Thebes: The City of 100 Gates
Sun, 21 Mar 2021 18:00 - 20:00 Greenwich Mean Time (UTC±0)
Tickets (£40) here.
Egypt Centre short course on the sites of Thebes
About this Event
Synopsis:
The city of Thebes (modern Luxor) is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to some of the most well-known monuments from ancient Egypt, making it the largest open-air museum in the world. Thebes was the domain of the god Amun, whose expansive temples of Karnak and Luxor were constructed and expanded upon on the East Bank of the Nile. The West Bank was the city of the dead, containing the tombs of rulers such as Ramesses the Great, the “boy-king” Tutankhamun, and the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Additionally, the Valley of the Queens houses the majestic tomb of Nefertari, often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of ancient Egypt because of its fine paintings. This course will examine the history, development, and sites of ancient Thebes. Throughout the course, objects in the Egypt Centre will be integrated into the sessions when possible. By participating in this course, you are directly supporting the Egypt Centre, a small museum of approximately 6000 objects, with your fees.
Tutor:
Dr Ken Griffin is the Collections Access Manager of the Egypt Centre, Swansea University. His association with the Egypt Centre first began in 2000 as a volunteer. Over the past two decades, he has been researching the collection, including publishing a number of the objects. Prior to his appointment as the Collections Access Manager, he was a lecturer in Egyptology at Swansea University. He has visited Egypt on over 50 occasions and participated in archaeological work at Abydos, the Valley of the Kings, the South Asasif necropolis, and Sai Island (Sudan).
When:
In order to be as accessible as possible, this course will be run twice, with sessions taking place via Zoom:
– Sunday evenings 6–8pm (UK time)
– Wednesday mornings 10am–noon (UK time)
A week before the course starts, you will be emailed the Zoom link, which can be used for both sessions. Therefore, participants will have the option of attending either day, or both!
Course Outline:
Week 1 (Sunday 21 March or Wednesday 24 March): Introduction; the geography and background
Week 2 (Sunday 28 March or Wednesday 31 March): The East Bank Temples (Karnak and Luxor Temple)
Week 3 (Sunday 04 April or Wednesday 07 April): The Royal Necropoleis (Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, el-Tarif, Dra Abu el-Naga)
Week 4 (Sunday 11 April or Wednesday 14 April): The Temples of Millions of Years (Deir el-Bahari, the Ramesseum, Medinet Habu)
Week 5 (Sunday 18 April or Wednesday 21 April): “Houses of Eternity”: The Tombs of the Nobles (Deir el-Medina, Sheikh abd-el Qurna, Asasif, South Asasif)
Cost:
This course costs £40, with fees going directly to supporting the Egypt Centre. Additionally, participants have the option of adding an extra donation if they wish. Donations, of course, are greatly appreciated! Once you have booked, you will automatically receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite. If you haven’t received anything within 24 hours, please contact Ken at k.griffin@swansea.ac.uk
