Sunday, February 27, 2011

February 27, 201

[4 min 27 sec]

February 27, 2011
The political upheaval of Egypt's revolution barely touched the tourist town of Luxor, but the economy was hit hard. Tourists fled the temples, tombs and resorts in the first days of the revolution, and hotels have been virtually empty ever since. Most people in the industry have been laid off, and they're watching desperately as the first tourists begin to show up.

See the chronicle of news about the Oriental Institute.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Exhibition Preview: Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization

Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization

Oriental Institute Museum displays some of Egypt's earliest artifacts
Visitors will have a chance to get a rare look at beautifully made statues, vessels, figurines, and other artifacts from the dawn of the Egyptian culture at a special exhibition at the Oriental Institute Museum at the University of Chicago.

"Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization" will run from March 29 to December 31, 2011, at the museum, 1155 East 58th Street. The museum holds the Chicago area's largest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts as well as galleries devoted to the other cultures of the ancient Middle East.

The new exhibition shows that the most fundamental aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization — architecture, hieroglyphic writing, a belief in the afterlife, and allegiance to a semi-divine king — can be traced to Egypt's Predynastic and Early Dynastic eras more than 1,000 years before the pyramids were built...

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators

Scholars from the University of Chicago developed this teacher resource to provide an overview of Middle Eastern cultures and their contributions to the world.

Discover the great currents of continuity and change throughout Middle Eastern history…

This resource was written by many of the best scholars in the field of Middle Eastern studies and created in partnership with the National Endowment for the Humanities and three University of Chicago units, the Oriental Institute, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the eCUIP Digital Library Project.

The goal of Teaching the Middle East: A Resource for Educators is to provide teachers of Middle Eastern history and culture with a rich, reliable, and easily accessible resource that draws upon sound humanities scholarship to help build student understanding of Middle Eastern history and culture. Drawing upon the unparalleled expertise of renowned scholars from the University of Chicago, the archaeological resources of a world-famous research facility and museum, and the inherent flexibility and strengths of the Internet, it is our hope that this resource will enhance teaching and learning about the Middle East in the nation’s classrooms.

Academically rigorous, thoughtful, and stimulating, Teaching the Middle East seeks to offer new ways of seeing and understanding by crossing cultural divides and illuminating how our shared human concerns cross oceans, time, and cultures.

For an up to date list of all Oriental Institute publications available online see

AWOL - The Ancient World Online - 2: The Oriental Institute Electronic Publications Initiative.

New Chief Curator for the Oriental Institute Museum

Announced 2/15/11 at What's New

Dr. Jack Green has been selected as the new Chief Curator for the Oriental Institute Museum. Dr. Green is coming to us from the Ashmolean Museum where he is Curator for the Ancient Near East. Prior to his current role, he held positions in the British Museum as well as the University of Liverpool. He received his PhD from the Institute of Archaeology at the University College London. Dr. Green will begin his appointment on August 1, 2011.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Audio Tours of Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East

What’s New: February 8, 2011

Nine audio tours of the Oriental Institute Museum's current exhibit, Visible Language: Inventions of Writing in the Ancient Middle East are now available for free download, so that you can use your own iPod or other MP3 player to listen to museum staff discuss the exhibition as you view it.