Campbell Lecture: “Popular Religion in Ancient Egypt”

• Event Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2008
• Time: 7:30 pm (CST)
• Location: Knight Auditorium, Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana, IL
• Cost: Free Admission

• Talk

A talk by Dr. Emily Teeter

Much of what we know about ancient Egyptian religion reflects the relationship of the king and the gods. This information comes primarily from the great temples that are decorated with endless scenes of the king making offerings to the deities. These formal scenes do little to inform us about the beliefs of the common man. What were their religious beliefs? Were they similar to the beliefs and practices of the king? What relevance did the temples have for the religion of the common person in ancient Egypt? Were they allowed into the temples? Did the common folk worship the same deities as their king?

This illustrated lecture will discuss the religious practices of the ordinary Egyptian including their involvement with, and access to, the temples, the role of private cults, and popular religion such as oracles and festivals.

Emily Teeter is an Egyptologist and Research Associate at the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago. She received a Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago in 1990. Her area of specialization includes the history and religion of second millennium B.C. Egypt with emphasis upon popular religion and cult ritual. She has participated in expeditions at Giza, Luxor and Alexandria.

Emily is the author of a wide range of scholarly and popular articles which have been published in journals in the United States and abroad as well as the monographs “Ancient Egypt: Treasures from the Collection of the Oriental Institute;” “Ritual and Legitimacy in Ancient Egypt: The Presentation of Maat;” and “Egypt and the Egyptians.” She is currently working on a book on the practical aspects of Egyptian religion.

Emily has served as a consultant for permanent installations of ancient Egyptian art at the Oriental Institute, the Seattle Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago. She has been a consultant for numerous television and productions and multi-media projects.

This program is sponsored by the Dr. Allan C. Campbell Family Distinguished Speaker Series.