Saturday, May 10
3:30 pm EST
Penn Museum, Classroom L2
In-person; no registration required

Speaker: Dr. Antonio Morales, Associate Professor of Egyptology, University of Alcala

Title: The cemeteries of Deir el-Bahari and Asasif in the early Middle Kingdom: Recent work by the University of Alcalá expedition to Luxor

Abstract:
The reunification achieved during the reign of king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II signified the emergence of a pristine Egyptian state built upon a culture of traditions and transformations centralized at Thebes. The city became a melting-pot of political, religious, and cultural decisions, mostly aiming at the reconstruction of the administrative system, the control of the land and its resources, and –more importantly– the boosting of kingship and the new dynasty. In this setting, the role of the high officials became pivotal.

In the last ten years, the University of Alcalá Expedition and its Middle Kingdom Theban Project (thebanproject.com/en/) have set up a multidisciplinary and international team of experts that is conducting archaeological excavation, epigraphic work, and conservation in the tombs of some of these officials from the late Eleventh and early Twelfth dynasties. The documentation and study of the tombs of the viziers Dagi (TT 103) and Ipi (TT 315), the hight steward Henenu (TT 313), and the overseer of prisons Djari (TT 366), among others, will no doubt allow scholars to have a better understanding of the role of Thebes in the construction of the classical age in pharaonic history: the Middle Kingdom. The ARCE-PA lecture will cover the major questions posed by this research, the major lines of investigation of the project, and the results of this expedition after ten years working in the areas of Asasif and Deir el-Bahari (2014-2024).

Speaker Bio:
Antonio Morales is Associate Professor in Egyptology in the Seminar of Ancient History at the University of Alcalá (UAH). This past January, he joined the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University as Fulbright Visiting Scholar for one semester. In 2022, he was visiting professor at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard University. Previously, he was Research Associate in Egyptology at Freie Universität Berlin, postdoctoral researcher at Heidelberg Universität, and research collaborator at the Department of Egypt and Sudan in the British Museum (London). He obtained his PhD in Egyptology from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia 2013) with a dissertation dealing with the transmission of the Pyramid Texts from the Old to the Middle Kingdoms. Antonio Morales has participated in various expeditions to Egypt (Abydos, Dra Abu el-Naga, El-Amra, Qaw el-Kebir, Qubbet el-Hawa, Saqqara), and is currently the director of The Middle Kingdom Theban Project. He has published multiple articles in scientific journals and contributions to books, including a recent co-edition (with Alejandro Jiménez-Serrano) on Middle Kingdom archaeology and history in the Harvard Egyptological Studies (Brill 2022), and a monograph on the transmission of Pyramid Texts of Nut (Hamburg, Buske Verlag, 2019).

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Lectures are FREE to ARCE Members, $7 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $5 for Students with ID, and $10 for the general public.
Light refreshments served starting at 3pm.

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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.