This lecture will be preceded by the Society AGM.
The Teaching of Ptahhotep was first published as ‘the world’s oldest book’ in Paris in 1858. As such it might have caused a sensation. Instead, The Teaching gained a reputation as gobbledegook—too obscure to understand, too difficult to translate. Before the end of the century a milestone in human history had effectively disappeared from public view, and its true character as a book about language, spirituality and the human condition has rarely been recognised. Here Bill considers how The Teaching came to be so neglected because of our own prejudices about who Ptahhotep was, what he was talking about, and even the very language of his book.
Dr Bill Manley is best known for devising popular access to the study of Ancient Egypt. He lectured at the Universities of Glasgow, London and Liverpool for more than thirty years, and was Senior Curator for Ancient Egypt at National Museums Scotland. He still works with archaeological projects in Egypt, including the survey of a pristine site near the Valley of the Kings. His previous books have been translated into dozens of languages, and he has spoken at several international book festivals. Bill is Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland, Co-Director of Egiptología Complutense, and contributes to the Coptic Magical Papyri Project. His latest book, The Oldest Book in the World. Philosophy in the Age of the Pyramids, will be published by Thames & Hudson in June 2023.
This meeting will be on Zoom and in person in Glasgow, but please note that it will not be recorded.
Entry: £5 members, £7 non-members