basis forthis exhibit.

The Picken Family Nubian Gallerytraces the history of Nubia from the firstchiefdoms or states of the fourthmillennium BC through the fall ofChristian kingdoms in the sixteenthcentury AD.

Early Nubia

The earliest period on display, the A-Group, is among the strongest areas ofthe Oriental Institute’s collection and hasalso generated considerable controversyin recent years. This portion of thegallery contains objects from two tombsexcavated at Qustul, one of a ruler andone of a high official. The ruler’s tomb isnotable for the famous Qustul IncenseBurner, a cylinder with a depression at

the top that would likely have heldburning incense. Around the sides of thecylinder are carved scenes interpreted asroyal ritual: three boats carry a ruler andbound prisoners toward a palace façade.Although incense burners of this formare distinctively Nubian, the designs aresimilar to objects associated with earlyEgyptian rulers. The controversy hasrevolved around the significance of thisobject (and others that pose similarinterpretive issues): were the Nubiansequal participants in the developing

Oriental Institute boat "Fostat" on the Nile. Aswan Dam salvage project, February 1963

A-Group beads

The Qustul Incense Burner. OIM 24069

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Did you know that...

More pyramids were built in Nubia

than in Egypt

Nubians were renowned archers

Kings of Nubia ruled Egypt for

about a century

Nubian queens were powerful in

their own right

Modern people speaking Nubianlanguages still live in the southern

Nile Valley

The Oriental Institute holds one ofthree major collections from

ancient Nubia in the United States*

*The others are the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and theUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum of Anthropology and

Archaeology

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S STUDY By Gil J. Stein

symbolic language and practices ofkingship in the Nile Valley, or did theysimply adopt symbols from Egypt?Questions raised by this important objecthave yet to be resolved. The A-Group isalso represented in the gallery by itsdistinctive and beautiful handmadeceramics and jewelry of carnelian andshell.

Much of the power and wealth of theA-Group came from trade. With accessto gold from the eastern desert, carnelianfrom the western desert, and exoticproducts like incense, ivory, and ebonyfrom farther south along the Nile, the A-Group traded for Egyptian productscontained in large storage vessels, aswell as olive oil from the Mediterraneancoast. The A-Group flourished until itwas destroyed by pharaohs of Egypt’sFirst Dynasty around 3100 BC.

Middle Nubia

Distinct cultures lived in Nubia from2400 to 1550 BC. Archaeologists havenamed them the C-Group, Pan-Grave, andKerma cultures. Egyptians also occupiedparts of Nubia at this time. Although they

Line drawing of the Qustul Incense Burner. OIM 24069

Nubian incense burners

When the Robert F. Picken Family Nubian Gallery opens atthe end of February, it will be one of only three major mu-seum collections of Nubian artifacts on display in the UnitedStates. With this gallery, we now have the opportunity topresent the rich culture and complex history of this civiliza-tion on the Nile to a broader public. The artifacts in the gal-lery will certainly dazzle the eye; but we need to go beyondthat. Most visitors will enter the Oriental Institute’s museumknowing less about the civilization of Nubia than they wouldabout its northern neighbor Egypt. We therefore face thechallenge of educating the public about Nubia and its com-plex, ever-changing relationship with Egypt. During thecourse of three millennia, Nubia went from being Egypt’strading partner, its mortal enemy, and its colony through to aperiod when Nubia conquered Egypt and established its owndynasty of Nubian pharaohs to rule its former ruler.

How can we convey this much information about Nubiain a way that will be informative and accurate, while still be-ing comprehensible and actually interesting? Over the courseof our ten-year reinstallation process, we have developed theidea of a reinstallation team tailored to the needs of each gal-lery. The team develops the themes to be presented in the gal-lery, selects objects for display, ensures that they are

properly conserved, develops the text panels, graphics, andlabels, and physically installs the artifacts in their cases. Someof the hardest work goes into the development of the textpanels — since it is here that the exhibit will either succeedor fail in communicating the meaning and context of the arti-facts to the public. The process begins with our guest cura-tors Dr. Bruce Williams and Dr. Stephen Harvey — specialistsin the archaeology of Egypt and Nubia. The draft they writethen goes to a copy editor, Joan Barghusen, who edits thetext to improve clarity. The text is then reviewed by MuseumDirector Dr. Geoff Emberling, who sends it out to theEgyptologists in the Oriental Institute for their review, com-ments, and suggested revisions. These comments then helpthe guest curators who review the text to edit in changes asneeded. Once the content has passed a final review by guestcurators and by Geoff Emberling, the text goes to our graphicdesign specialist, Diane Hanau-Strain, who formats the mate-rial, adds graphics, adjusts the color, and sends the final elec-tronic files out to be produced as the actual text panels thatwill be affixed to the walls of the gallery. This process takesseveral months to complete, but the end product is designedto walk the fine line of satisfying the academic specialistwhile being accessible and informative to the public as well.

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NEWS & NOTES

were in close contact, these culturesmaintained separate identities.

The C-Group is part of Sub-SaharanAfrican traditions in its manufacture anduse of handmade pottery that imitatesforms of baskets and gourds,construction of round houses and tombs,and emphasis on the symbolic as well aseconomic importance of cattle.

Shallow, round burials called “Pan-Graves” are associated with the Medjay,a nomadic group that lived mostly in thedesert east of the Nile. Medjay warriorsserved prominently with Egyptianmilitary forces in Nubia and in Egypt.

The Kerma culture developed nearthe Third Cataract from the earlier Pre-Kerma culture in that area. By 2000 BC,Kerma was the capital of a growingempire called Kush, and around 1650 BC,rulers of Kerma extended control towardthe north, annexed northern Nubia, andcame into conflict with Egypt.

Egyptians built a series of fortsalong the Nile to protect Egypt’s frontierand control trade and travel from Nubia.The Egyptian garrisons traded with localpeople and conducted raids againstthem. They also recruited Nubians assoldiers for Egyptian armies,particularly to serve as archers.

Egyptians in Nubia

The rising power of the Egyptian stateduring the New Kingdom (1550–1070BC) led to defeat of the Kerma andultimately to the colonial occupation ofNubia by Egypt. Administered by anEgyptian governor, Nubia sent exotic

products such as animals, skins, andebony, but especially gold, to Egypt.

New Kingdom pharaohs built majortemples in Nubia, including the famoustemple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel(moved during the Aswan Dam salvagecampaign) and a temple to Amun atNapata, located at the foot of the sacredmountain called Gebel Barkal. Napatawas an administrative center and transferpoint for the gold mined in Nubia’seastern and western deserts. During thistime Nubia’s material culture becamestrongly Egyptianized and artifacts lookmuch like those found in Egypt.

Late Nubia

After the collapse of Egyptianoccupation of Nubia, a new Nubiandynasty based at Napata developed itspower, ultimately conquering Egyptduring the eighth century BC and rulingas the Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt.The Napatan dynasty saw itself as therestorer of Egyptian civilization andadopted many Egyptian practices andstyles, although the style of royalsculpture is recognizably Nubian infacial proportions as well as in use of theram’s head as a symbol of royalty.

The Napatan dynasty was drivenfrom Egypt by the Assyrian kingAshurbanipal but continued to rule inNubia from the vast city of Meroe.

