Northern Cal. Egyptology Lecture May 4 by Rita Lucarelli: Teaching Ma'at in Prison

The American Research Center in Egypt, Northern California chapter, and the UC Berkeley Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures invite you to attend a lecture by Dr. Rita Lucarelli, UC Berkeley: Teaching Ma'at in Prison Sunday May 4, 2025, 3 PM Pacific Daylight Time Room 56 Social Sciences Building, UC Berkeley This is an in-person lecture and is not virtual. No registration is required. The lecture will be recorded. About the Lecture: The lecture will discuss the innovative experience of teaching a course on Ancient Egypt at San Quentin State Prison, focusing on the engagement of incarcerated students with the subject matter. Dr. Lucarelli will detail the significance of discussing concepts such as Ma'at, justice, and ethics within the context of both ancient Egyptian culture and the contemporary experiences of the students. The results indicate that the study of Egyptology offers meaningful insights for rehabilitation and education, breaking the boundaries of the prison environment and facilitating a unique learning atmosphere. About the Speaker: Dr. Rita Lucarelli is an Associate Professor of Egyptology in the Department of Middle Eastern Languages and Culture, and the Class of 1939 Chair of Undergraduate Education.  She is the Faculty Curator of Egyptology at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology and a Fellow of the Digital Humanities at UC Berkeley. She is presently working at a project aiming at realizing 3D models of ancient Egyptian coffins, the Book of the Dead in 3D. She is also completing a new monograph on demonology in ancient Egypt entitled Agents of punishment and protection: ancient Egyptian Demonology in the First Millenium BCE. Dr. Lucarelli teaches, lectures and researches Egyptomania and the reception of ancient Egypt in the contemporary world, in particular on the representation of ancient Egypt in Afrofuturism. She also teaches courses of Egyptology, Comparative Religion and Interdisciplinary Writing at  San Quentin State Prison through the Mount Tamalpais College (https://www.mttamcollege.org/). Dr. Lucarelli studied at the University of Naples "L'Orientale," Italy, where she received her MA degree in Classical Languages and Egyptology. She holds her Ph.D. from Leiden University, the Netherlands.  Her Ph.D. thesis was published as The Book of the Dead of Gatseshen: Ancient Egyptian Funerary Religion in the 10th Century BC. She worked as a Research Scholar and a Lecturer at the Department of Egyptology of Bonn University, where she was part of the team of the "Book of the Dead Project". ----------- Parking is available in UC lots all day on weekends, for a fee. Ticket dispensing machines accept debit or credit cards. Parking is available in lots around the Social Sciences Building, and in lots along Bancroft. A map of the campus is available online at http://www.berkeley.edu/map/ . About Northern California ARCE: For more information, please visit https://facebook.com/NorthernCaliforniaARCE/, https://arce-nc.org/, https://www.youtube.com/@NorthernCaliforniaARCE, https://khentiamentiu.org and https://bsky.app/profile/khentiamentiu.bsky.social. 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.

Life Under Pharaoh Akhenaten: New Discoveries Shed Light on Egypt's Lost City - GreekReporter.com

https://greekreporter.com/2025/04/12/life-pharaoh-akhenaten-new-discovery-egypt-lost-city/

Life Under Pharaoh Akhenaten: New Discoveries Shed Light on Egypt's Lost City

By Hadia Zahid

April 12, 2025

Statue of Akhenaten in the collection of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Credit: Prof. Mortel / CC BY 2.0

Recent archaeological discoveries in Egypt are revealing new details about life under Pharaoh Akhenaten, offering a rare glimpse into a city frozen in time.

More than 3,000 years ago, Pharaoh Akhenaten made a decision that uprooted an entire population. The ruler of ancient Egypt ordered citizens of So'oud Aten to seal their homes and move, leaving their belongings and everyday lives behind. The move was part of his effort to replace Egypt's long-standing polytheism (worship of many gods) with monotheism, the worship of a single deity—Aten, the sun god.

"This is the pharaoh," Egyptologist Zahi Hawass said in an interview with NBC News, "When the king makes a decision, everyone has to obey the decision."

Archaeologists uncover daily life treasures in Egypt

Archaeologists recently unearthed So'oud Aten near Luxor, close to monuments like the Colossi of Memnon and the Ramesseum. The city, buried for millennia, has quickly become one of the most significant archaeological finds in recent history. Experts say it thrived during Egypt's golden age.

