The Genesee Community College History Club is excited to invite the public to attend a lecture presented by Rozenn Bailleul-LeSuer, Ph.D., entitled “Winged Jewels of the Nile.” Rescheduled due to inclement weather in February, Bailleul-LeSuer has agreed to present on Wednesday, May 1st.
Birds and bird imagery filled the world of the ancient Egyptians. Every fall, the arrival of millions of waterfowl in the Delta marshes coincided with the Nile flood. The Egyptians saw in these natural and cyclical events a symbolic reenactment of the moment of creation when, according to some versions of the myth, a divine goose laid an egg on the first mound emerging from the water. From this egg hatched the sun god, who flew high in the sky and created the other gods and humanity.
In addition to presenting how birds, from cradle to coffin, permeated most aspects of Egyptian society, Bailleul-LeSuer will discuss the work she has conducted and is pursuing on a selection of bird mummies held in museum collections. Using medical imaging and scientific analyses to complement findings from ancient texts and artifacts, her research aims at shedding some additional light on the phenomenon of Sacred Bird Cults, in which these mummies played a significant role.
With her expertise in this unique field of study, Bailleul-LeSuer has edited the book, “Between Heaven and Earth, Birds in Ancient Egypt” which was published by the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in 2012.
The lecture begins at 7 p.m. in room T102 of the Conable Technology Building, is free and open to the public.
