Professor presents her latest book to the Egyptian Minister of Antiquities

04 Jan 2018

Professor Rosalie David, a renowned expert on ancient Egypt, was invited to meet Dr Khalid El-Enany

Professor David presented the Minster of Antiquities a copy of her new monograph, which documents the religious rituals of one of the finest ancient Egyptian monuments, the Temple of Pharaoh Seti I at Abydos.   

Professor David was accompanied by Curator of Egyptology at Manchester Museum Dr Campbell Price and Dr Keith White, on a research and scholarship visit funded by the Egyptian Exploration Society (EES) and thanks to a bequest from Miss Audrey Carter to the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology. 

The group visited a number of sites, including the Colossi of Memnon temple where excavations are revealing a series of huge statues thought to be toppled by an earthquake around 1200BC. The trip also included a rare chance to see Early Dynastic tombs at Abydos. 

Dr Price had a unique opportunity to meet the directors of current excavations on the West Bank at Luxor, where teams are making new discoveries of ancient Egyptian life.

During the visit, Dr Keith White discussed sourcing information on stone blocks from the dismantled temple of the so-called heretic pharaoh Akhenaten which are largely stored in magazines in Egypt – although others are scattered world-wide, including the Manchester Museum.  

The team's visit was facilitated by EES Fieldwork and Engagement Manager Essam Nagy who is engaged on a research project on a small temple in Luxor. Professor David is leading a bid for funds to allow him to excavate the site.

Pictured: Egyptian Minister of Antiquities Dr Khalid El-Enany with Professor Rosalie David