About the lecture
Belief in an afterlife was deeply rooted in ancient Egypt, drawing on observations of nature and myths about Osiris, his resurrection and eternal life. A well-preserved body was one prerequisite: the soul that departed at death needed a place to return, rather than wandering, on the day of reunion with the earth. Embalming, which developed considerably over time, was intended to keep the body intact in the tomb, the eternal home of the blessed deceased, living forever in a new, radiant body.
Doc. PhDr. Kveta Smoláriková, PhD., studied Egyptology and Classical Archaeology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, and undertook postdoctoral studies at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. Since 1993, she has participated in excavations at Abusir and various sites in ancient Lower Egypt, including Kom Firin, Tell el-Dab'a and Tell el-Retaba. She specialises in the archaeology and history of the Late Period, the first millennium BCE, Graeco-Roman Egypt and Egypt's contacts with eastern Mediterranean cultures. At the time of the archived lecture, she was an associate professor of Egyptology at the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Charles University.
