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Going Back in Time...to 20,000 BCE!

Egyptian Visitors Give Archeological Lecture in Santa Fe

by David King

On Tuesday, July 29, 2008 four top Egyptian archaeologists delivered an entertaining and informative lecture at the Greer Garson Theater in Santa Fe, New Mexico, co-sponsored by the Santa Fe Council on International Relations (CIR) and the Friends of Archaeology (DCA). The lecture, attended by 400 enthusiastic Santa Feans, was everything you would expect from these prominent Egyptian archaeologists. There were stories of digs and excavations, a debunking of some of the myths of mummies, a “you are the first to hear this” announcement about the Valley of the Kings, and predictions about future even more splendid discoveries.
 
The lecture had all of the “wow” factor, thrills, and humor one might want. Mr. Moustafa Fathy Abdalla Waziry, the Director of the Valley of Kings, spoke first about the ongoing excavations in the Valley of the Kings and the important discoveries that are currently being made. As part of his informative and highly entertaining talk, he “volunteered” a good natured Santa Fe lady from the audience to be his Queen Hapsetsuits for a mummification procedure. Together, with great humor, they went through the mock mummification process and the audience reciprocated with laughter and applause.

The last speaker was Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aziz El Bialy, General Director, Antiquities of Aswan and Nubia. Aswan shares with Santa Fe the UNESCO Creative City designation. Dr. Bialy challenged the audience by developing the theme even though we are enthralled with Egyptian antiquities like Tutankhamen, we should know that Egyptian civilization is much older than 5,000 years. He then used artifacts and drawings to show a sophisticated Egyptian civilization reaching back in time to 15,000-20,000 BCE. Dr. Bialy’s resounding message at the end of the lecture was that although there are separations of geography and time, we all share, through our common humanity, in the ancient Egyptian culture.
 

The other Egyptian archaeologists in the group were Dr. Tarik Mohamed El Awadi Mostafa Hassan, Chief Inspector of Abusir, and Mr. El Sayed Fathi Al Talhawy Yousef, Site Director-Taposiris Magna, who is excavating in the Nile Delta for the burial site of Marc Anthony and Cleopatra.

This well-publicized and very well-attended event was arranged by Dr. Jeff Case and Carol Robertson-Lopez, members of the Santa Fe CIR, as part of a U.S. Department of State-sponsored Single Country Program (SCP) visit to Santa Fe. For the archaeologists, Carol and Jeff arranged meetings during a 5 day program that included 27 Santa Fe experts and knowledgeable sources. The generous exchange of ideas and volunteering of time provided cultural stimulation for both the Santa Feans and Egyptians alike.

This was one of the more successful IV programs in Santa Fe. Indeed, the public lecture given by the Egyptian visitors was an international highlight of the month in a city that is already well known for cultural happenings.

David King has spent more than 30 years working in information systems-related positions in the United Kingdom and the United States, starting with IBM in the United Kingdom in 1968. He also managed his own IT consulting company in Pasadena, CA for several years in the 1970s. He was a vice president with Security Pacific National Bank in Los Angeles and with Citibank in New York, and CIO/partner in the Los Angeles firm of Korn/Ferry International. Mr. King is a private, instrument-rated pilot and an author of three published computer-systems-related books. A Santa Fe CIR member and an International Visitor programmer since 2005, he joined the Santa Fe CIR board in 2007 and is Santa Fe Director of the International Visitor Leadership Program.

PICTURES (Top to bottom) Patty Poitras, Executive Director, Santa Fe CIR, and Dr. Robert Dello-Russo, Friends of Archaeology, Santa Fe (first and second from left) with the Egyptian Visitors; Dr. Jeff Case (far right) and Carol Robertson Lopez, Santa Fe CIR, posing with the visitors post-presentation at the Greer Garson Theater

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