Discovering Egypt: The Tomb of Khuwy

Discover the story of the pharaoh Djedkare, his family and courtiers, and take advantage of the rare opportunity to hear from visiting international Egyptologists Dr. Mohamed Megahed and Dr. Hana Vymazalová of Charles University, Prague.

The most powerful queen in the Old Kingdom was buried next to the pharaoh Djedkare in the largest pyramid ever built for a king’s wife.  Near her lies the Crown Prince Isesiankh who did not live long enough to succeed his father on Egypt’s throne.

Taking you to their archaeological site at south Saqqara, Egypt, the two Egyptologists will introduce the Djedkare Project and share its most important results. They will share the stories of this ancient Dynasty 5 pharaoh, his queen and their courtiers by showing you the discoveries made by their mission; discoveries that have rewritten the history of Old Kingdom Egypt!

The discovery of the tomb of the courtier Khuwy by the Djedkare Project  was ranked by Archaeology Magazine as one of the 10 most significant archaeological discoveries of 2019. The tomb is stunningly beautiful and clearly indicates the high status of its owner. The artists who decorated this tomb were among the first to use an innovative approach to express the changing tendencies and interpretations of funerary beliefs.

This talk will be in English and the session will be facilitated by Heather Tunmore (Honorary Associate of the WA Museum).

Discovering Ancient Egypt exhibition is open daily 9.30am – 5pm. Visit the exhibition prior to the talk.

WA Museum Boola Bardip presents this talk in partnership with the Macquarie University and the History Teachers’ Association of WA (HTAWA).

Meet the Speakers

Dr. Mohamed Megahed graduated in Egyptian Archaeology and Art History at universities in Minya and Cairo and acquired his PhD in Egyptology at the Charles University, Prague in 2016. He specializes above all on archaeology, architecture and decoration of the Old Kingdom pyramid complexes. He directs the project of the exploration, documentation and conservation of the pyramid complex of King Djedkare-Isesi at south Saqqara, and participates at the Czech mission in Abusir.

Dr. Hana Vymazalová is an Associate Professor of Egyptology at the Faculty of Arts of the Charles University. Since 2006 she participates in the Czech archaeological excavation in Abusir, and since 2015 she is a member of the Egyptian mission exploring the royal cemetery of pharaoh Djedkare at south Saqqara (mid 3rd millennium BCE). Besides the field work, she focuses on the economy of the Old Kingdom Egypt and the earliest administrative archives. She also studies ancient Egyptian science, especially mathematics and medicine.

Image credit: Nyuyen Phung Thao

Talks 

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