Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
The site of Beni Hassan is unique. Its cemetery features some of Egypt’s most beautifully decorated rock-cut tombs, with walls preserving richly detailed scenes painted in vibrant colors. These tombs, dating back to the early Second Millennium BCE, are among the most historically significant, captivating both scholars and enthusiasts alike. Notably, James H. Breasted initially envisioned documenting their paintings and reliefs as part of Chicago House’s Epigraphic Survey. Around a century later, Breasted’s vision has somewhat materialized, through the collaborative work of the current Beni Hasan Project. In this talk, Anna-Latifa Mourad Cizek, ISAC Assistant Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and member of the Beni Hassan Project, will introduce epigraphy and exploration at the site, as carried out by a team of specialists in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie University.
This lecture is presented in connection with the ISAC Museum special exhibition, Chicago on the Nile: 100 Years of the Epigraphic Survey in Egypt (September 17, 2024–March 23, 2025).
The site of Beni Hassan is unique. Its cemetery features some of Egypt’s most beautifully decorated rock-cut tombs, with walls preserving richly detailed scenes painted in vibrant colors. These tombs, dating back to the early Second Millennium BCE, are among the most historically significant, captivating both scholars and enthusiasts alike. Notably, James H. Breasted initially envisioned documenting their paintings and reliefs as part of Chicago House’s Epigraphic Survey. Around a century later, Breasted’s vision has somewhat materialized, through the collaborative work of the current Beni Hasan Project. In this talk, Anna-Latifa Mourad Cizek, ISAC Assistant Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and member of the Beni Hassan Project, will introduce epigraphy and exploration at the site, as carried out by a team of specialists in collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Australian Centre for Egyptology at Macquarie University.
This lecture is presented in connection with the ISAC Museum special exhibition, Chicago on the Nile: 100 Years of the Epigraphic Survey in Egypt (September 17, 2024–March 23, 2025).
