Resending "EES On-Line Course - Papyrology: In the Words of the People"

I am resending this email to add a link missing from my original posting. To register, you can click on that link, near the bottom of this email, or you can go to the official announcement of the course by clicking on the link that follows this paragraph. My apologies for the extra email. Glenn

https://www.ees.ac.uk/whats-on/events/papyrology-in-the-words-of-the-people.html

Papyrology: In the Words of the People

Read documentary papyri in English translation and examine everything from ancient love letters to heated court depositions with Leah Packard-Grams. Start time - 18:00 (UK) / 20:00 (Egypt)

29 October, 5, 12, 19 & 26 November 2026 + Add to calendar Online via Zoom 6pm – 7.30pm GMT + recordings

Booking

Learn something new Join now to increase your knowledge of Egypt!

EES Member: £60
Non-Member: £120 
EES Student: £30

You must be logged in to your EES account to ensure you can see the relevant ticket price.

Members of the Egypt Exploration Society can book at a heavily discounted rate. If you’re not yet a member but would like to join in order to receive this discount, then please ensure that you have already joined here. Subscriptions include donations to support Egypt’s cultural heritage.

Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend the live sessions!

What did an Ancient Egyptian grocery list look like? What sorts of local drama did everyday people report in their private letters? In this course, we will read documentary papyri in English translation and examine everything from ancient love letters to heated court depositions! We will see the words of enslaved people alongside the signatures of Roman emperors and Egyptian queens.

You must know that I do not see the sun, because you are out of my view. I have no other sun but you.

Ancient Love Letter

P.Oxy. XLII 3059

Papyrology is the study of inscribed papyrus, a paper-like writing surface used in the ancient Mediterranean. Papyrologists study other handwritten documents on different artefacts too, like potsherds and wooden tablets. Evidence from the "papyrological millennium" (7^th century BCE-7^th century CE) form a body of information about everyday life that is unparalleled anywhere else in antiquity. Nowhere else is there such detailed written evidence for ancient life in the form of love letters, murder trials, grocery lists, angry petitions, tax disputes, contracts, and the doodles of schoolchildren. They also provide details for historical events that change our view of history.

Charioteers Papyrus (P.Ant. inv. 66, courtesy of the Exgypt Exploration Society and the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford)

Weeks will be organised by theme and historical background will be explained. You will gain an understanding of a highly technical field explained in a fun, engaging way! You will learn how these records are reflective of their historical context, and (most importantly) discover the colossal revelations they can provide.

Texts will be provided in English translation!

Whilst some familiarity with Egyptian history would be helpful for this course, it is not expected nor necessary to appreciate the stories and case studies we will examine. No knowledge of ancient languages is necessary whatsoever!

Tutor

Leah Packard-Grams

Center for the Tebtunis Papyri, UC Berkeley

Course Outline

Please note that main content will be delivered between 18:00-19:30, though some optional participation (quizzes, Q&A, etc.) may continue beyond that time. 

Thursday 29 October 2026, 18:00-19:30 (UK time)
Week One - Papyrology as a discipline
The history of the field, the “papyrological “millennium”, the work of papyrologists, and the important roles of archaeology and epigraphy. 

When reading (papyri), one listens in on a conversation of long ago.

Peter van Minnen

Papyrologist

Thursday 5 November 2026, 18:00-19:30 (UK time)
Week Two - Papyri from the Late Period
The first written "legal code" of Egypt and the rise of Demotic into the Ptolemaic Period.

Thursday 12 November 2026, 18:00-19:30 (UK time)
Week Three - The Ptolemies and Romans
An historical overview and administrative breakdown; petitions, contracts, and taxes.

Argeios took me away to the great jail in Krokodilopolis [...] and I have up to now been confined already for three years, lacking life's necessities... Therefore, so that I may not waste away in jail, neglected, contrary to all decency, I beg you with every plea.

Ancient Letter from Prison

P.Coll. Youtie 1 12

Thursday 12 November 2026, 18:00-19:30 (UK time)
Week Four - Writing history from the papyri
Methodologies and historiography through case studies.

Thursday 19 November 2026, 18:00-19:30 (UK time)
Week Five - Papyrology of the future
The use of digital and archaeometric tools, the future of the field, and avenues for further study.

Unicorn featured on papyrus (P.Oxy. LXXXIII 5403, courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society and the Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford)

Booking and information

Register for your place in advance using the link below.

https://www.ees.ac.uk/whats-on/events/event-booking.html?id=D75DA715-6296-4259-939DE80C9890C73A

Here, you can select to pay for optional add-ons. You can buy a personalised certificate for £5.99, featuring your name, the event name and start date, which will be signed by the EES Engagement Manager to confirm your attendance at this online course. 

