For our last lecture of the season, the Manchester Ancient Egypt Society is please to welcome our newly appointed President – Rosalie David OBE – who will be taking us on a Victorian journey through inscriptions, archaeology and palaeopathology!

Many developments In British Egyptology have been inspired by the Victorians’ early interest in the subject – largely resulting from the rise of an affluent middle-class who enthusiastically pursued leisure reading and foreign travel, as well as membership of newly established learned societies. This specific interest in ancient Egypt was prompted by a desire to shed new light on Biblical accounts, inspired in part by the emergence of Protestant non-conformism. This generated support for archaeological expeditions to excavate sites presumed to have links with the Bible. In parallel, a growing curiosity about science, medicine and the history of disease provided the impetus for scientific studies on human remains, associated with the ‘mummy unrollings’ that reached their peak in Victorian times. 

This lecture will consider some key developments from Victorian times down to the present day, focusing on discoveries related to language and literary studies; archaeological exploration; and palaeopathological research on mummified and skeletal remains. Concepts and practices developed over the past two hundred years which reflect the availability of new technology and changing social attitudes and perceptions will be considered, demonstrating how these strands have combined to form the basis of current Egyptology.  This lecture is dedicated to the late Chair of MAES, Robert B Partridge.

Professor Rosalie David O.B.E., F.R.S.A is Emerita Professor of Egyptology and former Director of the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester. She is also an Honorary Research Associate at The McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, and a Vice-President of The Egypt Exploration Society. She was awarded the O.B.E. for services to Egyptology in the 2003 New Year Honours List.  Her research involves the use of biomedical/scientific techniques to study ancient Egyptian mummified remains to enhance knowledge of pharaonic medicine and pharmacy.

All welcome. Free to MAES members (you will receive an email link shortly) and guests can book here via Eventbrite (£5).

Doors open 7:30pm GMT+1 and the lecture begins at 8pm.