The ancient Egyptians are most famous for their elaborate funerary preparations, but these practices were only a small part of a broader Egyptian worldview in which the practices not only made sense, but were regarded as absolutely necessary. This talk explores the ways in which the ancient Egyptian experience of the world was shaped by elements such as landscape, agriculture, and technology, and seeks to understand the place of funerary religion within this larger whole.

About Dr. Rune Nyord

Dr. Rune Nyord is an Assistant Professor of Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology at Emory University. Before joining Emory in 2018, he held positions at the University of Copenhagen, Christ’s College (University of Cambridge), and the Free University Berlin. His research focuses on ancient Egyptian funerary culture and ancestor cult, especially of the Middle Kingdom (early 2nd millennium BCE). He is the author of the monograph Breathing Flesh: Conceptions of the Body in the Ancient Egyptian Coffin Texts (Copenhagen, 2009) as well as numerous papers and book chapters on ancient Egyptian religion, art, and language.