As the Meroitic kings later expandedtheir power, they came into contact withPtolemaic and Roman rulers of Egypt; asa result, Meroitic culture shows

Drawing ofNubian archer'squiver

This stele of an Egyptian governor ofNubia named Nehi was found by James

Henry Breasted in 1907 as hedocumented historical inscriptions in the

Temple of Khnum at Semna East.OIM 9052

C-Group bowl depicting cattle. OIM 23452

Timeline of Nubian HistoryTimeline of Nubian HistoryTimeline of Nubian History

3100 BC An early trading partner and rival to Egypt during the A-Group

2000 BC A still larger empire known as Kush with its capital at Kerma

1550 BC Conquered by pharaohs of the Egyptian New Kingdom

770 BC Nubian reconquest of Egypt by Napatan kings

300 BC Meroitic kingdom with broad trade connections in the Mediterranean world

AD 300 Collapse of Meroe, rise of nomadic warrior kings during the X-Group

AD 500 Conversion to Christianity

AD 1600 Conversion to Islam

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 5

Bronze statuette of a Napatan king,Nubia. OIM 13954.

significant connections with theMediterranean world.

After Meroe’s disintegration in thefourth century AD, control of Nubia wasdivided among rival groups including theBlemmyes, formidable descendants ofthe ancient Medjay, and the Noubades.Their wealthy burials included bothhuman and animal sacrifices, as well asleather quivers and textiles that will beon display in the gallery.

Nubian kingdoms converted toChristianity in the decades before AD

580. The religious conversion broughtgreat social changes and continuedcontact with the Mediterranean world.After resisting conquest for manycenturies, Christian Nubia finallyconverted to Islam around AD 1500.

Nubian Identity

The gallery also highlights issues ofNubian identity with displays devoted toarchers and to images of Nubians.Nubians have been known throughouthistory to be excellent archers, recruitedinto the Egyptian army, and able to resistthe Muslim conquest (who referred to

them as “Eye Smiters”). This aspect ofidentity was also important to Nubiansthemselves but is clearly not a completerepresentation of Nubian cultures. Thehead of a Nubian ruler excavated atMedinet Habu in Egypt may appear to bean accurate representation of a Nubian,but when one realizes that it was one of aseries of bound prisoners beneath the“Window of Appearances” of thepharaoh, it becomes clear that this isinstead a representation of Egyptiandomination of Nubia.

Education and Nubia

We have received funding for twoeducational programs that will focus onthe Picken Family Nubian Gallery. APolk Bros. Foundation grant will supportthe placement of two computer kiosks inthe gallery with content aimed at childrenand families, while a Joyce Foundationgrant will bring local schoolchildren intothe gallery to learn about Nubia, to makeobjects that relate to Nubian history, andthen to give gallery tours to their familyand friends.

Head of a Nubian from Medinet Habu,Egypt. OIM 14648

It is a pleasure to thank the manypeople who have worked so hard andwith such good humor on this gallery:Co-curators Steve Harvey and BruceWilliams; Editor (and so much more!)Joan Barghusen; Curatorial AssistantsLaura Deneke, Debora Heard, and TomJames; Head of Education CaroleKrucoff; Designers Markus Dohner andDianne Hanau-Strain; Registrars RayTindel and Helen McDonald;Conservators Laura D’Alessandro,Alison Whyte, and Monica Hudak;Preparators Erik Lindahl and BrianZimerle; and Exhibit Evaluator BarbaraCeiga. Thanks also to Jan Johnson, PeterDorman, Robert Ritner, and Ray Johnsonfor receiving exhibit text for review.Thanks to Emily Teeter for comments ontext as well as many other suggestionsalong the way.

And finally, thanks once again toRita and Kitty Picken, whose continuinggenerosity and active interest have madeit possible to bring Nubia to the museumgalleries.

See Page 14 forOpening Weekend

Events

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NEWS & NOTES

From February 25 through May 7, 2006,a selection of fifty-two historic photo-graphs from the Oriental Institute Ar-chives will be on exhibit in the Marshalland Doris Holleb Family Special Exhib-its Gallery of the Oriental Institute Mu-seum, as a temporary accompaniment tothe new permanent installation of objectsfrom ancient Nubia. These photographicimages document some of the archaeo-logical sites in Nubia that have disap-peared under the waters of Lake Nasserand a few places that are so remote thatfew tourists have ever seen them. A sneakpreview of some of the pictures in the ex-hibition appears on the cover and the sec-tion-divider pages of The Oriental

Institute 2004 –2005 Annual Report.These documentary images, taken duringthe consecutive winter field seasons of1905/1906 and 1906/1907, represent justa small part of a corpus of nearly 1,200black-and-white negatives that were madeby the Egyptian Expedition of the Uni-versity of Chicago, under the direction ofJames Henry Breasted. The expeditionwas sponsored by the Oriental Explora-tion Fund of the University of Chicagoand predates the organization of the Ori-ental Institute by more than a decade.

Breasted published two preliminaryreports on the work of the expedition inthe American Journal of Semitic Lan-guages and Literatures (AJSLL), the pre-

“Lost Nubia” Photography ExhibitJOHN A. LARSON, MUSEUM ARCHIVIST

decessor of the Journal of Near EasternStudies, the current journal of the Depart-ment of Near Eastern Languages andCivilizations, Division of the Humanities,University of Chicago. The “First Pre-liminary Report of the Egyptian Expedi-tion” appeared in AJSLL, Volume 23,Number 1 (October, 1906), pages 1–64;the “Second Preliminary Report of theEgyptian Expedition” was published inAJSLL, Volume 25, Number 1 (October,1908), pages 1–110. These reports, longout-of-print, are now available on-line ath t t p : / / w w w . j s t o r . o r g / j o u r n a l s /10620516.html. In 1975, 1,055 of the ex-pedition photographs were published bythe University of Chicago Press in a two-

PYRAMID AND CHAPEL OF AMEROITIC KING

The typical royal funerary monument at

Meroe consisted of a steep pyramid with a

mortuary chapel on its east side. One of

Breasted’s field diary entries describes the

setting and reveals the character of a man

with strong opinions:

Friday, November 2, 1906, Pyramids of Meroe

“These pyramids are the sole remains of a great age,

here on the upper Nile. The people who built them, though

still understanding Egyptian and still using Hieroglyphic

on their monuments nevertheless spoke their own Nubian

language, which has still survived and is today their na-

tive language, though the men also all speak Arabic. They

wrote this language in a system of writing not yet deci-

phered, of which there used to be many examples here at

Meroe. Most of them have however been carried away,

some by Lepsius to Berlin. We have as yet found none.”

SUDAN: Meroe. November 1906; Photograph by HorstSchliephack; Image from original 8" x 10" glass platenegative. Oriental Institute photograph P. 2911

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 7

volume text/fiche edition, entitled The1905–1907 Breasted Expeditions toEgypt and the Sudan: A PhotographicStudy, which served as the basis for thecurrent on-line version, which appearedon the Oriental Institute Web site on Au-gust 3, 2001, at http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/EGYPT/BEES/BEES.html.

The original glass-plate field nega-tives for the first season of the expedi-tion, 1905–1907, were made by Germanphotographer Friedrich Koch. [Around1912, Koch produced a series of excel-lent documentary photographs of the re-liefs in the Colonnade Hall at LuxorTemple, published by the kind permis-sion of Leipzig University in The Festi-

val Procession of Opet in the ColonnadeHall, by the Epigraphic Survey (OrientalInstitute Publications 112; Chicago: TheOriental Institute, 1994).] For theexpedition’s second field season up theNile, 1906/1907, Breasted decided tosupplement the professional glass-platephotography of Horst Schliephack with asecond camera that used roll-film. Thesmaller-format film negatives were usedto take ethnographic photographs, as wellas candid photographs of the expeditionmembers at work. In this exhibition, theprints made from the glass-plate nega-tives have been enlarged to 11" ≈ 14" for-mat, while the roll-film negatives havebeen printed at 8" ≈ 10" size.

Lost Nubia: A Centennial Exhibit ofPhotographs from the 1905–1907 Egyp-tian Expedition of the University of Chi-cago has been curated by OrientalInstitute Museum Archivist John A.Larson. The photographic enlargementsfrom the original expedition negativeshave been made especially for this ex-hibit by Jean M. Grant in the Oriental In-stitute darkroom, and Markus Dohner hasdesigned the installation. A companionbooklet, illustrated with photographs thathave been digitally scanned from theoriginal expedition negatives, will bepublished by the Oriental Institute Publi-cations Office.

