ARCE Lecture: Harvard-Boston 1913

For a month in 1913, the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts expedition excavated a predynastic cemetery at Naga el-Hai, near Qena, Egypt.  While a few objects from the site have been published, the cemetery as a whole, which contained nearly 1500 graves spanning the entirety of the Nagada Culture, remains unknown.  This lecture is an attempt to call attention to the site.  I will present an overview of the cemetery, discuss its spatial and temporal development and discuss noteworthy objects.

Rita E. Freed is the John F. Cogan and Mary L. Cornille Chair, Art of the Ancient World at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, where she oversees important collections of Egyptian, Nubian, Ancient Near Eastern, Greek and Roman art. She is also Adjunct Professor of Art at Wellesley College. Prior to her work in Boston, Freed was Founding Director of the Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology and Associate Professor of Art at the University of Memphis. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College and received her Certificate in Museology, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. A historian of Egyptian art, Dr. Freed is best known for her organization of several international traveling exhibitions, including Pharaohs of the Sun: Akhenaten, Nefertiti, Tutankhamen an examination of Egypt’s Amarna Period, Ramesses the Great: The Pharaoh and His Time featuring the many works of Egypt’s greatest builder and A Divine Tour of Ancient Egypt which examined Egyptian religion in a geographical setting. Most recently she has served as chief curator of The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC, an exhibition showcasing the materials from the tomb of the Governor Djehutynakht, the largest known burial assemblage of the Middle Kingdom. Dr. Freed has participated on archaeological excavations in Egypt (Bersha, Saqqara, Giza, Mendes, and Karnak), Israel (Tel Qasile) and Cyprus (Idalion), and has authored many books and articles.

There will be a reception folowing the event.

To RSVP, please email info@arceny.com.