In-Person Lecture
Saturday, April 13 at 1:30 pm EST
Penn Museum, Classroom L2

Speakers: Dr. Aidan Dodson & Dr. Salima Ikram

Lecture Topics & Abstracts:
The Serapeum at Saqqara
This afternoon we will explore the history of the catacombs of the sacred Apis bull at Saqqara. We will trace its story from the first known burial under Amenhotep III to the end of the employment of the complex following the demise of Cleopatra VII.

Moo-ving Along: Cattle Mummies in Ancient Egypt
Cattle have been central to many cultures over the millennia, and this is also true for that of ancient Egypt. On a practical level they provide food, clothing, shelter, tools, jewellery, and are a measure of wealth; on a sacred level ,they are the focus of cultic activity, with many deities, both female and male, manifesting as cows and bulls.  This lecture will briefly discuss the main cattle cults of ancient Egypt and then present the different types of cattle mummies that are known. Their purpose, mummification process, and histories will be featured.

Speaker Bios:
Dr. Aidan Dodson is honorary full Professor of Egyptology at the University of Bristol, UK, where he has taught for over 25 years. He studied at Durham, Liverpool and Cambridge Universities, and was Simpson Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo for the spring of 2013, and Chairman of the Egypt Exploration Society from 2011 to 2016. He is the author of some thirty books, most recently The Nubian Pharaohs of Egypt (American University in Cairo Press, 2023).

Dr. Salima Ikram is Distinguished University Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo and Professor Extraordinary at Stellenbosch University. She studied at Bryn Mawr College (AB) and Cambridge University (MPhil and PhD). She has worked throughout Egypt, and has directed the North Kharga Darb Ain Amur Survey, the Amenmesses Project KV10-KV63, and the Egyptian Museum Animal Mummy Project and has published extensively for both scholars and the general public.

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Lectures are FREE to ARCE Members, $10 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $7 for Students with ID, and $15 for the general public. Light refreshments served starting at 1:00pm.

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The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1948 by a consortium of educational and cultural institutions to support research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, foster broader knowledge among the general public, and strengthen American-Egyptian cultural ties.  The ARCE Pennsylvania Chapter (ARCE-PA) is the local branch of the national institution.  We host monthly events including scholarly lectures, Egyptian-themed workshops, social events, and guided tours of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian galleries.  For more information or to learn about the perks of membership, please send an e-mail to info@arce-pa.org, or visit our website at www.arce-pa.org.