PHOTOGRAPHING FROM THE TOPOF A COLOSSUS

On Saturday, February 17, 1906, the expedi-

tion scaled the great seated colossi of

Ramesses II to measure the height of the stat-

ues and to use the top of the King’s head-

dress on one of the colossi as a vantage point

for photography of the site. The expedition

members achieved their goals by splicing to-

gether three ladders, which are just visible

on the far right. The space between Colossus

I and Colossus II was then bridged by an-

other ladder with a plank thrown across it. In

a letter to her mother, dated Sunday, Febru-

ary 18, 1906, Frances Hart Breasted reported

the height of the great seated colossus of

Ramesses II as 71 feet 9 inches.

EGYPT: Abu Simbel, rock-cut temple of Ramesses II.February 1906; Photograph by Victor Smith Persons;image from original 5" x 7" glass plate negative; Ori-ental Institute photograph P. 2380

February 25 – May 7, 2006Marshall and Doris Holleb Family Special Exhibits Gallery

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NEWS & NOTES

LOOKING TOWARD THE NILE ALONG THE MAIN AXIS OF DAKKA TEMPLE

Breasted’s field diary description of time spent at El-Dakka reminds us that the practice of leaving

graffiti on a wall is not exclusively a modern phenomenon:

Saturday, March 24, 1906, Koshtamneh, Nubia

”We spent half a day at the Temple of El-Dakka, which is entirely of the Graeco-Roman age. This point anciently called

Hierasycaminos was the southern limit of Ptolemaic and Roman rule, although the temple of Maharraka, just south of it, is

Roman work. The El-Dakka temple contains no historical records, but its walls bear numerous Proskunemata (names) of

casual visitors, of whom some were men of high rank. We photographed the Greek inscriptions and some in Demotic,

besides the main architectural features of the building, which are of good design and superb workmanship. By two o’clock

we were able to sail, and reached Koshtamneh at dusk.”

EGYPT: El-Dakka. Photograph by Friedrich Koch. Enlargement from original 8" x 10" glass plate negative. OrientalInstitute photograph P. 2673

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 9

A BISHARI CAMEL-DRIVER AND HIS SONS

The Bishari are desert-dwellers of the northern Sudan, who live a nomadic existence.

SUDAN: Abu Hamed. Mid-November, 1906. Photograph by James Henry Breasted. Enlargement from original 3-1/2" x 4-3/4" film

negative. Oriental Institute photograph P. B786

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NEWS & NOTES

NEWS FROM THE PUBLICATIONS OFFICE

CATALOG OF DEMOTIC TEXTS IN THEBROOKLYN MUSEUMGeorge R. Hughes, with contributions by Brian P. Muhs andSteve VinsonOriental Institute Communications 29Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2005Pp. xix + 115 + 40 b&w + 8 color plates; soft coverISBN 1-885923-27-9$75.00

TAX RECEIPTS, TAXPAYERS, AND TAXESIN EARLY PTOLEMAIC THEBESBrian P. MuhsOriental Institute Publications 126Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 2005Pp. xxv + 262 + 1 figure + 32 plates; hard coverISBN 1-885923-30-9$110.00

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS ON-LINE

The titles listed below are available in PDF files on the Oriental Institute’s Web site at http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/DEPT/PUB/SRC/Elec_Publications.html, fulfilling the Institute’s policy that titles appear on-line at or near the same time they appear in print; olderpublications are processed as time and funding permits.

Members Receive a 20% Discount on All Titles Published by the Oriental Institute

For order information, contact:

Within North America: Outside of North America:

The David Brown Book Company Oxbow BooksPO Box 511, Oakville, CT 06779 Park End Place, Oxford, OX1 1HN, UKTel: (+1) 860-945-9329, Toll Free: 1-800-791-9354; Tel: (+44) (0) 1865-241-249; Fax: (+44) (0) 1865-794-449;Fax: (+1) 860-945-9468; E-mail: [email protected]; E-mail: [email protected];Web site: www.oxbowbooks.com Web site: www.oxbowbooks.com

THE CHICAGO DEMOTIC DICTIONARY (CDD)

CDD. The Demotic Dictionary of the Oriental Institute ofthe University of Chicago. Janet H. Johnson, editor

THE CHICAGO HITTITE DICTIONARY (CHD)

The Hittite Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the Uni-versity of Chicago, Volume P. Hans G. Güterbock and HarryA. Hoffner, editors.

The Hittite Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the Uni-versity of Chicago, Volume S, Fascicle 1, åa- to åaptamenzu.Hans G. Güterbock†, Harry A. Hoffner, and Theo P. J. vanden Hout, editors.

THE ELECTRONIC CHICAGO HITTITE DICTIO-

NARY (e-CHD)

e-CHD. The P Volume. Theo P. J. van den Hout, editor.

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE PUBLICATIONS (OIP)

OIP 127. Megiddo, Volume 3: Final Report on the Stra-tum VI Excavations. Timothy P. Harrison.

OIP 124. Excavations at Tell es-Sweyhat, Syria, Volume1. On the Margin of the Euphrates: Settlement and Land Useat Tell es-Sweyhat and in the Upper Lake Assad Area, Syria.Tony J. Wilkinson.

OIP 123. Temple of Khonsu, Volume 3. The Graffiti onthe Khonsu Temple Roof at Karnak: A Manifestation of Per-sonal Piety. Helen Jacquet-Gordon.

OIP 122. Neo-Babylonian Texts in the Oriental InstituteCollection. David B. Weisberg.

OIP 121. Cuneiform Texts from the Ur III Period in the Ori-ental Institute, Volume 2. Drehem Administrative Documents fromthe Reign of Amar-Suena. Markus Hilgert.

OIP 120. Excavations at the Prehistoric Mound of ChoghaBonut, Khuzestan, Iran, Seasons 1976/77, 1977/78, and 1996.Abbas Alizadeh.

OIP 119. Theban Desert Road Survey in the Egyptian WesternDesert, Volume 1. Gebel Tjauti Rock Inscriptions 1–45 and Wadiel-H̆ôl Rock Inscriptions 1– 45. John C. Darnell.

OIP 118. Scarabs, Scaraboids, Seals, and Seal Impressionsfrom Medinet Habu. Emily Teeter.

OIP 117. Seals on the Persepolis Fortification Tablets, Vol-ume 1. Images of Heroic Encounter (Two Volumes, Part 1: Textand Part 2: Plates). Mark B. Garrison and Margaret C. Root.

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE SEMINARS (OIS)

OIS 1. Changing Social Identity with the Spread of Islam: Ar-chaeological Perspectives. Donald Whitcomb, editor.

STUDIES IN ANCIENT ORIENTAL CIVILIZATION

(SAOC)

SAOC 59. Studies in the Archaeology of Israel and Neighbor-ing Lands in Memory of Douglas L. Esse. Samuel R. Wolff, editor.

SAOC 51, “Chapter 34. Implicit Models of Cross-Cultural In-teraction: A Question of Noses, Soap, and Prejudice.” Robert K.Ritner.

SAOC 45. Thus Wrote ªOnchsheshonqy: An IntroductoryGrammar of Demotic (Third Edition). Janet H. Johnson.

SAOC 38. The Demotic Verbal System. Janet H. Johnson.

