Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK-wide lockdown in March, staff at the Egypt Centre have been looking at new and creative ways of engaging with an online audience. One such method has been the creation of short courses (5 weeks), which have been delivered via the Zoom platform. Three courses have taken place so far (Funerary Artefacts, Egyptian Religion, Deir el-Medina), with each helping to generate much needed income for the museum. The next course will commence this Sunday, with the topic (chosen by participants of the previous course) being the magnificent site of Karnak!
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| Fig. 1: View of the Amun complex (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karnak_Temples.jpg) |
Many readers
of this blog will be familiar with Karnak, either from visits, documentaries,
book, or photographs. While the main temple is dedicate to Amun-Re, dozens of
other temples and chapels are scattered throughout the site. It is easy to see
why Karnak has attracted visitors for generations, with many, including myself,
seeing it as their favourite site in Egypt. Despite visiting Karnak on over
sixty occasions, every time I do so I discover something new. With over 2000
years of development, it is difficult to cover everything in a five-week
course, which will largely take a chronological approach.
Week 1 (Sunday 08 and Wednesday 11 November): Karnak and its Origins
Week 2
(Sunday 15 and Wednesday 18 November): The Eighteenth Dynasty
Week 3
(Sunday 22 and Wednesday 25 November): Gods, Priests, and Festivals
Week 4
(Sunday 29 November and Wednesday 02 December): Third Intermediate & Late
Periods
Week 5
(Sunday 06 and Wednesday 09 October): Graeco-Roman Period
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| Fig. 2: Plaster cast of a relief from the Ptah Temple at Karnak (EC1959) |
In order to be as accessible as possible, lectures will take place twice a week:
- Sunday evenings 6–8pm (UK time)
- Wednesday mornings 10–12am (UK time)
Additionally,
one of the sessions will be recorded and made available to participants who may
not be able to attend the sessions. Participants have the option to attend
either the Sunday or Wednesday session, or both, as they see fit. When
relevant, I’ll be drawing on objects in the Egypt Centre collection.
The course costs £40, with proceeds going directly to the Egypt Centre, and can be booked via the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/karnak-the-most-select-of-places-tickets-124819084241
**
Participants of this course will have received an email from me in the last 24
hours with instructions on how to access the course. If you believe you have
paid for the course but have not received this email, please contact me
(k.griffin@swansea.ac.uk) immediately! **
Is this course open to participants from the U.S.? And to people with just amateur interest in Egyptology?
ReplyDeleteYes. The course is open to anyone and there are already a fair few people from the US who have signed up for this course. Additionally, I'm aware that there will be people with a very basic knowledge of Egyptology and Karnak, so I'll be aiming at pitching it at a level that works with everyone, as best I can. Feel free to email me at the address above if you have any further questions!
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