The Center for the Study of Origins is pleased to announce a lecture by Visiting Scholar Dr. David Ilan, from Hebrew Union College, on Tuesday, November 12th, at 5pm, in the British and Irish Studies Room (Norlin Library).
Title: Egyptian Imperial Rule in Canaan and the Introduction of Papyrus, 1900-1100 BCE
Abstract: Ancient Egypt always had a vested interest in Canaan. Canaan was the bridge to Mesopotamia and beyond, and Canaan was the heartland of the olive and grape products that Egypt craved but could not produce. Egypt's policy toward Canaan shifted according to political and economic circumstances; at times it adopted a policy of open, non-coercive trade, sometimes it ruled Canaan outright, and sometimes it used local vassals. By the end of the Bronze Age, circa 1150 BCE, Egypt abandoned its imperial strategy and withdrew. I will make the (still hypothetical) case that the papyrus plant (Cyperus papyrus) is a proxy for the changing strategies of Egyptian rule.
Email originsinfo@colorado.edu with any questions.
