The Modern Side of Ancient Egypt: Dr. Stephen Phillips To Speak on Egypt's Changing Culture

The modern and ancient history of Egypt will come together Wednesday night at , as Dr. Stephen Phillips will be giving his lecture “A Thousand Miles Up the Nile.”

Phillips is the Research Assistant to the Curator-in-Charge of the Egyptian Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. His expertise in Egyptian history, paired with a travelogue of a recent trip to Egypt shortly after the country’s revolution, is the focus of his talk.

“We planned [the trip] for a year and a half. Two months before we planned to depart they decide to have a revolution. I talk about going through the decision process to make the trip and what it was like to go,” Phillips said. “I have a vast number of slides to give people idea of our experience; to help experience the modern side of ancient Egypt.”

Phillips led the travel group, whose final deposit on the trip was paid just the day before the first demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak began. The group made the trip, from March 24- April 6 of this year. Phillips uses the experience to give a “juxtaposition about what we saw on TV and what exactly happened,” he said.

“It was an incredible experience. The monuments we went to, some of the most famous places on the planet, were almost empty when we went there.”

Phillips has given the lecture twice before, with good reactions from his audience, he said. He uses slides to give a visual aid to his descriptions of Egypt just after the Mubarak presidency. His lecture is a part of the outreach program by the Penn Museum, which receives funding from the state. (The museum is waiting to hear how the recently passed budget will affect its educational programs.)

Phillips received his Ph.D. in physical anthropology and archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania, with a specialty in Egyptology. He has given lectures across Pennsylvania on mummification and how Egyptian culture is still present in the modern West.

“,” will be presented Wednesday night, 7 p.m., at the Chestnut Hill Library. It is free and open to the public. Phillips called the event family-oriented, but said those under the ages of five or six might get lose attention as the lecture lasts just over an hour.

“Anyone can enjoy the lecture,” Phillips said. “The pictures alone are so beautiful they make a great backdrop for the story.”