From Daily Life to the Hereafter: The circulation of the Middle Kingdom Pearl-Oyster Shells
on-line via Zoom
Date: Saturday June 6th @ 2pm
By Professor Ahmed Mekawy
Cost: Free for Members and £4 Visitors
Abstract
The pearl-oyster shells with royal names of Senwosret I, Amenemhat II and Senwosret III, form a crucial source for the study of the transmission of the material culture in the Middle Kingdom and expose the sparked evolution in the burial customs in the 2nd half of this period (Mekawy Ouda 2019a: 2019b: 2022). The close investigation of these shells shows many visible signs of wear in daily life and marks of re-using in the afterlife (MFA Boston 13.3532, Fitzwilliam Museum E.203.1900). Further oyster shells were found broken and missing a piece inside the coffins in intact burials indicating that they were used in the daily life and were taken to the burials. Signs of exploitation in the afterlife could also be spotted, as the remnants of linen imprints (CG 12825/JdE 30381, MMA 23. 2.76a) from the wrappings of the mummies and dark stains were found inside the shells. I seek to analyze the many lives and deaths of these shells, as excavators and antiquities dealers also left their marks on them by writing numbers, places, and imitating inscriptions.
Biography
Ahmed Mekawy Ouda got his PhD from University College London UK (2010-2014) after he had been granted a full funded scholarship from the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education. Ahmed earned MA and BA in Egyptian Archaeology from Cairo University (2001 and 2007). After he had finished his PhD, he received four post-doctoral fellowships from Erasmus Mundus to the Free University of Berlin in 2017, the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship to the University of Geneva in 2017-2018 and associate researcher at the Institut français d'archéologie orientale in Cairo (2021-23) and the American Research Centre in Cairo (2024). Currently, he is a visiting scholar at Free University (Berlin).
Mekawy Ouda is professor of Egyptian archaeology at Cairo University (2024-present). He held the position of 'associate professor' of Egyptian archaeology from (2019-2024), Lecturer (2014-2019) and 'Teaching Assistant' from 2002-2014. He taught many courses in Egyptian archaeology for BA, MA and PhD students. He also supervised loads of MA and PhD subjects (2014-2020).
Ahmed’s primary areas of interest are the ancient Egyptian archaeology, material culture, religion, iconography of the ancient Egyptian deities and history of Egyptology. Mekawy Ouda published 27 peer-reviewed articles in international journals in Belgium, Egypt, England, France, Germany and USA. He presented in worldwide conferences in leading universities and museums e.g., Birmingham, Cambridge, Oxford, Free University and Humboldt University in Berlin, Kings College London, Swansea, Toronto University, University of California Los Angeles, University College London, the Egyptian National Military Museum and Islamic Museum of Art in Cairo, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the British Museum London. He also delivered many talks at foreign Institutes in Cairo including the German Archaeological institute, the Netherlands-Flemish Institute, the Institut français d'archéologie orientale and Egypt Exploration Society. He participated in attendance numerous international conferences and workshops in Egypt and Europe. Mekawy Ouda organized several conferences in cooperation with many colleagues at Egyptian universities and non-Egyptian institutes e.g., the German Archaeological institute, the Netherlands-Flemish Institute and the American University in Cairo. He reviewed many articles for local and international journals.
