Saturday, April 18
3:30 pm EST
In-person only at the Penn Museum, Anthro Classroom 345
No registration required

Speaker: Mena Melad, Founder and Editor of Luxor Times

Title: From the Nile to the New World: Pharaohs, Founding Fathers, and Egypt’s Influence on America’s Pursuit of Identity, Liberty, and Legacy

Abstract:
On the occasion of the United States’ semiquincentennial, America 250, this lecture explores the enduring presence of Egypt in the American imagination and its influence on the symbolic language of the American republic.

From the founding era, ancient Egypt occupied a notable place in the intellectual and cultural landscape of the early United States. Egyptian imagery and ideas associated with antiquity, permanence, and authority appeared in the symbolic vocabulary of the new nation. Over the past 250 years, Egypt has continued to appear in American cultural expression in diverse and evolving forms. This lecture traces how Egypt has been interpreted, integrated, and reimagined throughout American history, from the ideological world of the Founding Fathers to modern popular culture, including film, music, and visual media. Egyptian themes and symbols have repeatedly appeared in American public space and collective memory. Even in the emotional narratives of immigrants arriving in the “New World,” Egypt often stood visibly within the American landscape through monumental antiquities such as Cleopatra’s Needle in New York and the Temple of Dendur at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. These ancient monuments became part of the American cultural environment, linking the civilization of the Nile with the identity of a modern republic. The lecture concludes by shifting perspective to Egypt itself through the theme “Saving Nubia, Saving Egypt: Through Egyptian Eyes.” It examines how Egyptians experienced and interpreted the international campaign to rescue the Nubian monuments during the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s. By exploring Egyptian media outlets, public discourse, and the socioeconomic and political atmosphere of the time, the lecture highlights how this global heritage effort was perceived within Egypt and how it shaped modern understandings of heritage, identity, and international cooperation.

Through these interconnected themes, the lecture reveals a long and complex dialogue between Egypt and the United States that spans symbolism, cultural imagination, archaeology, and global heritage preservation.

Speaker Bio:
Mena Melad is an historian, Egyptology researcher, and cultural heritage communicator whose work bridges academic research, journalism, and public history. Melad is the founder and editor of Luxor Times Magazine, an international publication dedicated to archaeology, Egyptology, and cultural heritage in Egypt.

Melad has worked extensively in the field of public Egyptology and heritage interpretation. He served as a historical consultant for the preservation and restoration of Howard Carter’s House in Luxor, a project led by ARCE as a part of the centennial commemoration of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. He has also curated exhibitions and public programs exploring the history of archaeology, Egyptomania, and the global reception of ancient Egyptian culture. Through Luxor Times, Melad established a digital partnership with Google Arts & Culture to present Egyptian archaeological discoveries, historical archives, and cultural heritage stories to global audiences through online exhibitions and digital storytelling.

Melad’s research interests include Egyptian media archives as historical sources for Egyptology, the politics of archaeological discovery, heritage interpretation, and the influence of ancient Egypt on global cultural identity. Through his work, he continues to promote dialogue between scholars, institutions, and the wider public about Egypt’s past and its global cultural legacy.

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Lectures are FREE to ARCE Members, $7 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $5 for Students with ID, and $10 for the general public.
Light refreshments served starting at 3pm.

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The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1948 by a consortium of educational and cultural institutions to support research on all aspects of Egyptian history and culture, foster broader knowledge among the general public, and strengthen American-Egyptian cultural ties. The ARCE Pennsylvania Chapter (ARCE-PA) is the local branch of the national institution. We host monthly events including scholarly lectures, Egyptian-themed workshops, social events, and guided tours of the Penn Museum’s Egyptian galleries. For more information or to learn about the perks of membership, please send an e-mail to info@arce-pa.org, or visit our website at www.arce-pa.org.