May 19, 2018

UPenn Museum, Philadelphia

Anthro Classroom 345

3:30pm

Andres Bettum, PhD

Senior Curator, Oslo Museum, Director of the Amarna Coffin Project

“Private Coffins form the Amarna Period” 

“The Amarna period has long been a black hole in the typology of New Kingdom private coffins. Given Akhenaten’s religious revolution, one would expect that a new decorative program for private coffins would have been developed.  Until now, no such coffins have been identified with certainty or have been available for study. However, recent excavations in the South Tombs Cemetery at Tell el-Amarna have changed this situation. Twenty-one decorated coffins have been found. These coffins demonstrate both an unexpected variety in coffin decoration during the reign of Akhenaten, and a development towards a new ‘atenist ‘ type of coffin decoration, which is devoid of references to the traditional Osirian afterlife. 

Refreshments are served beginning at 3pm.

Lectures are FREE to ARCE-PA chapter members, $7 for University of Pennsylvania Museum Members and UPenn Staff and Faculty, $5 for Students with ID, and $10 for the general public.”