Chicago IL- Lecture - Oriental Institute

MEMBERS LECTURE
ORIENTAL INSTITUTE
Wednesday, February 6, 2008 - 7:00PM Breasted Hal

ANXIOUS EGYPTIANS: Personal Oracles as Indices of Anxieties in the Later Periods
Terry Wilfong, Unviersity of Michigan
co-sponsored by the American Research Center in Egypt

Reception to follow.
This event is free, and open to the public


It is difficult to imagine the ancient Egyptians as an anxious people - the images presented of themselves reflect the untroubled serenity of a funerary relief. Of course, this is not a complete picture of the Egyptians, hints of whose fears, anxieties, and concerns can be seen in a variety of sources. During the later periods of Egyptian history, some elite Egyptians adopted the use of personal oracles to allay worries - and in doing so they left a remarkable window to the fears (and aspirations) of their times.