 |
For release: April 5, 2010
For press information, contact Dr. Mariam Ayad, 901-678-2555
The Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology at the University of Memphis will present
its seventh annual Egypt’s Legacy Lecture, “Applied Magic in Ancient Egypt: Curses
and Love Charms,” featuring Dr. Robert K. Ritner on April 16that 7 p.m. in the Manning Hall Auditorium. A reception at 6:30 p.m. will precede the
lecture. The events are free and open to the public.
One of the most common features of Ancient Egyptian magic is the ritual cursing or
the conquest of enemies, often in the form of what Hollywood has characterized as
“voodoo dolls.” Images of these rites extend from the earliest Egyptian records to
the latest and were handed down to Biblical, European, and Islamic cursing traditions.
Ritner was the academic advisor for The Field Museum’s current Egypt installation
and for two British Museum exhibits, “Cleopatra of Egypt: From History to Myth” and
“Eternal Egypt.” He also served as consultant and lecturer for the traveling Cairo
Museum exhibit “Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt.”
He is professor of Egyptology at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
and was the first Marilyn M. Simpson Assistant Professor of Egyptology at Yale University
from 1991 to 1996. He is the author of The Libyan Anarchy: Inscriptions from Egypt’s Third Intermediate Period and The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice and more than 100 shorter publications on Egyptian religion, magic, medicine, language,
and literature, as well as social and political histories. He has lectured extensively
on each of these topics throughout the United States, Europe, and Egypt.
Manning Hall is located at the north end of the Student Plaza. Parking is available
in the Zach Curlin garage.
For more information on Ritner’s lecture, call the U of M’s Institute of Egyptian
Art and Archaeology at 901-678-2555.
|
Facebook 
YouTube 
Twitter