Click here to download the review of this meeting.
The Fifth Dynasty sun temples represent a unique and still largely unexplored category of monuments of ancient Egypt. Despite the fact of being the very first temples dedicated to the cult of the sun god Ra in pharaonic civilization, their knowledge is still blurred and full of dark spots. This is all the more true when we consider that out of the six temples known from the historical sources only two have been discovered so far. By means of a comprehensive exploration of the temples and particularly of the only one which is still largely preserved and visible nowadays, i.e., the sun temple of Niuserra, this lecture will guide you through the world of the Fifth Dynasty Kings of Egypt.
Massimiliano Nuzzolo is Assistant Professor of Egyptology at the Academy of Sciences in Warsaw, Poland, as well as co-director of the archaeological expedition to the sun temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab. He obtained his PhD in Egyptology in 2010 at L’Orientale University of Naples and later he has been scientific member of IFAO (2015-16) and Research Associate at the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Charles University, Prague (2016-2020). His scholarship has extensively covered issues connected to development of kingship and religion at the Old Kingdom, with a particular focus on the solar cult in Fifth Dynasty Egypt.
This talk was given at the January 2021 meeting of the Essex Egyptology Group, which was held online via Zoom on 10th January 2021 – click here to download the review of this meeting.