Symposium 2026 - Abstracts of Papers
Massimiliano Nuzzolo
The Earliest Feast Calendar of Ancient Egypt: The Fifth Dynasty Sun Temple of Nyuserra in Context
In 1901 Ludwig Borchardt found, in the area of the valley temple of the solar complex of king Nyuserra at Abu Ghurab, a considerable number of inscribed fragments. According to Wolfgang Helck, who first attempted a complete reconstruction of these fragments in 1977, they formed the earliest example of a feast calendar known so far in ancient Egypt, possibly located at the entrance gate of the valley temple. In the years 2024–25, the valley temple of Nyuserra’s solar complex has been extensively re-excavated by the Italian Archaeological Mission, and numerous new fragments of this calendar have been found. The excavation has also clarified the original architectural shape of the entrance area of the valley temple, which differs quite significantly from what has been so far assumed. This lecture will summarize all the available information on the matter, by showing how crucial are the information provided by this calendar—and its architectural setting—for the understanding of the religious, ideological and socio-economic landscape of Fifth Dynasty Egypt.
Eva Lange-Athinodorou
Sed-festival and Kingship: The Relief Decoration at the Gateway of Osorkon II in the Temple of Bastet at Bubastis
The Sed-festival, a complex sequence of rituals performed in order to renew the legitimacy of the king’s rule over Egypt as the rightful heir of his divine predecessor, stood at the core of royal ideology over a period of around 3000 years, from the Early Dynastic Period until Roman times. Our knowledge of the Sed-festival comes from a multitude of pictorial, textual and archaeological sources, which offer a heterogenous variety of information. Most remarkable, however, are the Sed-festival reliefs on monuments of Niuserra at Abu Ghurob, Amenhotep III at Soleb, and Osorkon II at Bubastis, displaying numerous episodes of the ritual.
The lecture will present the episodes of the Sed-festival as displayed on the gateway of Osorkon II in the temple of Bastet at Bubastis, discussing the sequence of the rituals and their content. A specific focus will be on the question of what these rituals can teach us about the relation between the Sed-festival, kingship and royal ideology in the First Millennium BCE, hereby critically reviewing existing interpretations, which are mostly not based on actual evidence yet persist in the literature on the subject. A comparative contextualisation with the depictions on the temples of Niuserra and Amenhotep will further illustrate the nature of the Sed-festival and its changes over such a long time.
Carla Mesa Guzzo
Work Hard, Play Hard: Scenes of the Military in Festive Contexts
In the Amarna and post-Amarna Periods (ca. 1352–1295 BCE), the military played a starring role in royal festivals and festive events. This paper will explore the reasons and significance behind their inclusion, as well as the specific role members of the army may have played. While some of these events have obvious links to the military, such as victory celebrations after campaigns or tribute ceremonies that showcased Egyptian imperial might, others do not. The army’s participation in the Sed Festival and the Opet must also be considered. Focusing on the iconographic evidence, supplemented with the material and textual records, important links to the presentation of royal power will be revealed. The more limited evidence for feasting practices among members of the army, perhaps independent of any occasion centering on royal activity, will also be discussed.
Tara Prakash
Feelings and Festivals: Happiness in Late New Kingdom Monumental Art
Festivals tend to be highly emotional, sensorial events. When participating in them, people often experience intense psychological and physiological feelings. But the exact nature of these feelings can vary tremendously based on numerous factors, including the purpose of the festival and individual expectations. In order to illustrate some of these variables, this lecture will first discuss several contemporary festivals. Exploring the relationship between feelings and festivals today enables us to ask new questions concerning the ancient experience of festivals. Then, in the second half of my talk, I will consider some elements of this ancient experience, especially the role of happiness in it, and the representation of happiness in ancient Egyptian art using late New Kingdom festival scenes from Theban temples.
Suzanne Onstine
Observe the Feast of the Gods… Song, Dance and Incense Are His Foods
The importance of any festival was made manifest through different kinds of ritual actions. Notably musicians and dancers were an integral part of any festival, where they created a ritual atmosphere and invited the gods to attend. The sounds of the festival were public as well as private. Not only did they perform for the gods, but they connected the gods and people through a shared experience. As ritual specialists, the musicians used their skills in a variety of festival settings, communicating with people and the divine in a language beyond words.
Lyn Green
Beyond Bread and Beer: The Art and Archaeology of the Banquet in Ancient Egypt
In almost every culture, special occasions are celebrated by the consumption of special items of food and drink. Ancient Egypt was no different. When modern observers think about food in pharaonic Egypt, they will usually come up with an image of the deceased seated in front of a pile of mostly mysterious objects. Others may call to mind the offering formula of a thousand of bread and a thousand of beer, and then pause, unsure what comes next. This presentation will look beyond the mystery to investigate the complexities of pharaonic cuisine.
Betsy Bryan
The Festivals of Drunkenness in the Temple of Mut: The Enactment and Intention of the Rituals
This lecture is an overview of the several festivals of drunkenness that were celebrated in the Temple of the goddess Mut between the early New Kingdom (ca. 15th century B.C.) and the Roman era, with a primary focus on the New Kingdom period. Excavated remains of a columned hall introduce the festivals as known in the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (ca. 1479–1459 B.C.) and which included both the annual Drunkenness Festival and the great Theban ritual, the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. The lecture continues by description of the festivals at Mut and elsewhere, their participants, as well as the intention of these unusual types of rites.