NEW TITLES

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 11WINTER 2006 PAGE 11

Unless otherwise noted, all programs take place at the Oriental Institute. All programs subject to change.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JANUARY8 Sunday Out of the Fiery Furnace: From

Stone to BronzeFilm2:00 PM

See page 13 for details

10 Tuesday Beyond King Tut’s Tomb: The Ar-chaeology of Ancient EgyptAdult Education CourseTuesdays January 10 to February 287:00–9:00 PM


11 Wednesday Jerusalem: City of AgesAdult Education CourseWednesdays January 11 to March 17:00–9:00 PM


12 Thursday Affairs and Scandals in AncientEgyptAdult Education CourseThursdays January 12 to March 27:00–9:00 PM


15 Sunday Out of the Fiery Furnace: FromSwords to PloughsharesFilm2:00 PM


22 Sunday Children of the SunFilm2:00 PM


25 Wednesday Urbanism and Warfare in North-eastern Syria during the FourthMillennium BC: The 2005Hamoukar ExcavationsMembers’ Lecture Series7:00 PM


29 Sunday Deciphering the Dead Sea ScrollsFilm2:00 PM


FEBRUARY5 Sunday Nile: River of the Gods

Film2:00 PM


12 Sunday Persepolis RecreatedFilm2:00 PM


19 Friday Pyramids and Great Cities of thePharaohsFilm2:00 PM


23 Thursday Members’ Gallery PreviewGallery Event6:00–8:00 PM


25 Saturday Celebrating Ancient NubiaGallery Event10:00 AM–6:00 PM


26 Sunday Awesome Ancient African Arts: ACelebration for FamiliesFamily Program/Gallery Event12:00–6:00 PM


MARCH2 Thursday A Taste of Morocco

Culinary Course7:00 PM


5 Sunday Cleopatra: Destiny’s QueenCleopatra Film Fest2:00 PM


12 Sunday CleopatraCleopatra Film Fest2:00 PM


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NEWS & NOTES

CALENDAR OF EVENTS Cont.

PAGE 12 NEWS & NOTES

19 Sunday Women in Ancient NubiaLecture2:00 PM


26 Sunday Caesar and CleopatraCleopatra Film Fest2:00 PM


AWARD-WINNING CURRICULUM GUIDE AVAILABLE FORTEACHING ABOUT ANCIENT NUBIA

Teachers! Bring the power, mystery, and magic of ancient Nubia into your classroomwith an award-winning curriculum guide from the Oriental Institute.

Developed by the Museum Education Office in partnership with a panel of educatorsand curriculum specialists, the Life in Ancient Nubia curriculum guide contains:

• Reference materials and background information

• Teacher-developed, classroom-tested lesson plans

• Engaging and thought-provoking activities for students

• Full-color map transparencies

• Overheads of ancient Nubian art for projection in the classroom

• Guide to the latest books, audio-visual materials, and museum resources

VOLUNTEER AT THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE

Open your eyes to the world of the ancient Near East — become an OrientalInstitute volunteer! Training for the opening of the new Robert F. Picken Family

Nubian Gallery begins February 1, 2006.

For more information on becoming a volunteer, please call the Volunteer Officeat (773) 702-1845, or e-mail Volunteer Coordinators Catherine Dueñas

([email protected]) or Terry Friedman ([email protected]).

Curriculum guides for ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia are also available.Developed with the support of a major grant from the Polk Bros. Founda-tion, all have received Superior Achievement Awards from the IllinoisAssociation of Museums.

29 Wednesday Desert Fortress: Life and ViolentDeath at Roman Dura-Europas,SyriaMembers’ Lecture Series7:00 PM


30 Thursday Art and Empire in the AchaemenidPeriodMembers’ Lecture Series7:00 PM


Face from a coffin, Egypt

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 13

ADULT EDUCATION REGISTRATION FORM MEMBERS NON-MEMBERS TOTAL

❐ Beyond King Tut’s Tomb: The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt _____$199 _____ $229 _____

❐ Jerusalem: City of Ages _____$199 _____ $229 _____

❐ Affairs and Scandals in Ancient Egypt _____$199 _____ $229 _____

❐ A Taste of Morocco _____$44 _____ $49 _____

GRAND TOTAL _____

❐ I would like to become a member of the Oriental Institute. Enclosed is a separate check for $50 for an individual membership, $75 for a familymembership, $40 for seniors, UC/UCH Faculty and Staff, and National Associates (persons living over 100 miles from Chicago within the USA).

Total Enclosed: $_______. Make check(s) payable to the Oriental Institute.

I prefer to pay by ❐ Check ❐ Money order ❐ MasterCard ❐ Visa

Account number:______________________________________________________Exp. date:________3-digit security code:______

Signature: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Name:______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address: _________________________________________________ City/State /Zip:______________________________________

Daytime phone: ___________________________________________ E-mail:____________________________________________

Send to: The Oriental Institute Education Office, 1155 East 58th Street, Chicago, IL 60637

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

WINTER 2006 PAGE 13

January 8 Out of the Fiery Furnace: From Stone to Bronze. 1984.This episode from a PBS series on the discovery and use ofmetal resources highlights bronze, the first high-tech metal ofancient times.

January 15 Out of the Fiery Furnace: From Swords toPloughshares. 1984. This episode traces the transition frombronze to iron and the impact of this change on human history.

January 22 Children of the Sun. 2001. The 1999 solar eclipse inIran inspired Mansooreh Saboori, an Iranian film maker thenliving in Chicago, to return home and explore the meaning ofthe sun in both contemporary and ancient Iranian culture.

January 29 Deciphering the Dead Sea Scrolls. 1999. This filmexplores the discovery and heated disputes surrounding theauthorship and interpretation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the old-est and most complete biblical manuscripts ever found.

February 5 Nile: River of the Gods. 1994. Coursing 4,000 milesthrough three countries, the Nile River sustains some of theworld’s richest wildlife habitats and has shaped cultures sincethe beginning of recorded history. This film takes you on anodyssey down the entire length of the Nile. 102 minutes.

February 12 Persepolis Recreated. 2004. Discover the historyand grandeur of Persepolis, a magnificent capital of the greatPersian Empire from 520 BC until it was destroyed byAlexander the Great in 330 BC. This new production by Iranian

filmmaker Farzin Rezaeian features spectacular reconstructionsof the great palaces at Persepolis and explains their function inconnection with the Persian New Year festival.

February 19 Pyramids and Great Cities of the Pharaohs. 1995.The land of the pharaohs rises from the sand in this film byEgyptologists, historians, and artists who worked together toproduce video images of temples, tombs, and pyramids in theiroriginal splendor. 70 minutes.

February 26 Special Gallery Opening (See page 14)

On selected Sundays in March — Women’s History Month —the Oriental Institute presents feature films on Cleopatra, an-cient Egypt’s most famous queen. Begin with a highly regardeddocumentary, then treat yourself to two classic Hollywoodmovies. (See page 18)

March 5 Cleopatra: Destiny’s Queen. 1994. From the A&E Biog-raphy series.

March 12 Cleopatra. 1934 Cecil B. DeMille epic starringClaudette Colbert. 101 minutes.

March 19 No film showing. Lecture “Women in AncientNubia” (See page 18)

March 26 Caesar and Cleopatra. 1946. George Bernard Shaw’smasterpiece starring Vivien Leigh and Claude Rains. 123 min-utes.

SUNDAY FILMSSunday afternoons, enjoy the best in documentary and feature films on the ancient Near East at 2:00 PM. Unless otherwise noted, filmsrange from 30 to 50 minutes. Admission is free. Following the screenings, museum docents will be available in the galleries to answerquestions about our exhibits.

oi.uchicago.edu

NEWS & NOTES

Anc

ient

Nub

iaPAGE 14 NEWS & NOTES

GALLERY OPENING EVENTS

CELEBRATING ANCIENT NUBIA

Join us for a full weekend of free festivities celebrating the opening of the new Robert F. PickenFamily Nubian Gallery and the Marshall and Doris Holleb Family Special Exhibits Gallery at theOriental Institute.

