This lecture is presented by Dr. Rita Lucarelli, associate professor of Egyptology, Middle Eastern languages and cultures, and faculty curator of Egyptology at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley.

At the time of Ramses the Great, magical practices for the protection of the dead and their empowerment in the Duat (the Egyptian Otherworld) were central in the ancient Egyptian society. Royal, elite, and non-elite tomb walls, coffins, and other funerary artifacts were decorated with images and texts describing the daily journey of the sun god Ra, the rebirth of Osiris, the god of the dead, as well as the transfiguration of the deceased in an akh (effective spirit). By analyzing these sources as well as some of the works of art included in the Ramses exhibition, this lecture will present an overview of the ancient Egyptian funerary religion and literature of the Ramesside period through the imagery of the Beyond from the creativity of theologians, priests, and scribes of the time.

Ticket info

In person: Seating is limited and unassigned. Doors to the Koret Auditorium will open at 1:30 pm.

Livestream: register to watch.

Supported by Elizabeth Moyer, PhD, and Michael Powanda, PhD; Bernard and Jane von Bothmer, in honor of the late Bernard V. Bothmer; and Sheila Wishek