Archaeology center’s 14th discovery weekend to showcase Egypt and its pharaohs

  Archaeology+Religion   School of Business  

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Soar virtually through Egypt’s early cities, reconstruct ancient pottery, learn about primitive Egyptian cosmetics, and discover intriguing insights into Egypt’s pharaohs including the most famous among them, King Tut – these are among the many adventures awaiting attendees of the 14th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend at La Sierra University next month.

<p> The iconic funerary mask of King Tutankhamun in The Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (Photo: Roland Unger, <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:GNU_Free_Documentation_License,_version_1.2">Wikipedia Creative Commons</a>) </p>

The iconic funerary mask of King Tutankhamun in The Egyptian Museum, Cairo. (Photo: Roland Unger, Wikipedia Creative Commons)

<p> Archaeologist Craig Lesh leads the Kids' Dig for last year's Archaeology Discovery Weekend. </p>

Archaeologist Craig Lesh leads the Kids' Dig for last year's Archaeology Discovery Weekend.

<p> Dr. Doug Clark, director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology addresses the audience at last year's archaeology weekend lectures. </p>

Dr. Doug Clark, director of the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology addresses the audience at last year's archaeology weekend lectures.

<p> Two screen grabs from 3D modeling by Cal State San Bernardino's Wadi el-Hudi Expedition in Egypt. 3D models of some of 46 ancient sites will be available during Archaeology Discovery Weekend 2022. The modeling is created using Unreal Engine by Epic Games, maker of the popular Fortnite video games. </p>

Two screen grabs from 3D modeling by Cal State San Bernardino's Wadi el-Hudi Expedition in Egypt. 3D models of some of 46 ancient sites will be available during Archaeology Discovery Weekend 2022. The modeling is created using Unreal Engine by Epic Games, maker of the popular Fortnite video games.

<p> Archaeologist Dr. Larry Geraty is a co-director of La Sierra's CNEA and will help lead events during the Archaeology Discovery Weekend. </p>

Archaeologist Dr. Larry Geraty is a co-director of La Sierra's CNEA and will help lead events during the Archaeology Discovery Weekend.

<p> Dr. Kent Bramlett, La Sierra University professor of archaeology and history will present a lecture titled "Inventing the Pyramids." </p>

Dr. Kent Bramlett, La Sierra University professor of archaeology and history will present a lecture titled "Inventing the Pyramids."

<p> Cal State, San Bernardino associate history professor and archaeologist Kate Liszka will provide insights into the iconic King Tutankhamen in a talk titled “King Tut: The Boy Who Changed the World Twice—When Alive and 3500 Years Later.” </p>

Cal State, San Bernardino associate history professor and archaeologist Kate Liszka will provide insights into the iconic King Tutankhamen in a talk titled “King Tut: The Boy Who Changed the World Twice—When Alive and 3500 Years Later.”

<p> Dr. Peter J. Brand, University of Memphis Department of History professor, Egyptologist and director, Karnak Great Hypostyle Hall project will lecture on "Post-Mortem Adventures of Ramesses II." </p>

Dr. Peter J. Brand, University of Memphis Department of History professor, Egyptologist and director, Karnak Great Hypostyle Hall project will lecture on "Post-Mortem Adventures of Ramesses II."

<p> Dr. Kara Cooney, UCLA Professor of Egyptology and chair of the Near Eastern languages and cultures department will discuss "When Women Ruled the World." </p>

Dr. Kara Cooney, UCLA Professor of Egyptology and chair of the Near Eastern languages and cultures department will discuss "When Women Ruled the World."

<p> Dr. Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology James K. Hoffmeier of Trinity International University Evangelical Divinity School will lecture on "Tutankhamun and the Amarna Period on Egypt's Eastern Frontier." </p>

Dr. Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology James K. Hoffmeier of Trinity International University Evangelical Divinity School will lecture on "Tutankhamun and the Amarna Period on Egypt's Eastern Frontier."

<p> Dr. Steven Ortiz, archaeologist, professor and director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University will give presentations on "The Military Exploits of Merneptah, Siamun, and Sheshonq (Shishak): A View from the City of Gezer, Israel." </p>

Dr. Steven Ortiz, archaeologist, professor and director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University will give presentations on "The Military Exploits of Merneptah, Siamun, and Sheshonq (Shishak): A View from the City of Gezer, Israel."