Saturday, February 25

10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Be among the first to tour the new Picken Family Nubian Gallery with our museum docents and viewthe best in documentary films running continuously in Breasted Hall. Then enjoy special opening day

programs that bring the history and heritage of ancient Nubia to life.

1:00–5:00 PM See artists revive ancient art techniques and have your name written in Meroitic, thehieroglyphs of ancient Nubia.

1:30 PM View a slide lecture by Oriental Institute Museum Archivist John A. Larson on the inauguralspecial exhibition Lost Nubia: Photographs of Egypt and Sudan 1905–07, on view in the HollebFamily Special Exhibits Gallery. This exhibition features historic photographs taken on a Uni-versity of Chicago expedition.

2:30 PM Hear a lecture by Oriental Institute Museum Director Geoff Emberling discussing the exquisiteart and historic artifacts on view in the new Picken Family Nubian Gallery.

Special Features for K-12 Educators!

Our opening day events offer K-12 educators the opportunity to receive 3 CPDUs of recertification credit from the Illi-nois State Board of Education. Tour the galleries, attend the lectures, and meet with museum educators to discover howthe artifacts on view in the Picken Family Nubian Gallery can become exciting teaching and learning tools, both at themuseum and in the classroom. Field trip information and free curriculum materials available throughout the day.

AWESOME ANCIENT AFRICAN ARTS: A CELEBRATION FOR FAMILIES

Sunday, February 26

12:00 NOON–6:00 PM

Bring the whole family on an adventure to ancient Africa during a day filled with storytelling, hands-on arts, andmore. Tour the new gallery with docents on hand and enjoy a self-guided treasure hunt throughout the day. Thenexperience the mysteries and wonders of ancient Nubia with a full afternoon of special programs.

1:00–5:00 PM Have your name written in Meroitic, enjoy an award-winning children’s film, meet artists recre-ating ancient techniques, and make your own versions of ancient Nubian-style art. The adven-ture continues with hands-on presentations by storyteller and master teacher Awad Abdelgadir,who will show objects and demonstrate crafts from his Nubian homeland.

2:00 PM Join Awad Abdelgadir for “Life on the Nile,” a fascinating journey to today’s Nubia. Go on asafari, experience the color and excitement of a village wedding, and meet the people of Nubiain this interactive program that has engaged all-ages audiences at museums across the country.

MEMBERS’ NUBIA PREVIEW

Thursday, February 23*

6:00–8:30 PM

Members are invited to a reception celebrating the opening of the Robert F. Picken Nubian Gallery and theinaugural exhibition in the Marshall and Doris Holleb Family Special Exhibits Gallery. Learn about the Ori-ental Institute’s long history in Nubia while touring the new exhibits before they open to the public.

*Note the change in date from the Fall 2005 issue of News & Notes.

Above: Nubian candleholder OIM 16734

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 15

MEMBERS’ LECTURES

DESERT FORTRESS: LIFE AND VIOLENT DEATH AT ROMANDURA-EUROPOS, SYRIASimon James, University of LeicesterWednesday, March 297:00 PM, Breasted HallAt the Oriental Institute

Around the year AD 256, a large Iranian army marched up the EuphratesRiver from Iraq, under the command of the Sasanian Persian King Shapur theGreat. Its ultimate objective was to sack the rich and populous cities of Ro-man Syria. However, a substantial obstacle stood between the Persians andtheir quarry. Before they could plunder Aleppo or Antioch, they would firsthave to take by force of arms the riverside city of Dura-Europos, which forninety years had been a major Roman military base on the Middle Euphrates.Originally a Macedonian Greek military colony founded around 300 BC byone of Alexander the Great’s generals, Dura was later captured by the Ro-mans in AD 165. For the last decades of its existence, the city was increasinglyon the defensive. When the siege finally came, Dura was mortally woundedfrom prolonged and ferocious fighting, completely evacuated, and never re-occupied on any scale. Abandoned to the winds, the very name of the ruinswas forgotten for over sixteen centuries.

This lecture presents the dramatic tale of the recovery of Dura, illustratinghow its history was pieced together by a series of archaeological excavationsbeginning with the identification of the site by the British in 1920, continu-ing in Franco-American field campaigns through the 1920s and 1930s, and re-newed again since the 1980s. As a result of the finds, Dura has been hailed asthe “Pompeii of the Syrian Desert,” famed for its temples and paintings, itsremarkable documents of life in ancient Syria, and the well-preserved re-mains of the Roman garrison and the siege which snuffed out the city. Thetreasure trove of Roman arms and armor from the site has been a focus of thespeaker’s research for the last twenty-five years, and provides an unparal-leled insight into the lives of Roman soldiers in general, and into Rome’slittle-known eastern armies in particular.

Speaker: Simon James is currently on the faculty of the School of Archaeol-ogy & Ancient History at the University of Leicester, UK. He received hisPh.D. from the University of London. Among his many interests are Romanprovincial archaeology on the Euphrates and warfare and violence in the an-cient world. He has extensive fieldwork experience and is currently a mem-ber of the Franco-Syrian-led international expedition to Dura-Europos, Syria.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America.

The Members’ Lecture Series is made possible by the generous support of Oriental Institute members. Lectures are free and open to thepublic, with a light reception following each talk.

ART AND EMPIRE IN THEACHAEMENID PERIODMichael Roaf, Munich UniversityThursday, March 307:00 PM, Breasted HallAt the Oriental Institute

The walls of the palaces of the Assyriankings and of the Persian Achaemenidkings (ca. 550–330 BC) were decoratedwith carved stone reliefs. While those ofthe Assyrians often show scenes of war-fare and torture, the Persian palaces inPasargadae, Susa, and Persepolis displayno such violent imagery, although inmany other respects they followAssyrian models and — according to theavailable historical sources — the Per-sian rulers were no less bloodthirsty thanprevious and subsequent oriental des-pots. This talk explores why the Persiankings chose to display only non-confron-tational imagery in their official art.

Speaker: Michael Roaf, Professor ofNear Eastern Archaeology at MunichUniversity, is a specialist in the ancientNear East, particularly of Mesopotamiaand Iran. Subjects of special study in-clude Assyrian and Achaemenid Persianrelief sculpture, archaeological excava-tions, architecture, historical geography,metrology, and ancient mathematics. Dr.Roaf received both his M.A. and Ph.D.from Oxford University.

URBANISM AND WARFARE IN NORTHEASTERN SYRIA DURING THE FOURTH MILLENNIUM BC:THE 2005 HAMOUKAR EXCAVATIONSClemens D. Reichel, Oriental InstituteWednesday, January 257:00 PM, Breasted HallAt the Oriental Institute

A report on the recent fieldwork at Hamoukar (September–October 2005). More details to follow.

oi.uchicago.edu

NEWS & NOTES

ADULT EDUCATION COURSESThe following three courses are co-sponsored by the Graham School of General Studies. Each course offers sixteen Teacher RecertificationCPDUs from the Illinois State Board of Education. For more information call Museum Education at (773) 702-9507.

BEYOND KING TUT’S TOMB: THEARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENTEGYPT

Joshua Trampier

Tuesdays, January 10 to February 28

7:00–9:00 PM

At the Oriental Institute

While the excavation of the tomb ofKing Tutankhamun remains the most fa-mous archaeological event of contempo-rary times, it is but one of the manyextraordinary discoveries archaeologistshave made in Egypt. This course ex-plores how the work of archaeologistshas revealed remarkable pictures ofdaily Egyptian life from prehistorictimes through the New Kingdom. See

JERUSALEM: CITY OF AGES

Gabrielle V. Novacek

Wednesdays, January 11 to March 1

7:00–9:00 PM


This course explores the historical andarchaeological development of Jerusalemover the past 3,000 years, consideringthe city as a major focal point for thethree great monotheistic faiths: Judaism,Christianity, and Islam. Examine textualsources such as the Hebrew Bible, NewTestament, and Koran, as well as histori-cal documents from Egypt andMesopotamia. Explore the architectural

View of 17-foot statue of KingTutankhamun in the Joseph and MaryGrimshaw Egyptian Gallery at the Orien-tal Institute. OIM 14088

how the most recent finds at Giza are re-writing the history of the building of thepyramids, and how excavations atAbydos are telling more of the story ofthis legendary burial place of the godOsiris. Discover how the use of the latesttechnologies help to document and pre-serve sites that would otherwise be lostto history. Finally, visit the Joseph andMary Grimshaw Egyptian Gallery to seethe work of past Egyptologists, and ex-perience the rare opportunity to pre-view as yet unpublished discoveriesbeing made by Oriental Institute archae-ologists working in Egypt.

