 An Archaeological Study Tour
The Splendors of Ancient Egypt
February
1 – 20, 2008
Led
by Professor Lanny Bell,
Brown University
November
7 – 26, 2008
Led
by Professor Lanny Bell,
Brown University
Popular
interest in Ancient Egypt is often limited to pyramids and
mummies, but Egypt played a significant part in the development
of Western thought and culture. The great temples of Egypt,
such as those at Karnak, the striding male figures in the
Cairo Museum, and the reliefs and inscriptions on the temples
of Esna, Kom Ombo, and Philae had their impact on the civilizations
of the ancient Greeks and Romans. By visiting these outstanding
archaeological sites with our lecturer, we will gain significant
insights into the culture of Ancient Egypt and appreciate
its profound influence on the West.
The Splendors of Ancient Egypt tour has been revised and
is exceptional in many ways. There is time in Cairo to explore
this fascinating city in depth. A day will be spent in the
Delta, visiting the site of Tanis, first excavated by Flinders
Petrie in 1884. We will travel into the Faiyum Oasis and
to the unique site of Meydum, known for its collapsed pyramid.
A new highlight of this tour will be the days spent in Middle
Egypt visiting the rock-cut tombs at Beni Hassan, Hermopolis,
the necropolis at Tuna el-Gebel and Akhenaten’s capital
at el-Amarna. Five days will be spent in Luxor...time for
a thorough exploration of Thebes on both the West and East
Banks, as well as the temples of Hathor at Dendera, decorated
in the name of Cleopatra the Great, and of Seti I at Abydos.
During a five-day Nile cruise on the deluxe Oberoi "Philae,”
one of the most luxurious vessels plying the Nile, we will
visit Edfu’s Temple of Horus, the most perfectly preserved
ancient Egyptian temple in existence today, as well as the
Kalabsha Temple near Aswan. A visit to the new Nubian Museum
in Aswan and a flying visit to Abu Simbel will complete
this tour.
Friday, Saturday, February 1 & 2/November 7
& 8:
CAIRO:
Depart
from New York on Air France. We arrive into Cairo and transfer
to the Nile Hilton Hotel, centrally located in the downtown
area. This evening we will meet for dinner with Professor
Bell.
Meals: Opening dinner
Sunday, February 3/November 8: CAIRO: We
begin our touring at Memphis, the first capital of a united
Egypt, and Sakkara, the necropolis of Memphis. At Sakkara
we will tour the Step Pyramid complex of Djoser, which predates
the Giza pyramids and is the world's first monumental building
constructed entirely in stone. We will also tour the smaller
Pyramid of Teti, built for a Sixth Dynasty king whose burial
chamber is covered with Pyramid Texts to ensure the survival
of his soul, and the mastaba tombs of the Nobles Ti and
Ptahhotep.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
February 4/November 10: CAIRO: Our
first stop this morning will be the Roda Nilometer, the
sole surviving monument built under the Abbasid Caliphs
in 861. Renovated in 1947, it remained in use until the
completion of the High Dam. The focus of the day is the
Egyptian Museum, where we will view the highlights of its
huge collection, including the new mummy room and the objects
from the tomb of Tutankhamun.
Meals:
Breakfast & lunch
Tuesday,
February 5/November 11: CAIRO: Today
we will have the opportunity to observe the Delta landscape
as we travel to and from Tanis. Tanis, Zoan of the Bible,
was the capital of Egypt during Dynasties XXI-XXII and served
as the burial place of some of the dynasties’ most
important leaders. These Pharaohs brought decorated stones
and monumental sculptures from all over the Delta to embellish
their temples. Today the site is an impressive outdoor museum.
The day ends with a late lunch at Ismailia on the Suez Canal.
Meals:
Breakfast & lunch
Wednesday, Februry 6/November 12: CAIRO: After
a breakfast lecture, touring begins at the only surviving
representatives of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World,
the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. We will also stop at
the museum where the remarkably preserved remains of the
Solar Boat of Cheops are displayed.
