Sally Katary Memorial Lecture 2025
2025's Sally Katary Memorial Lecture took place on Saturday 31st May 2025 at 1:00pm EST as a hybrid In person / virtual event held online.
The presenter was Professor Antonio Morales, Associate Prof. of Egyptology, University of Alcalá and Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Yale University.
His Title: "If These Walls Could Talk! Women and Agency in the Funerary Complex of Mentuhotep II".
Abstract: Excavations conducted at Deir el-Bahari by Naville (1903–1907) and Winlock (1920–1931) uncovered a remarkable collection of female burials within the funerary temple of Mentuhotep II. These burials were arranged in four different clusters. Additionally, an opulent rock-cult tomb beyond the temple’s northern precinct contained another female burial. Approximately thirty women were interred within the king’s funerary complex, with variations in tomb architecture, burial goods, and body treatment suggesting differences in their background, social role, and status. While some of these women have been definitively identified as “royal women” (Hmt-nswt), the status and purpose of the others remain subject to debate. The variety of titles associated with them has led scholars to propose multiple interpretations over time, including “concubine,” “musician,” “priestess,” “cultic wife,” and even “(unchosen) candidate for royal marriage.”
This presentation firstly reviewed previous research on the various female groups within the temple (i.e. Winlock, Ward, Gillam, Sabbahy, Roehrig) before shifting focus to new perspectives on their roles within the elite. By reassessing these women’s positions in relation to court politics, religious practices, and the history of local cults - particularly the veneration of Hathor - this study seeks to refine our understanding of female agency in the Theban court. Given Hathor’s prominence in this part of Western Thebes and her integration into Mentuhotep II’s ideological framework, her cult may provide crucial insights into the women’s functions. Ultimately, this approach aims to challenge interpretations that overlook distinctions among those individuals, offering instead a more nuanced reconstruction of their identities, responsibilities, and relationships within the royal court.
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