
From crude drawings on a rock to the sophistication of Cleopatra’s court, our chairman Andrew Ward traversed 3,000 years of Egyptian history and culture, pointing out notable events and artefacts along the way.
The main purpose of this was to see these things in a historical context and to appreciate the great span of time. Consider this: we are closer to Cleopatra in years than she was to the building of the pyramids.
We began with prehistoric petrographs on Vulture Rock near Elkab. These depict animals that disappeared along with the vegetation (climate change!). But do not suppose the resulting desert had nothing left to yield, because a meteorite containing precious iron was once found in it. The Egyptians must have thought this object from the sky was a gift of the gods, so it was used to make a dagger for Tutankhamun. This very rare object was placed in his tomb and in the thousands of years since it has never rusted. A divine piece perhaps after all.
We ended with the Ptolemies. The royal families of Egypt were known for their inbreeding and the Ptolemies were no exception, so it was a healthy sign when Mark Antony and Julius Caesar improved the genetic pool by each giving Cleopatra a son. Ptolemy Philadelphus was Antony’s child and Caesar was the father of Caesarion. But what the Romans gave they also took away and Caesarion’s short life ended at the hands of Octavian, later the emperor Augustus.
Thank you, Andrew, for helping us to appreciate an overall view of Egyptian history in such a cordial and interesting way.
