An Afternoon with Dylan Bickerstaffe

Dylan will be speaking on:

• Where Only the Dead are Welcome  – The Perilous Tombs of Ancient EgyptWith modern walkways, rails and lighting we can appreciate the scenes on the walls of tombs in relative safety and comfort. However, that was not always the case, and, even today, freshly discovered or long-sealed tombs can still harbour very real and deadly hazards. Indeed, it is sometimes as though the dead were reaching into the present, to add to their numbers…The moment a tomb is discovered provides a unique opportunity to observe and report what was found – but this process is also fraught with dangers. And then there are tombs that were left more or less incomplete without any clear pattern or reason.

• The Great God Min– Ancient Egypt’s Most Potent DeityThe Egyptian god, Min, stands proudly displaying the bold male attribute which has led to him being described as a ‘fertility deity’. Certainly, Min seems to be a very primitive god dating to the earliest times, but his attributes were taken up by the King of the Gods, Amen-Ra, and he retained his importance until the end of the pagan period.Apart from his ithyphallic pose, Min displayed a number of other characteristic attributes and accessories. He was also honoured by unusual ceremonies and elaborate festivals. Min is a god who rewards investigation.