IAN MATHIESON MEMORIAL LECTURE
*** ZOOM ONLY EVENT ***
Saqqara was the main elite cemetery of Memphis during much of Egyptian history, which has led to centuries of archaeological exploration uncovering some of the most important pieces of Egyptian art and architecture. But great potential still lies beneath its sands: Plenty of evidence has not yet been discovered, and remains that were once revealed have been re-buried and forgotten. Honouring the legacy of Ian Mathieson, the first part of this lecture will show recent work undertaken on the North Saqqara plateau, using minimally invasive survey techniques to complement collections of archives pertaining to the excavations that Cecil M. Firth and Walter B. Emery led in the Early Dynastic Cemetery. The speaker will then explain some of the structures in detail, arguing that they may have been much more than tombs. The available documentation suggests that they were repeatedly used before the burial took place, indicating that the funeral was only one part of a larger ritual life than is usually assumed.
Sergio Alarcón Robledo is a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer in Egyptology at the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations of Yale University. He studied architecture at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, before moving to the University of Cambridge in 2015 for his masters in Egyptology. He also completed an MA in archaeology at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology of UCLA in 2019, and received his PhD from Harvard University in 2025.
Entry: £5 members, £7 non-members