Alone among women. The tomb of Ukhhotep IV and Hathor at Meir
- in-person Lecture

Date: Saturday 20^th December 2025 at 2.00 pm
By Dr. Wolfram Grajetzki
Cost: Free for Members and £4 Visitors
Venue: Coronation Hall Woodley In-Person only. No advance booking required

Abstract

Cusae in Middle Egypt was an important place for worshipping Hathor, perhaps the most important goddess of Ancient Egypt. Not much survived from the town and its temples, but the local governors and officials were buried at Meir, where there are some of the most outstanding tombs of the Old and Middle Kingdom. The talk will present some of those tombs with a special focus on the rock cut tomb chapel of Ukh-hotep IV, local governor in the middle of the 12th dynasty.  The tomb decoration is outstanding showing in the main hall only women doing work in the marshes and in religious activities. The close connection of these depictions to Hathor and kingship will be discussed.

Biography

Dr Wolfram Grajetzki is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London. He studied Egyptology, Prehistory and Classical archaeology in Berlin with his PhD on the highest state officials in the Middle Kingdom (1998). He worked on several projects, including excavations in Egypt and Pakistan and was teaching Egyptology in Berlin, London and Pisa, He published several scholarly and popular articles and books on burial customs and the Middle Kingdom.