INSTRUCTOR: Joshua Trampier is agraduate student in Egyptian Archaeol-ogy in the University of Chicago’s De-partment of Near Eastern Languages andCivilizations. He is the Assistant Directorof the Ahmose and Tetisheri Project atAbydos and he is an experienced in-structor in Egyptian language and ar-chaeology.

This class meets at the Oriental Institutefrom 7:00 to 9:00 PM on Tuesday eve-nings beginning January 10, continuingthrough February 28. Pre-registration isrequired.

REQUIRED TEXT:

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. IanShaw, ed. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress, 2000.

and archaeological remains of the city,taking a virtual tour through Jerusalemas it would have been seen by its variousinhabitants over the last three millennia.Through the interwoven testimony oftexts, artifacts, architecture, and icono-graphic representations of the city andits monuments, investigate the theme ofJerusalem as paradise and consider howthe various faiths have transformed thelandscape into sacred space. The courseincludes visits to the Haas and SchwartzMegiddo Gallery, the Oriental InstituteMuseum’s exhibit on ancient Israel.

INSTRUCTOR: Gabrielle V. Novacek is aPh.D. candidate in Syro-Palestinian Ar-chaeology in the Department of NearEastern Languages and Civilizations atthe University of Chicago. She was alsoGuest Curator for the Haas and SchwartzMegiddo Gallery.

This class meets at the Oriental Institutefrom 7:00 to 9:00 PM on Wednesday eve-nings beginning January 11, continuingthrough March 1. Pre-registration is re-quired.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths. KarenArmstrong. New York: Ballantine Books,1996.

Historical Atlas of Jerusalem. Meir Ben-Dov. New York: Continuum PublishingGroup, 2002.

Statue of the god El. A18316

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 17

AFFAIRS AND SCANDALS INANCIENT EGYPT

Foy D. Scalf

Thursdays, January 12 to March 2

7:00–9:00 PM


Are you interested in the scandalousside of ancient Egypt? Tomb robberies,corruption, seductions, and plots againstthe crown were all part of ancient Egyp-tian society, just as we have our tabloidcover stories today. This course covers awide range of historical periods, frompalace intrigues in the Old Kingdom tothe allegedly licentious relationships ofCleopatra VII in the Ptolemaic period.Examine the sources and social contextof such events, discussing possible rea-sons why they happened and how weknow about them. In addition to the re-quired texts, the instructor introducesstudents to English translations of themost pertinent Egyptian documents.Discover for yourself the infamous as-pects of ancient Egyptian society!

INSTRUCTOR: Foy D. Scalf is a graduatestudent in the University of Chicago’sDepartment of Near Eastern Languagesand Civilizations. His special interestsinclude ancient Egyptian language andliterature.

This class meets at the Oriental Institutefrom 7:00 to 9:00 PM on Thursday eve-nings beginning January 12, continuingthrough March 2. Pre-registration is re-quired.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

The Harem Conspiracy: The Murder ofRamesses III. Susan Redford. De Kalb:Northern Illinois University Press, 2002.

Affairs and Scandals in Ancient Egypt.Vernus Pascal. Translated by DavidLorton. Ithaca: Cornell University Press,2003.

REGISTER NOW ON-LINE!http://oi.uchicago.edu

Click on"Public Programs"for course listings

A TASTE OF MOROCCO

Thursday, March 2

7:00 PM

Andalous Restaurant

3307 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL

The Oriental Institute continues its unique series of cooking and dining experi-ences focusing on the cuisine of the Near East and North Africa. Join us to ex-pand your culinary repertoire with “A Taste of Morocco,” a special visit toAndalous Restaurant, where the chef teaches you the secrets of one of his ownpersonal recipes and owner Hadj Akaaharir invites you to savor the uniquecuisine of his homeland. Enjoy a full meal of appetizer, main course, dessert,and beverage, all featuring the delicious blend of Middle Eastern and Spanishinfluences that are a hallmark of Moroccan cookery.

This class meets Thursday evening, March 2, 2006, at 7:00PM. Meet at Andalous Restaurant, 3307 N. Clark Street,Chicago, IL 60657. Parking at an hourly rate is availableacross the street or in a lot one block north of the res-taurant.

Fee: $44 for Oriental Institute members; $49 fornon-members (includes tax, gratuity, and reci-pes to take home). Wine provided complimentsof the Oriental Institute. Pre-registration re-quired.

Above: Vessels, Egypt. Left–Right: OIM 288, 58120, 9348

CULINARY COURSE

oi.uchicago.edu

NEWS & NOTES

CLEOPATRA FILM FEST

Sundays, March 5, 12, and 26

2:00 PM

Breasted Hall

Join us on select Sundays in March for a film festival highlighting ancient Egypt’s mostfamous queen. Set the scene with a well-regarded documentary presentation on Cleopatra,then see two classic Hollywood movies on the legendary queen.

Cleopatra: Destiny’s Queen

Sunday, March 5

This documentary from the Arts and Entertainment Biography series mixes rare foot-age with updated research and exclusive interviews to present a biographical portraitof Cleopatra that strives to separate myth from fact. COURTESY A&E NETWORK.

Cleopatra

Sunday, March 12

This 1934 grand Cecil B. DeMille epic starring Claudette Colbert offers Oscar-winningaction in spectacular and authentic settings. Cleopatra’s costuming was researchedwith special care — Ms. Colbert appears in clothing and jewelry that recreates trea-sures found in ancient Egyptian tombs. 101 minutes.

Caesar and Cleopatra

Sunday, March 26

Originally reviewed as “a lavish feast of movie-making” with “a cast of thousands,”this classic film version of George Bernard Shaw’s 1946 masterpiece features powerfulperformances by Vivien Leigh as Cleopatra and Claude Rains as Caesar. 123 minutes.

WOMEN OF ANCIENT NUBIA LECTURE

QUEENS, PRIESTESSES, AND VENERATED MOTHERS: NUBIAN WOMEN OFROYALTY

Debora Heard

Sunday, March 19

2:00 PM

Breasted Hall

Free, Pre-registration not required

The queens, priestesses, and queen mothers of ancient Nubia — today’s Sudan —played distinct and often powerful roles in their society. Join Debora Heard, Curato-rial Assistant for the Oriental Institute’s new Robert F. Picken Family Nubian Gallery,for an illustrated slide lecture using ancient art and texts to examine the influence andsocial status of royal women in Nubia.

Speaker Debora Heard is a graduate student studying the archaeology of ancientNubia in the University of Chicago’s Department of Anthropology. She holds a B.S. inpolitical science from Tennessee State University, a J.D. from Tulane Law School, anM.A. in African-American Studies from Temple University, and an M.A. in Anthro-pology from the University of Chicago.

This lecture is co-sponsored by the DuSable Museum of African American History.