Meals: Breakfast & lunch
Thursday,
February 7/November 13: MINYA: An
early departure through the lush agricultural region of
the Faiyum Oasis to the collapsed Pyramid of Meydum, built
by Snefru, possibly the earliest true pyramid. Our final
visit of the day will be to the Middle Kingdom rock-cut
tombs at Beni Hassan with their lively paintings of daily
life. Mercure Minya Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Friday,
February 8/November 14: SOHAG: A
morning visit to the remains of Hermopolis, whose patron
was Thoth, the baboon god of wisdom and the moon. Continue
to the necropolis, Tuna el-Gebel, with tombs and catacombs
of sacred baboon and ibis burials dating to the Graeco-Roman
period. We will then visit el-Amarna, Akhenaten’s
capital built around 1380 BC for the worship of his god
Aten. The decorated tombs of his officials are a beautiful
example of the art of this period. Overnight at the very
simple El Safa Hotel.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Saturday, February 9/November 15: LUXOR:
We continue to Abydos, where we will tour the Temple of
Seti I, viewing the famous List of Kings and some of the
most beautifully painted reliefs surviving from Pharaonic
times. We drive south through villages of baked-mud houses
and lush cultivated lands bordering the Nile to Dendera
to visit the Temple of Hathor, named for the goddess of
love, music and wine. On the roof of the temple is a plaster
cast of the famous Zodiac of Dendera (original in Paris),
one of the three circular representations of the heavens
found in Egypt. After completing our touring we continue
to Luxor. Meridien Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Sunday,
February 10/November 16: LUXOR:
We will spend the full morning touring the magnificent sanctuary
of Amun-Re at Karnak with its maze of monumental gateways,
obelisks, pillared halls and subsidiary shrines. In the
late afternoon we will explore the Temple of Luxor, including
the procession of the Opet Festival and scenes of the divine
conception and birth of Amenhotep III.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday,
February 11/November 17: LUXOR: This
morning we will cross the Nile to visit the Valleys of the
Kings and Queens. The tombs to be visited are those of Tutankhamun
and three others selected from the tombs open to the public
today. We will also visit the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
at Deir el-Bahri, one of the most spectacular monuments
in Egypt.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Tuesday,
February 12/ November 18: LUXOR: We
return to the West Bank to continue our touring at the temples
and chapels of Medinet Habu, the largest built by Ramesses
III, and the most famous of the hundreds of tombs of the
Nobles, spread over two square miles. These tombs are of
special interest for their artistic and naturalistic murals,
which give us an intimate view of life in ancient Egypt.
Returning to the East Bank, we board the deluxe Oberoi Philae
Nile Cruiser, our floating hotel for the next four nights.
Each of the Philae’s superbly appointed cabins has
its own balcony, allowing guests solitude and privacy as
we sail the Nile. There will be time to explore the suk
or the Luxor Museum this evening.
Meals:
All meals are included on board the ship
Wednesday, February 13/ November 19: SAIL/EDFU:
Our last visit on the West Bank begins at the ancient village
of the artisans, Deir el-Medina, one of the best-preserved
town sites in Egypt and the subject of the television series
Ancient Lives. We continue to the Ramesseum, where the fallen
statue of Ramesses II inspired Shelley’s famous poem
“Ozymandias,” and the rarely visited tombs of
Kheruef and Ankh-Hor, completing our touring at the Colossi
of Memnon. During lunch on the “Philae,” we
sail to Edfu to dock for the night.
Meals: All meals are included on board the ship
Thursday, February 14/November 20: SAIL/KOM OMBO:
Touring begins this morning at the Temple of Edfu, a completely
preserved Ptolemaic temple of the falcon god Horus. We will
have several hours to enjoy the sundeck and pool as well
as the ever-changing panorama of life along the Nile. In
the late afternoon we arrive at Kom Ombo, often called the
Acropolis of Egypt for its spectacular site overlooking
the Nile. It is also unusual in being dedicated equally
to two gods, Horus the Elder and the crocodile god Sobek.
We will dock in front of the illuminated temple for the
night.
Meals:
All meals are included on board the ship
Friday, February 15/November 21: ASWAN:
We sail on to Aswan to tour the Quarry, where an unfinished
obelisk remains embedded in its native stone, the High Dam
and Philae, the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to Isis, an incredible
complex of chapels and shrines as well as the last bastian
of paganism in the Byzantine Empire.
Meals:
All meals are included on board the ship
Saturday, February16/November 22: ASWAN:
This morning we will disembark and transfer to the Aswan
Mövenpick Hotel. Touring begins at the Kalabsha Temple,
built in the reign of Augustus on the site of an earlier
sanctuary founded by Amenhotep II. The temple, which was
later converted to a church, was dedicated to the Nubian
god Mandulis, who was associated with Isis. In the same
antiquities park we will visit the relocated Graeco-Roman
kiosk of Qertassi and the shrine of Ramesses II from Beit
el-Wali. Touring continues at the new Museum of Nubian Civilization.
In the afternoon we will sail by felucca to the south end
of Elephantine Island to visit the extensive excavations
and small museum there.
Meals: Breakfast & dinner
Sunday,
February 17/November 23: ASWAN:
A memorable day! We fly to Abu Simbel, where the rock-cut
temples of Ramesses II and his favorite queen, Nefertari,
have been saved from the rising waters of the Nile resulting
from the Aswan High Dam. The temples were built to honor
the deified royal pair and to awe the Nubians. That awesome
feeling exists today no less than it did 3,200 years ago.
The remainder of the day will be at leisure to explore the
town and its fascinating spice bazaar, charter a felucca,
or relax at the pool.
Meals:
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Monday, Tuesday, February 18 & 19/November 24 &
25: CAIRO: A
morning flight returns us to Cairo with time to relax at
the Nile Hilton Hotel before our farewell dinner. Our last
day in Egypt will be completely at leisure.
Meals: Breakfast daily & 1 dinner
Wednesday, February 20/November 26: Our
flight to New York departs this morning.
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