Precious stones of the Ancient Egyptians: Expeditions for amethyst at Wadi el-Hudi
5.45pm for a 6pm start
Standard | $10
Concession | $8
Location
Hackett Hall
Site access information
WA Museum Boola Bardip is fully accessible. Call 1300 134 081 for assistance. Accessible resources and programs >
What stories lie hidden in desert stone? What can ancient amethyst mines reveal about the lives, labour and power of early civilisations?
Presented with the History Teachers Association of WA
For the past 14 years, Dr Kate Liszka and Bryan Kraemer of California State University, San Bernardino, have led an expedition to Wadi el-Hudi in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, southeast of Aswan. Working in an active military zone, they are in a race against time to investigate the region’s ancient settlements and mines.
Spanning from the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000–1700 BCE), to the Arab Period (6th–19th century CE), Wadi el-Hudi offers a unique archaeological record of how people mined and managed valuable resources over thousands of years.
Drawing on fieldwork, recent discoveries and cutting-edge research methods, this panel will provide unique insight into life in the desert how the ancient Egyptians sourced precious stones to create jewellery and luxury goods for the royal family and elite.
Access information
WA Museum Boola Bardip is a fully accessible venue.
If you're attending this event and would like to request Auslan interpretation, please contact reception@museum.wa.gov.au or call 1300 134 081 a minimum of five working days before the event to allow time for us to make these arrangements.
The WA Museum Boola Bardip acknowledges the Australian Centre for Egyptology and Macquarie University for their support in covering all transportation costs associated with this event, including transit between California, Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne. Thanks also to the History Teachers Association of WA for assisting with accommodation costs.
Meet The Speakers
About Dr. Kate Liszka
Dr. Kate Liszka is the Benson and Pamela Harer Fellow in Egyptology and Professor of History at California State University San Bernardino. She received her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 and was a Cotsen Fellow in the Society of Fellows at Princeton University from 2012-2015. She enjoys studying questions of labor, administration, identity, and Egyptian-Nubian interactions in the ancient world.
About Bryan Kraemer
Bryan Kraemer is a Research Egyptologist at the Robert and Frances Fullerton Museum of Art (CSUSB) and is currently completing his PhD in Egyptology at the University of Chicago. His dissertation looks at Abydos in the Ptolemaic Period, integrating textual, archaeological, and archival data. His archaeological experience has brought him to Italy, Greece, and Egypt. He’s the co-director, chief surveyor, and chief epigraphist for the Wadi el-Hudi Expedition.