Excavations reveal a city frozen in time. Workers appear to have dropped tools mid-task. Pottery, jewelry, sandals, children's toys—even baking tools resembling modern-day pizza peels—were found scattered across homes and workshops.

"It's a snapshot in time," said Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. "Their stuff is lying around. They're in the middle of making, you know, pegging out a cowhide. They're cutting out sandals, and suddenly, all of this."

The city's layout indicates a well-organized community. Recent excavations have uncovered buildings that may have served administrative functions, including structures resembling an early town hall or police station. Hawass noted that the city offers rare insight into daily life and suggested that its artisans and workers lived comfortably. He said, "We found many showers inside the houses."

Mysteries of Egypt

One unusual discovery—a fish covered in gold—remains unexplained. "Nobody really can explain it," Hawass said, adding that archaeologists have also recovered about 500 statues of Sekhmet, a goddess associated with healing.

The site's religious significance continues to stir debate. A sun symbol found on a workshop wall suggests a turning point in belief. Akhenaten's push to focus on Aten marked a break from the past.

Yasmin El Shazly, deputy director of the American Research Center in Egypt, said "We know that during the reign of Amenhotep lll (Akhenaten's father), the religion became increasingly solar. There is evidence of the Aten, but there are other deities as well. So we know that it was not monotheistic at the time." she said.

New discoveries in ancient Egypt

Akhenaten eventually built a new city, now known as Tell el-Amarna, 200 miles south of Cairo. He called it "Rise of Aten." Experts believe Queen Nefertiti joined him in this religious shift, walking the new capital's streets at his side.

Even after his death, the city continued to be used by rulers like Tutankhamun, whose tomb was famously discovered in 1922. However, the feelings of those forced to leave So'oud Aten remain unknown.

They sealed their homes, said Hawass. Maybe they thought they would return. "No one can talk to the king," he said.

After Tutankhamun's death, his successors abandoned the reforms initiated by Akhenaten. The capital was moved back to its former location, Thebes (known today as Luxor), and the traditional religious practices were restored. The city built by Akhenaten fell into disrepair and was eventually abandoned. Efforts were made to erase the memory of Akhenaten's reign, with monuments and temples dedicated to the Aten being destroyed.

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3,400-year-old ancient Egyptian town discovered by Alexandria — a New Kingdom settlement connected to Nefertiti's daughter | Live Science

https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/ancient-egyptians/major-ancient-egyptian-town-discovered-and-it-has-a-jug-stamped-with-the-name-of-nefertitis-daughter

'Major' ancient Egyptian town discovered — and it has a jug stamped with the name of Nefertiti's daughter

News

By Owen Jarus published 18 hours ago

A settlement dating back around 3,400 years has been discovered near the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt.

Part of the newly discovered Egyptian settlement, which dates to around 3,400 years ago. (Image credit: Sylvain Dhennin)

Archaeologists in Egypt have uncovered the remains of a "major" 3,400-year-old town dating to the New Kingdom that was possibly built by King Tutankhamun's father and later added to by Ramesses II, a new study finds.

The settlement was found at the site of Kom el-Nugus in northern Egypt, about 27 miles (43 kilometers) west of Alexandria on a rocky ridge between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Mariout. Previously, Egyptologists thought the site was not inhabited until later times, when the Greeks founded their own settlement and necropolis there around 332 B.C., during Egypt's Hellenistic period.

Researchers found the older ancient Egyptian settlement while they were studying the Greek one. An unexpected discovery of mudbrick dating to the New Kingdom (circa 1550 to 1070 B.C.) revealed the earliest known Egyptian settlement north of Lake Mariout, according to the study, which was published Jan. 23 in the journal Antiquity.

It's not clear exactly how large the settlement was, "but the quality of the remains, their planned organization around a street, could suggest a fairly large-scale occupation," study author Sylvain Dhennin, an archaeologist with the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), told Live Science in an email. The street was designed to drain surface water and protect buildings from water erosion.

"There was a temple, built by King Ramses II, as well as private funerary chapels, which mention military personnel," said Dhennin, who is leading excavations at the site. "If the settlement was indeed military in nature, it's possible that there was also a fortified wall and administrative buildings."

One particularly interesting find is a stamp on part of an amphora jar that has the name of Merytaton (also spelled Meritaten) on it. Merytaton was the daughter of the pharaoh Akhenaten (reign 1349 to 1336 B.C.) and his wife Nefertiti. Akhenaten unleashed a religious revolution that tried to focus Egypt's religion around the worship of Aten, the sun disk. His son, King Tutankhamun (ruled circa 1336 to 1327 B.C.), later brought back Egypt's traditional polytheistic religion.

