Colloquium 2015
Abydos: the sacred land at the western
horizon
The Annual Egyptology Colloquium
Thursday 9 July, 10.00–18.00
Friday 10 July, 10.00–17.30
BP Lecture Theatre
Abydos is one of the most fascinating sites of Egypt. Chosen as the burial ground for the first
kings of Egypt, it inevitably became a site of great antiquity, and its ancient sanctity may have
been a factor in conferring legitimacy on the royal individuals buried there. The site soon
became the cult centre for Egypt’s most popular god, Osiris, who ruled the netherworld and
guaranteed every Egyptian eternal life after death. As a result of continued ritual performance,
endowments and pilgrimage, a vast landscape of chapels and tombs, temples and towns,
developed. For millennia, Abydos was one of the most consecrated sites of Egypt.
Since the end of the 19th century, archaeologists have made surprising discoveries revealing
the historical and cultural richness of the site. The current colloquium aims at contextualising
the most recent fieldwork by including object studies and research on broader patterns of
ritual, urban, and economic activity. In this two-day conference, leading academic colleagues
will address the social and cultural dynamics of an ever-changing landscape serving a unique
ritual narrative.
The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation Distinguished Lecture in Egyptology 2015 will
be held in conjunction with the colloquium, at 6pm in the BP Lecture Theatre, on Thursday 9
July.
The 2015 lecture will be presented by Janet Richards, University of Michigan, USA: "At the
Gate of the Ancestors: saint cults and the politics of the past at Abydos".
A programme and abstracts will follow shortly.
The prices will be as follows (concessions: BM Members, Egypt Exploration Society members,
British Egyptian Society members, Sudan Archaeological Research Society members):
Colloquium: £50 (£30)
Sackler lecture and reception: £25 (£20)
Joint ticket (Sackler lecture and colloquium): £65 (£40)
Undergraduate and postgraduate students (UK universities): £20 for joint ticket