Ramses II reigned during one of the most fascinating periods of political and military history in the ancient world. However, less well known are the tremendous changes that occurred in the realm of Egyptian religious thought during the Ramesside Age. In this lecture, we will explore labyrinthine maps of the Egyptian cosmos and their bewildering menageries of gods and demons, the damned and the blessed dead, as found in the royal tombs and temples of Egypt's Nineteenth Dynasty. We will seek to uncover the meaning behind these mysterious works of ancient cosmology, as we explore the dread paths of the Underworld, which Ramses the Great hoped to travel for eternity.

This program is supported by Elizabeth Moyer, PhD, and Michael Powanda, PhD; Bernard and Jane von Bothmer, in honor of the late Bernard V. Bothmer; and Sheila Wishek.