For release: January 24, 2013
For press information, contact Dr. Lorelei Corcoran, 901-678-2555

The Egyptology Graduate Student Association and the Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology (IEAA) at the University of Memphis will co-host a lecture by renowned Egyptologist and archeologist Dr. Mark Lehner on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the University Center Fountain View Room (Room 350). A reception will begin at 6:15 p.m., followed at 7 by the illustrated lecture “Who Built the Pyramids? The Discovery and Excavation of the Workmen’s Village at the Giza Plateau.”

The reception and lecture are free and open to the public.

Lehner, director of the Ancient Egypt Research Associates and the Giza Plateau Mapping Project, received his Ph.D. degree in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Yale University. The celebrated American archeologist has directed excavations in and around the pyramids and the Great Sphinx at Giza for more than 30 years. Together with Dr. Zahi Hawass, Lehner discovered the city of the workmen who constructed the Great Pyramid of King Khufu. His talk will illuminate the lives of the craftsmen and builders responsible for one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and investigate the complex origins of the Egyptian state.

Lehner’s publications include The Pyramid Tomb of Hetep-heres and the Satellite Pyramid of Khufu and The Complete Pyramids. He also has appeared in numerous documentaries such as This Old Pyramid produced by PBS and others from National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.

Parking is available in the Zach Curlin garage adjacent to the University Center.

For more information, call the IEAA at 901-678-2555.