"The presence of this stamp probably indicates the production of wine belonging to a royal estate" that dates back to the time of Merytaton, Dhennin said. "The vineyards on the margins of Egypt were probably protected by the military and formed part of a pioneering front to occupy this region towards the desert," he said, noting that it's possible that this settlement was founded during the reign of Akhenaten.

Roger Forshaw, an honorary lecturer at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at the University of Manchester who was not involved with the research, praised the team's work and noted that the "the presence of a temple underscores its strategic and cultural importance."

Forshaw also noted the sophisticated design of the street. "This street was ingeniously designed with a water-collecting system to drain surface water and protect the fragile mudbrick walls," Forshaw said.

Excavations at the site are ongoing, and Dhennin said they may help reveal how large the settlement was and when exactly it was founded. Another question is what Egyptians called the settlement in ancient times.

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Join Us in San Francisco for the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Research Center in Egypt!

We're just weeks away from the ARCE 2025 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, and we can't wait to see you there! Register today to join us for for three days of in-person presentations and networking opportunities. Share your expertise and be a part of the vibrant scholarly community that comes together to explore the wonders of Egyptian history, heritage, fieldwork and technological advances in the largest Egyptology annual conference in the United States! Register If you are a member and attending the Annual Meeting, do not forget about the General Members Meeting on April 26, 2025 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM PT in the Grand Ballroom of the Westin St. Francis San Francisco in San Francisco.  2025 Board Slate If you are a member and do not plan on attending the general members meeting, please fill out the proxy form and email it to boardclerk@arce.org by April 21, 2025. To learn more about the proxy form, click HERE.  If you have any questions, please contact AMhelp@arce.org.

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PBK - Joint Statement in Support of the National Endowment for the Humanities

https://www.pbk.org/statement-neh-support

Joint Statement in Support of the National Endowment for the Humanities           

April 3, 2025 - The American Council of Learned Societies, the Council of Graduate Schools, and The Phi Beta Kappa Society are deeply concerned by the April 2 notices cancelling grants made by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and by the reported plans to dramatically reduce its staff. As the organizations who played a critical role in helping to establish the nation's cultural endowments, we urge the administration to reconsider this direction and ask Congress to protect this vital independent federal agency.

In 1963, our organizations jointly convened a National Commission on the Humanities to assess the need for federal support. The Commission concluded that "expansion and improvement of activities in the humanities are in the national interest and consequently deserve financial support by the federal government." Acknowledging the values of free inquiry as essential for democracy, the founding of the NEH in 1965 with strong congressional support signaled America's belief that a truly great society invests in the humanities.

The Commission's findings are as true today as they were decades ago. Critical thought, cultural memory, and wisdom fostered by the humanities remain crucial to a vibrant democracy. The NEH has upheld these values since its founding.  For less than the cost of a postage stamp to every American, the NEH's thoughtful grantmaking helps community and scholarly life thrive.

Cultural vibrancy builds strong economic returns while deepening civic ties. According to the most recent data, the nation's $1.17 trillion cultural industry supported 5.4 million jobs and accounted for 4.2 percent of the country's GDP. This is why Members of Congress on both sides of the political aisle have defeated overwhelmingly legislative proposals to eliminate NEH funding in recent years. Deep cuts to the programs and staff of the NEH will deprive local communities in every state of resources that enhance their quality of life, enrich their students' education, support their economies, and preserve and celebrate local history. It will diminish teaching and silence thousands of scholars. It will signal the federal government's turn away from the civic values it has long espoused.

We hold steadfast to the belief that sparked the creation of the NEH: that "the humanities are not merely our, but the world's best hope." We stand by the National Humanities Alliance in their request to prevent funding cuts to this critical agency.  We call on the administration and on Congress to uphold our nation's historic commitment to these cherished values and activities in American communities.

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Tutankhamun: plain-looking mud trays in pharaoh’s tomb have been key part of complex afterlife rituals

https://theconversation.com/tutankhamun-plain-looking-mud-trays-in-pharaohs-tomb-have-been-key-part-of-complex-afterlife-rituals-253479

Author

1. Claire Isabella Gilmour

   PhD Candidate, Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol

Disclosure statement

Claire Isabella Gilmour does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.

More than 100 years after the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings, new interpretations of the burial are still emerging. A recent article published in the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology proposes that a set of seemingly plain, functional objects are in fact a key part of the complex rituals which would ensure the transformation and regeneration of the young king in the afterlife.