​​​​After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about your booking. If you do not receive your email, then please check your junk folders before contacting the Egypt Exploration Society. The course will be held on our Zoom platform and attendees will be able to interact by asking questions, using the chat and polls. It is not necessary to have a working webcam or microphone for this course. The online course will be complemented by Google Drive, where resources will be uploaded.

Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend the live sessions! These recordings will be available via a YouTube playlist for approximately one month after the final class.

Please ensure that you have read our guide to attending EES events before the course begins.

go up and turn right. On the right, there is a seven-story building. Above the gate, there is a statue of Tyche opposite a basket factory (once you're there,) throw a shout!

Ancient Directions

P.Oxy. XXXIV 2719

 

Northern Cal. Egyptology Lecture - Women’s Work in Abydos: Margaret Murray, Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome

  

 

The American Research Center in Egypt, Northern California chapter, invites you to attend a Zoom lecture by Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, Missouri U. of Science and Technology:

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Women’s Work in Abydos: Margaret Murray, Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome Sunday, September 20, 2026, 3 PM PDT This meeting is virtual, not in person. Zoom registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LjEuB54-RlaCCDgV4RzTvw About the Lecture: In 1902, Margaret Alice Murray got invited to work in the field—finally. Training with Flinders Petrie for the last eight years, she had taught plenty of students in London, but had never been to Egypt to work herself. She spent only one season at Abydos, working in the Osireion, a special temple that no one had yet fully understood. Two years later,Murray’s publication, The Osireion at Abydos upended all previous theories about the site. By 1938, Amice Calverley and Myrtle Broome were leaving Abydos, having spent almost a decade copying the art in the Temple of Seti I. Their own publications, The Temple of Sethos I at Abydos were four volumes of brilliantly painted art from the temple walls, in exacting detail. This talk will detail the ways in which the work women did on site at Abydos in the early 20th century impacted our understanding and reception of one of the most important sites in all of ancient Egypt.    About the Speaker: Dr. Kathleen Sheppard is a Professor in the History and Political Science department at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo. She earned her MA in Egyptian Archaeology at University College London in 2002, and her PhD in History of Science from the University of Oklahoma in 2010. Her first book was a scientific biography of Margaret Alice Murray (2013) that focused on Murray’s life and career, both in and out of Egyptology. Sheppard has spent her career telling the stories of women in Egyptology. Her book Women in the Valley of the Kings: The Untold Story of Women Egyptologists in the Gilded Age (St. Martin’s Press, 2024) is a grand retelling of the history of Egyptology through the work that women did.  How to Register: Register for the lecture by clicking on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/LjEuB54-RlaCCDgV4RzTvw After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the lecture. There are a few things you should know before you join the lecture: * Advance registration is required. When you click on the link to register. you will receive instructions by email on how and when to join, along with a link on which you will click to join the meeting. Save the email, as you will need the link it contains to join the meeting. Please register now. Please do not share the join link with anyone, it is unique to your email address. Try to join at least 10 minutes before the meeting. When you do join the meeting, be prepared to be put in the waiting room until the lecture starts at 3 pm.  This is a security measure. * If you haven't already installed Zoom, you should download and install the Zoom program (app) well before you try to join the meeting. There IS an option to use your web browser to join the meeting instead of the Zoom program, but the browser interface is limited and depends greatly on what browser and what operating system you're using. * For tutorials on how to use Zoom, go to https://learn-zoom.us/show-me. In particular, "Joining a Zoom Meeting" should show you what you need to do to join our lecture. * All meeting attendees can communicate with everyone, or with individual participants, using the chat window, which can be opened by clicking on the chat button and which you can probably find at the bottom middle of your Zoom viewing screen. Participants will be encouraged to hold their questions for the speaker until after the lecture, and will also be encouraged to address their questions for the speaker to everyone, not just to the speaker, so that all can see them. "Everyone" is the default chat option. If you have any questions, please email glenn@glennmeyer.net or arcencZoom@gmail.com. About Northern California ARCE: For more information, please visit https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernCaliforniaARCE, https://www.facebook.com/NorthernCaliforniaARCE, https://arce-nc.org, https://bsky.app/profile/khentiamentiu.bsky.social, and https://khentiamentiu.org. To join the chapter or renew your membership, please go to https://arce.org/membership/ and select "Berkeley, CA" as your chapter when you sign up.