Provincial Egypt in a nutshell - 10 years of the Gebelein Archaeological Project
An Online Zoom Lecture

Date: Saturday 28^th October 2023 at 2pm
By Wojtek Ejsmond
Cost: Free for Members and £4 Visitors
Online booking will open in early October following the monthly email. Click to book

When we think about ancient Egypt we often look at it from the perspective of its capitals, stately patronised temples, and tombs of the administrative elite. However, these belonged to the people who formed only a small percentage of the entire population of the country. We know very little about ordinary people.

Gebelein enables us a rare glimpses into life in a provincial area. The talk will present an overview of the history and significance of this micro-region for studies on pharaonic Egypt and will highlight the most important discoveries made by the archaeological mission working there since 2013.

The programme of archival and field surveys allowed to establish distribution, dating, and interpretation of archaeological sites in the area. A geophysical survey provided information on their structure, e.g. extent and plans of several tombs. Also, previously unpublished rock-cut chapel, necropolis, and numerous inscriptions were found. The talk will be a walk through the microregion and in time, we will stop at several sites related to issues like state formation, ethnic diversity, sacred landscape, and provincial Ptolemaic town

Biography

Dr Wojciech Ejsmond is a graduate of the University of Warsaw and an assistant professor at the Institute of Mediterranean and Oriental Cultures of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw. He started his field project at Gebelein in 2013 and is co-director of the Warsaw Mummy Project since 2015. His interests include the beginnings of civilization along the Nile and Egyptian mummies.