Come celebrate

Women's History Month

at the Oriental Institute

in March with an exciting

film series on Cleopatra

and a slide lecture on the

fascinating royal women

of ancient Nubia

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH

Left: Egyptian mirror, Egypt. OIM 11370

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 19

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE NEWS

From the Development Office

Making a bequest is one way you canmake a difference to the Oriental Insti-tute and ensure that it continues to be acultural and educational resource for fu-ture members and visitors. For some do-nors a bequest to the Oriental Institute isthe culmination of years of charitablegiving. For many others, however, a be-quest is a way to make a gift that theymay not otherwise be able to afford dur-ing their lifetime. The simplest type ofbequest is an outright bequest, in whichproperty is given directly to the OrientalInstitute upon your death.

Made with cash, securities, real es-tate, or retirement plan assets, the valueof a charitable bequest is fully deduct-ible for estate tax purposes.

You may make a specific bequest ofa designated sum or asset, such as realestate, a piece of art, or particular securi-ties. It is also possible to make a pecuni-ary bequest of a fixed dollar amount

Second Annual University of ChicagoOriental Institute Symposium

Since the beginning of the twentiethcentury, the analysis and interpretationof ancient and modern funerary ritualshas been the focus of both archaeologistsand ethnographers interested in definingthe role played by burial practiceswithin the construction of a commonheritage by living communities. Ritualis-tic performances, as well as the creationof funerary monuments and complexesand the writing of mythological stories,constitute the founding framework for acollective memory of a society's cultureand reinforce the social boundaries ofthe community in which the perfor-mances are enacted.

On February 17-18, 2006, the Orien-tal Institute will bring together scholarsfrom around the world for the SecondAnnual University of Chicago OrientalInstitute Symposium, Performing Death:Social Analyses of Funerary Traditionsin the Ancient Mediterranean. The con-ference, organized by Oriental InstitutePost-Doctoral Scholar Nicola Laneri, ex-amines through textual and archaeologi-cal evidence the social relevance

ORIENTAL INSTITUTE TRAVEL PROGRAMWONDERS OF ANCIENT TURKEY: THE LANDS OF THE HITTITES,

LYCIANS, AND CARIANS

September 5–21, 2006, plus an optional extension to the museums of Berlin

Led by Theo P. J. van den Hout, Professor of Hittite and Anatolian Languages

For over seventy-five years, the Oriental Institute has been at the forefront of thestudy of Anatolia, modern day Turkey. This tour takes you to the homelands itsancient inhabitants, the Hittite, Lycians, Carians, and Phrygians. Visit the sites ofHattusas and Alaçahüyük before venturing to cities and tombs at Sardis andBodrum. For a complete itinerary, contact the Membership Office at (773) 702 9513or [email protected].

stated in dollars (“$150,000”), a percent-age of the estate (“25% of my estate”),or as a formula (“an amount equal to X”).A residuary bequest is a gift of all orsome portion of your estate that remainsafter other bequests, taxes, and expenseshave been paid.

There are many possibilities to di-rect how your bequest to the OrientalInstitute will be used. For example, yourgift can be used for preservation of ex-hibits, acquisition ofnew works, or edu-cational projects.Your gift can also beunrestricted, thus al-lowing it to be usedfor the OrientalInstitute’s greatestneeds.

Donors who in-clude the OrientalInstitute in their es-tate plans are ex-tended membershipin the Phoenix Soci-ety, the Universityof Chicago’s recogni-tion society. If youare interested inlearning more aboutmaking a bequest tothe Oriental Institute or have already in-cluded a provision in your will for theOriental Institute, please contact HeatherMcClean in the Office of Gift Planning at(773) 834-2117 [email protected].

Ushebti, Egypt.OIM 10755

resulting from the enactment of funeraryrituals within the Mediterranean basinas a point of cultural interconnectionand exchange between diverse ancientcommunities from Egypt, Iraq, Palestine,Syria and Turkey to France, Greece,Italy and Spain. The Oriental Institutewill publish the results of the conferencein the Oriental Institute Seminar series.

For complete details, visit the con-ference Web site at: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/PROJ/SYMPOSIA/

New Faculty Member

This September, we welcomed RebeccaHasselbach to the Oriental Institute asthe new Assistant Professor of Compara-tive Semitics. She received her Ph.D.from Harvard University.

Cultural Heritage Conference

To examine international legal issues inprotecting cultural property during war-time, in Iraq, and throughout the globe,the University of Chicago Law School,the Cultural Policy Center at the HarrisSchool of Public Policy, and the OrientalInstitute present: Protecting CulturalHeritage: Examining International LawAfter the Events in Iraq on Thursday,February 2, 2006, 3:00–5:00 PM in theWeymouth Kirkland Courtroom at theLaw School, 1111 East 60th Street. Formore details, visit the conference site at:http://culturalpolicy.uchicago.edu orwww.law.uchicago.edu.

oi.uchicago.edu

NEWS & NOTES

The Last Egyptian Queen’s Pyramid:New Discoveries at Abydos, Egypt

STEPHEN P. HARVEY, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF EGYPTIAN ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY

At Abydos, where I direct excava-tion on the monuments of King Ahmose(ca. 1550–1525 BC) and his family, sig-nificant finds made in three seasons ofexcavation (1993, 2002, and 2004) havealtered our understanding of art and ar-chitecture at the dawn of the New King-dom. The Oriental Institute Ahmose andTetisheri Project, generously sponsored

last season in large part by a grant fromthe Women’s Board of the University ofChicago, was able to make a number ofextremely significant discoveries fromOctober to December of 2004, as well asto continue our program of proper docu-mentation, study, and preservation of thisunique site.

Since 1993, our expedition has un-covered a vast complex at the foot ofAhmose’s pyramid, including two struc-tures associated not only with Ahmosebut with his sister-wife, Ahmose-Nefertary, whose name is inscribed onbricks from these newly discoveredbuildings. Through traditional excavationand the geophysical technology of mag-netometry, we can document a total offive monumental structures which holdthe promise of many more exciting dis-coveries at this, the largest known NewKingdom cultic complex prior to

Hatshepsut’s at Deir el-Bahri. Key to anunderstanding of Ahmose’s pyramidcomplex is the fact that archaeologistsworking at the site a century ago on be-half of the Egypt Exploration Societydiscovered other monuments of this kingfar beyond the area of the 10 meter-highruin of his pyramid. The winding pas-sages of a massive rock-cut tomb as wellas the broad brick terraces of a templebuilt against the limestone cliff providethe other terminus of Ahmose’s complex.

Nestled halfway between pyramidand terrace temple, yet another brickstructure was found in 1902 that could bedated to Ahmose’s reign. The discoveryof a magnificently carved monumentalstela (now one of the treasures of theEgyptian Museum, Cairo) in the corridorof the building enabled its excavatorCharles T. Currelly to identify this struc-ture as a memorial monument built by

View of Tetisheri pyramid after excavation. Photo by Stephen Harvey

View of Tetisheri pyramid before excava-tion, looking south. Photo by Stephen Harvey

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 21

Ahmose and his wife in honor of theirgrandmother, Queen Tetisheri. The hi-eroglyphic text of the stela provided theinformation that Ahmose had constructeda pyramid (called mer in Egyptian) and atemple or enclosure (Egyptian hwt) forTetisheri in the midst of his own monu-ments at Abydos. However, it had alwaysproved difficult to associate the drawingprovided by Currelly’s publication withthe expected shape and constructiontechniques of a pyramid. Most scholarsassumed (including Currelly) that thepyramid mentioned in the stela referredto Ahmose’s own stone-clad pyramid atAbydos, known locally as Kom SheikhMohammed. Most publications mention-ing the Tetisheri structure have referredto it somewhat vaguely as a “shrine” or“cenotaph” (false tomb) of the queen.

