The Festivals of Drunkenness in the Temple of Mut
Date and Time
Free Hybrid Lecture Event
Speaker: Betsy M. Bryan, Alexander Badawy Professor Emerita of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, Johns Hopkins University
The Temple of Mut is an ancient Egyptian sanctuary dedicated to the mother goddess Mut. From the early New Kingdom (c. 15th century BCE) through the Roman era, this temple was the setting for several festivals of drunkenness. The archaeological remains of a columned hall at Mut’s temple indicate that these celebrations took place during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (c. 1479–1459 BCE). These included the annual Drunkenness Festival and the major Theban ritual known as the Beautiful Feast of the Valley. In this lecture, Betsy Bryan examines how these festivals were celebrated at Mut and at other sites in ancient Egypt, highlighting their participants, rituals, and religious purposes.
Advance registration is recommended.
Free event parking is available with registration. Parking will be available starting at 5pm. Register by November 17 to receive parking registration instructions.
Presented by the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.
About the Speaker
Betsy M. Bryan is a historian and art historian of ancient Egypt and is a specialist in the New Kingdom (ca. 1600–1100 BCE). As professor emerita of Egyptian art and archaeology at Johns Hopkins University, she teaches in the Department of Near Eastern Studies. Her research interests include the organization and production of art and its social and cultural meanings, including performance and expressions of ritual. Bryan’s studies on the cult of Mut-Sekhmet are cited often. Her long-term field projects in the Temple of Mut in South Karnak (2001–2025) and in the Theban Tomb 92 of the Royal Butler Suemniut (1993–2001) on the West Bank of Luxor have extended her research into the Second Intermediate Period, c. 1700–1550 BCE. Bryan has curated art exhibitions for the Cleveland Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art and has been both Curator and Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum throughout her career at Johns Hopkins University.
Photos by James Van Rensselaer IV, owned by author (Betsy M. Bryan)