Tutankhamun inherited a throne tainted by the shifts in religious and political practices implemented by his father, Akhenaten. His reign had been hallmarked by the move from the capital city of Thebes to a new city, Akhetaten ("the horizon of the Aten").

Under Akhenaten, the solar deity Aten was elevated above all others, including the principal state god Amun. This resulted in the king being the sole high priest and beneficiary (along with his family) of the Aten. The resulting disconnection between state and religion severely reduced the power and influence of priests and members of the royal court. But on Akhenaten's death, these were restored by his son.

Tutankhamun was named Tutankh-aten ("the living image of Aten") at birth, but took the name of Amun back when Thebes was restored as the capital city of Egypt after his accession. This time (known as the Amarna period after the modern name of Akhenaten's city) and its changes mean that it is more challenging to understand matters such as burial practices, religious rites and so on because it was not necessarily a "typical" time.

Therefore, while we have learned much about funerary practices from Tutankhamun's tomb, there are objects which are still being reinterpreted.

The artefacts in focus are a set of four clay trays, approximately 7.5 x 4.0 x 1.2cm, plain in design and apparently quite utilitarian.

This type of artefact is known from other funerary contexts including elsewhere in the Valley of the Kings. They have been described in various ways as mud trays, earthen dishes or troughs. The lack of consistency in terminology and suggestions on function illustrate the difficulty in understanding their precise role in the tomb.

Along with the clay trays are a set of wooden staves, just over a metre long, with a slight angle, and covered with gesso (a white pigment and binder mixture) and gold. In spite of the difference in materials, they were assumed by the man who uncovered the tomb, Howard Carter, to be directly associated with the trays. He believed they were probably intended as bases for the staffs to stand upright.

One of the clay trays. Timeless Moon Public Archive

However, it is clear that they have an even greater function to fulfil as, contextually, everything in the tomb has symbolism and meaning, even down to the wooden boxes for preserved meats, which were intended to sustain Tutankhamun in the afterlife.

The care with which the trays and staff were laid out on matting indicates that they were important for the king's burial. We might expect a royal burial to be filled with only the finest objects, made of the most valuable materials by elite craftsmen, with the association of materials such as gold with royalty and divinity. The richness of the rest of Tutankhamun's burial for the most part fulfils this expectation. But, nevertheless, the ordinariness of the clay trays in the light of such riches confirms rather than refutes their significance.

The restoration of order

Following the royal court's move back to Thebes in the wake of Akhenaten's death, the restoration of Amun and the other gods was set in motion. The cult centre of Amun at the Temple of Karnak regained its status. The name of Akhenaten and his imagery, along with that of the sun disk, were subjected to a campaign of removal.

Tutankhamun erected the so-called Restoration Stela with titles and epithets invoking the traditional gods, and statements on "having repaired what was ruined … having repelled disorder". The upheaval of the Amarna Period was reversed.

Discussions in academia on the dismantling of Akhenaten's regime have tended to focus on issues such as name changes and the destruction of his upstart city. But ancient Egyptian religion had countless centuries of recorded tradition and observance, so profound demonstrations of loyalty to the traditional gods were needed.

Two more clay trays from Tutankhamun's tomb. Timeless Moon Public Archive

The mud trays are now thought to be part of a wider funerary ritual, which both invoked the god Osiris and permitted the transfiguration of Tutankhamun. As king, he was thought to be the embodiment of the god Horus in life, and to become Osiris in death – rejuvenated and resurrected.

Osiris is usually shown as a mummified king, with green or black skin to represent the fertility of the land and the new life which comes from it. It is not a coincidence that the trays are made of mud.

Other aspects of the placement of the trays within the tomb such as specific placement and orientation (including particular symbols in the decoration of the tomb) indicate that the trays had a specific role to play. This may have been as an offering tray for Nile water, once more underlining the role of the river in creating life.

Tutankhamun and his treasures are so familiar today that it is possible to overlook, or even forget, the fact that once the doors were sealed after his funeral they were meant to never be seen again. Some of his grave goods – particularly those made from gold – have outshone others. However, the ordinariness of the trays among all the riches suggests that they are crucial components of his burial. They confirm Tutankhamun as both renewed in death through Osiris, and the king who restored order to Egypt.

Enjoy The Conversation? Now you can listen to us as a podcast. Each week, scholars from around the world provide informed context on the biggest news headlines and explain fascinating new research on everything from new particle physics to Brazil's militarized democracy. Listen to a new episode of The Conversation Weekly every Thursday.

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