Greek Temples in Egypt: The Ptolemies and their "Houses of Gods"

After the arrival of Alexander the Great in 332 BCE, Egypt underwent another exciting transformation - which survives to us today in great Temples. For 300 years, the Great Ptolemaic kings kickstarted a building program that included erecting or reconstructing many great houses of the gods: Edfu, Kom Ombo, Philae and Denderah to name but a few. These divine temples followed Egyptian religious practices but show a distinct Greek character in the art and decorative relief program. They are also among the most breathtaking monuments you visit on any tour of Upper Egypt.
In this three-part series, Laura will bring these temples alive, and discuss their decoration programs, unique features - and the Ptolemies who built them. Why were temples important to the Ptolemies? How do these monuments both differ and reflect temples of the Pharaonic era? What gods were worshipped here - and what did it all mean?
Laura Ranieri is an Egyptologist (MA University of Toronto), writer and founder-director of Ancient Egypt Alive (www.ancientegyptalive.com) She has excavated in Egypt at the site of Amarna and Asasif - and has developed/led specialized Egyptian history tours. As an educator, she has presented extensively on ancient Egypt at museums, symposiums and libraries across North America.
This course was run successfully in 2017 through Ryerson University's Life Institute in Toronto and is being enhanced and updated with up-to-date discoveries.
To register for the lively three series Zoom learning course visit the link here www.eventbrite.ca/e/greek-tem...