Archaeology and Ancient Societies: New Perspectives from Egypt and the Native American South

In collaboration with the Institute for the Study of the Americas

Archaeological knowledge resembles historical knowledge in analyzing past societies that helped to shape later human cultures, but archaeological insights come from sources and analytical methods that often differ from the materials and methods that other humanists employ. This Dialogues seminar will bring together two UNC-Chapel Hill archaeologists whose work focuses on ancient Egyptian cultures and pre-modern Native American cultures. What have archaeologists learned about these complex societies and their cultural-political systems from recent, ongoing archaeological research? How did these societies resemble or differ from the human cultures in which we now live? We will broaden our understanding of people who lived in very different cultures and yet shared the common aspirations and fears of human existence.

TOPICS & SPEAKERS

Material Evidence for Political and Religious Hierarchies in Pharaonic Egypt
Jennifer Gates-Foster, Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology

Society, Politics, and Religion in the Late Pre-Columbian American South
Vincas Steponaitis, William E. Leuchtenburg Distinguished Professor of Archaeology and Anthropology

What Do We Learn about Human Cultures and Ourselves from Archaeological Work in Egypt and the American South?
A panel discussion with our speakers

TIME & TUITION