As a result of our work this year,however, we can state with confidencethat the building in which the stela wasfound is indeed a pyramid built of mudbrick, one that is in fact the latest knownexample in Egypt of a queen’s pyramid.This was demonstrated not only throughthe steeply angled nature of the façadeencountered on all four sides of the pyra-mid, but also through the discovery oftwo fragments of the limestonepyramidion (the capstone of a pyramid),one of which was inscribed with the title“lord of the two lands” (neb tawy) and abroken cartouche. The angle of the sidesof the pyramidion is about 58 degrees,which agrees well with the angle of thesloping mud brick walls of the exterior ofthe Tetisheri pyramid (see figure to theright). Most likely, the pyramid wasnever cased in stone, but received onlyan outer coating of whitewashed mudplaster.

Additionally, a 90 by 70 meter longenclosure wall constructed of bricks alsostamped with the phrase “Nebpehtyre(Ahmose), beloved of Osiris” was firstdiscovered through magnetic survey in2002, and partially excavated this season.

This has proven to most likely be theenclosure wall, or hwt, mentioned on theTetisheri stela. In the southwest corner ofthe enclosure wall, we encountered a pitfilled with a series of intact dog or jackaland other animal mummies wrapped inlinen and covered with mats and baskets

made of grass and papyrus. While thisdeposit most likely is of Greco-Romandate, the future removal of this materialmay reveal additional evidence for theoriginal New Kingdom function of theenclosure wall and its structures. Cult ac-tivity of the Eighteenth Dynasty wasabundantly documented not in this outerarea, but directly in front of the pyramid,where a large deposit of more than 300intact ceramic vessels were found on amud brick surface, most likely in theiroriginal position. The presence of in-cense burners, ash, and charcoal implythe burning of offerings and incense inhonor of Queen Tetisheri. While littleevidence was encountered relating to hercult, a fragmentary offering basin inlimestone (see photos page 23) wasfound that seems to be of Ramessidedate, perhaps indicating the long life ofher cult at Abydos.

Our work has clearly indicated thevalue of new excavation in the area ofthe pyramid of Queen Tetisheri, includ-ing the entire area inside of the ancientenclosure wall. However, protection ofthe monuments is necessary since themodern cemetery of el-Arabah continuesto grow closer to the site of the Tetisheripyramid. Since 1993, the extent of thecemetery walls has pushed ever closer tothe pyramid, requiring the urgent needfor action by the Supreme Council of An-tiquities (SCA) to stop the destruction ofthese important monuments. Addition-ally, we noticed looting and illegal dig-ging in the area of the Ahmosemonuments during 2004, and we haveasked the help of the SCA in guardingthis important region of Abydos, the onlyportion of the site containing royal pyra-mids.

A total of five squares of 10 by 10meters each were opened this season inthe Tetisheri monument under the super-vision of trained archaeologists — manyof them graduate students at the Univer-sity of Chicago — working with Qufti la-borers and a team of local workmen (seepage left for figures before excavationand after excavation).

In most areas, walls built of mudbricks stamped with the name of KingAhmose were encountered under a smallamount of windblown sand. On the exte-rior of the pyramid, large mounds ofbrick debris were encountered whichmay partly be the remains of Currelly’sdump from his 1902 excavation. Currellyreported that he found the interior rooms(or casemates) of the structure filled withbrick rubble, and that he emptied these insearch of objects. Our findings within thebuilding confirmed Currelly’s claim inmost of these small rooms, which werefound empty of all but a small amount ofbroken bricks and potsherds. However,the entire entrance corridor of the struc-ture was found filled with fallen mudbricks and it is likely that this debris re-flects original deposits never reached orremoved by Currelly. That Currelly’s ex-cavation was incomplete and superficialis apparent in several areas, notably onthe south face of the monument. Here,Currelly’s plan shows a building of 21 by23 meters, with a rear wall behind a se-

Top to bottom: Limestone fragment(sculptor’s trial piece?) with hieroglyphicsigns carved in sunk relief; Corner frag-ment of the capstone of Tetisheri's pyra-mid. Photos by Stephen Harvey

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Left: Eastern face of the Tetisheri pyramid, showing brick laid at a steep angle. Right: Conservators treat ancient grass and papyrusmats for lifting, revealing canine mummies below. Photos by Stephen Harvey

ries of three small rooms. Upon excava-tion of the supposed rear wall, however,we discovered an additional series ofsmall rooms and the true south face of thepyramid. Here as on all other sides thewall is constructed of mud bricks, eachstepped in on the exterior face at a steepangle. Some walls, such as that on theeastern face, make use of bricks putagainst the wall at an angle, in order tomaintain the sloped angle of the exterior(see above). The truly square shape ofthe building is now clear, which providesadditional support for the reconstructionof the building as a pyramid, 23.7 by 23.7meters in scale and some 28 meters high.

As a complement to our work onsite, we conducted conservation of mate-rial excavated from the area of theAhmose pyramid in previous seasons(1993 and 2002), as well as on objectsdiscovered in 2004. This work was car-ried out by Ms. Catherine Magee, an ex-perienced specialist in archaeologicalconservation. With the help of the SCA,we were also able to rehouse registeredobjects currently in the Sheikh Hamadstoreroom, providing better preservationfor the future of our most important findsto date.

A team of three specialists in ancientEgyptian ceramic from the HumboldtUniversity in Berlin, Germany (led byMs. Julia Budka) also carried out re-search on the New Kingdom ceramicfrom previous seasons of our work. Fi-nally, an experienced specialist inhieratic writing. Hratch Papazian, who

recently received his doctorate from theUniversity of Chicago, assisted us withthe study of ink inscriptions on stoneflakes and pottery on stone and potteryderiving from the Ahmose pyramid area.

The discovery of additional dataconfirming the status of the monument ofQueen Tetisheri as a pyramid signifi-cantly increases the prominence of themonuments of the early Eighteenth Dy-nasty at Abydos. Now, instead of only re-lying on data from partial excavation of acentury ago, we can begin to construct adetailed impression of an ancient land-scape once dominated by two imposingroyal pyramids. At the beginning of theEighteenth Dynasty, Abydos appears tohave had greater importance for royalconstruction than even Thebes or Mem-phis, a fact that may imply that Abydoswas of particular importanceduring the reign of Ahmose.Combined with the importantresults of our research since1993, including the discoveryof Hyksos battle reliefs andthe identification of three ad-ditional monuments built dur-ing Ahmose’s reign, theTetisheri pyramid excavationshave demonstrated once againthe value of renewed excava-tion in areas previouslythought to have been ex-hausted. It is for this reason,and in particular because ofthe great surprise of findingintact material so close to the

modern surface in this area, that we hopethe Egyptian government will continueits policy of protecting the monuments ofAhmose against the destructive forces ofmodern houses and other buildings, cem-etery walls, and roads or highways. Onlyonce intensive excavation and survey hasbeen completed will we be able to knowthe full extent of the monuments in thisportion of Abydos, which are of particu-lar significance for the history of theNew Kingdom and of Egypt more gener-ally.

Stephen P. Harvey is Assistant Professorof Egyptian Art and Archaeology and Di-rector of the Oriental Institute Ahmoseand Tetisheri Project. He received hisPh.D. from the University of Pennsylva-nia in 1998.

The pyramid and enclosure of Queen Tetisheri asrevealed by magnetometry. Courtesy of TomaszHerbich/Stephen Harvey

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WINTER 2006 PAGE 23

The 2004 team posesin the ruins of theTetisheri pyramid.Photo courtesy of BobFletcher

Above: Graduate student Ginger Emery uncovers theedge of a limestone basin inscribed in honor of KingAhmose, found to the north of the Tetisheri pyramid;Limestone basin fragment

Photos by Stephen Harvey

Below right:

(Top) The excavationteam reveals the pre-viously undetectedsouthern face of theTetisheri pyramid

(Bottom) Excavatinghundreds of offeringpots deposited outsideof Tetisheri pyramid

Photos by StephenHarvey

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