BARlines
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Exhibition
Egyptian History Explored Through Coptic Art
A comprehensive show of Coptic art, the first in the world since 1964, illustrates the daily lives of Egyptians in the era of dying paganism and nascent Christianity, the period after the pharaohs but before the coming of Islam. Titled “Beyond the Pharaohs: Egypt and the Copts in the Second to Seventh Centuries A.D.,” the exhibition will appear through April 16 at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, in Providence, and will then travel to the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore for a showing from May 17 through July 15.
Organized around the culture of the Copts, a Christian sect native to Egypt, the exhibition displays over 230 artworks, including sculptures, textiles, ceramics, glass and manuscripts. The objects, some of which have never before been publicly exhibited, bring to life such facets of Egyptian daily life as the marketplace, the home, religion and death.
Chapter News
Memphis and New York City BAS Chapters Flourish
BAS’s Memphis chapter, which was in its infancy this time last year, is now firmly established and looking for new members. Activities set for 1989 include a hands-on examination of ancient coins (April 4) and a chance to have your own “artifacts” evaluated by an expert (May 30).
If you would like to join this growing chapter, or if you know someone in the Memphis area who is interested in Biblical archaeology, please contact Rev. Owen Guy, 40 East Parkway South, Memphis, TN 38104; phone: (901) 756–7732.
The New York City BAS chapter still thrives after eight years and looks forward to new growth. On the average, 40 people attend their monthly meetings at Dresner’s restaurant in downtown Manhattan. Dresner’s donates a private room to the chapter, with the expectation that most of the attendees will buy dinner—provided at a discount price of $8 for members. In addition, members pay $7 and non-members pay $10 to attend the meeting.
Besides bringing in revenue to use for speakers, the entry fees collected at meetings and the annual dues ($10 for individuals and $15 for families) allow the chapter to mail announcements and to occasionally make a mass mailing to attract new members. President Ed Gitow is about to use the BAR subscriber list for Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn (provided by BAS) to send information about the program of the NYC chapter. When next we speak to Ed, we will learn the results.
Gitow advises other chapters to go the restaurant route for meetings. When you eat together each month, he says, you make friends. It is much more congenial than sitting together in rows at a lecture. He also recommends asking the group to suggest future programs and leaving time for discussion between speakers and members.
The topic for the next program (March 22) is “Gods and Goddesses as Shown in the Antiquities of the Ancient Near East,” with antiquities dealer Abraham Epstein.
Call Ed Gitow at (212) 226–3400 if you want to come to a meeting. They’ll be happy to welcome you at Dresner’s.
Filling a Gap
New Guidebook Series Spotlights Jordan’s Archaeological Heritage
Al Kutba, the Nabatean/North Arabian goddess of scribes, has gone into the publishing business—even if in name only. In cooperation with the Jordanian Department of Antiquities, Al Kutba, Publishers (Amman, Jordan) launched in 1988 a series in English of handy guidebooks to Jordan’s major archaeological sites.
The “Al Kutba Jordan Guides” series will, when complete, comprise at least 12 booklets in a 5 ¼-by-7 ½-inch format. The first six volumes appearing in English explore the antiquities of Petra, Amman, Aqaba, Jerash, Pella and The Desert Castles. Written by Rami G. Khouri (with Donald Whitcomb for the Aqaba booklet), they range in length from 32 to 40 pages. The guides feature attractive full-color covers and numerous black-and-white photos of sites and artifacts, as well as drawings, plans and maps. Future volumes will describe Umm Quais, Madaba/Mt. Nebo/Umm er-Resas, the King’s Highway, Kerak and Shobak, Ajlun castle, Umm el-Jimal, Islamic Jordan, and Biblical sites in Jordan.
Each guide costs $2 and can be ordered from the North American distributor: Solipsist Press, P.O. Box 544, Sebastopol, CA 95473 (tel. 707–829-9263). Outside North America, they can be ordered from the publisher, with payment by check in any convertible currency: Al Kutba, Publishers, Darwazeh Building, Second Circle, Jabal Amman, P.O. Box 9446, Amman, Jordan.
The Jordanian Department of Antiquities and Al Kutba are also publishing brief archaeological factsheets on all excavated and surveyed sites in the country. The factsheets provide information on location, facilities and archaeological background. Twenty-seven have already been published, including such sites as Petra and Tell el-‘Umeiri (both listed in our survey of excavation opportunities, “Digging in ’89,” BAR 15:01). Factsheets are available for free from the Dept. of Antiquities Registration Center, P.O. Box 88, Amman, Jordan.
Corrections
In our September/October 1988 issue, the surname of Avraham (Avi) Eitan, the former director of the Israel Department of Antiquities, appeared incorrectly as “Gitan.” Our apologies.
The Joint Expedition to Caesarea Maritima, mentioned in the January/February 1989 BAR (“Digging in ’89,” BAR 15:01), recently informed us that they have canceled the 1989 digging season. This expedition should not be confused with the Caesarea Ancient Harbor Excavation Project, which will be in the field this summer, as described elsewhere in the January/February BAR.
The proper contact address for persons in the Western U.S. who may wish to volunteer for the Tel Dor excavation is: Andrew Stewart, Dept. of History of Art, Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Exhibition
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