The EGYPTIAN LABYRINTH – The Middle Kingdom and the Faiyum Region

Description

The Faiyum basin is a natural depression, a little west of the northernmost part of the Nile Valley into which water and silts flowed from the river creating a richly fertile region. This oasis seems to have been particularly significant during the Middle Kingdom, when the new capital city, Ity-Tawy, was established nearby, and the Ptolemaic Period when it was extensively cultivated. Several Twelfth Dynasty kings built pyramids in the region, including Amenemhat III, whose vast mortuary complex appears to have inspired the much later legend of a ‘labyrinth’. This talk explores the rich history and monuments of the region, and asks if Amenemhat’s temple really was the labyrinth or if it perhaps still awaits us elsewhere…. A guide to online resources referred to in the talk and further reading etc is now available here: https://chrisnaunton.com/the-egyptian-labyrinth-links-further-reading/ This talk will be available to members in the ‘lapis’ category only. To all those who have joined already, thank you so much, I really appreciate your support! For more information about this please see https://chrisnaunton.com/2024/04/04/lecture-on-youtube-channel-memberships-etc/ PLEASE NOTE the live session will start at 5.50 pm, the lecture itself at 6.00 pm.