Related Links

The university’s Center for Near Eastern Archaeology, or CNEA, is hosting Archaeology Discovery Weekend on Saturday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 13 with activities held at the archaeology center and lectures at Troesh Conference Center in the Zapara School of Business. Admission to all events is free, but registration is highly recommended. Lectures will also be available on Zoom video conferencing and the university’s live streaming service.

The weekend is themed “The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt: Glory, Grit, and Grandeur” and will showcase seven illustrated lectures by noted archaeological scholars from universities in California, Illinois and Tennessee. They will delve into various aspects of ancient Egypt, its cities and daily life, its pharaohs’ military exploits and the reigns of its most renowned kings, including its female rulers.

Weekend activities begin on Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. with lectures running until 5:30 p.m. followed by an anniversary reception at 6 p.m. celebrating the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology’s 10th year. Refreshments will be available and visitors may tour Egyptian exhibits and collections.

On Nov. 13, lectures will continue between 1 – 4 p.m. at Troesh Conference Center, with the Kids’ Dig taking place at the Center for Near Eastern Archaeology from 2 – 4 p.m. for youth ages 6 to 12. Hands-on family activities such as pyramid puzzles, hieroglyphic name-writing, a mummification station, and x-ray fluorescence demonstrations as well as artifact exhibits and virtual reality and 3D modeling explorations of ancient ruins and excavations will be available at the center from 4 – 5:30 p.m.

“The finding of Tut’s tomb exactly 100 years ago had major impacts on the world.” -- Dr. Kate Liszka, CSUSB Benson and Pamela Harer Fellow in Egyptology, Director, Wadi el-Hudi expedition, Egypt.

A central feature of the lecture series will be a presentation on Nov. 12 by Cal State, San Bernardino associate history professor and archaeologist Kate Liszka. She will provide insights into the iconic King Tutankhamen in a talk titled “King Tut: The Boy Who Changed the World Twice—When Alive and 3500 Years Later.”

Tut’s untouched, treasure-filled tomb and solid gold coffin was discovered 100 years ago by Howard Carter bringing world renown to the young pharaoh and the mysteries surrounding his life and death. The CNEA’s 10th anniversary falls during La Sierra University’s centennial year. The university was founded in the fall of 1922, the same year Carter was in Egypt uncovering one of the greatest finds in archaeological history.

Liszka, who also serves as the Benson and Pamela Harer Fellow in Egyptology at CSUSB directs excavations of the Wadi el-Hudi expedition in Egypt, an area known for its amethyst mining and ancient settlements. The expedition is creating 3D modeling of more than 46 sites, some of which will be available for viewing during La Sierra’s Archaeology Discovery Weekend.

“The finding of Tut’s tomb exactly 100 years ago had major impacts on the world,” Liszka said. “In Egyptology, it gave us so much information about daily royal life that no study can be complete without mentioning an object from Tut’s tomb. In the western world, it fed worldwide interest in ancient Egypt so much that it launched an Egyptian Art-Deco architecture movement, expansion of museums, and a worldwide tourism craze to visit Egypt. And in Egypt, it launched an expansion of the tourism industry as well as the beginning of the changes in the antiquities laws of Egypt that eventually lead to no more excavated objects being allowed to leave Egypt.”

Additional Archaeology Discovery Weekend lecturers include Kent Bramlett, professor of archaeology and history at La Sierra University; Peter J. Brand, University of Memphis Department of History professor; Kara Cooney, UCLA Professor of Egyptology and chair of the Near Eastern languages and cultures department; Emeritus Professor of Near Eastern Archaeology James K. Hoffmeier of Trinity International University Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois; and Steven Ortiz, archaeologist, professor and director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University in Tennessee.

For program information, registration and Zoom and livestreaming access information visit https://lasierra.edu/cnea/discovery-weekend/, call 951-785-2632, or email archaeology@lasierra.edu.

The 14th Annual Archaeology Discovery Weekend is co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America Orange County Society and Inland Southern California Society; La Sierra University H.M.S. Richards Divinity School; Society for California Archaeology; Biblical Archaeology Society, L.A.; Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art, CSUSB; American Society of Overseas Research; World Affairs Council Inland Southern California; Tom & Vi Zapara School of Business; Western Science Center; Versacare Foundation; and 91.9 FM/NPR.

← Back