New online course with the 92nd Street NY – "Kingship in Ancient Egypt"
Join Kara for her new live, virtual course with 92NY on March 6th, 13th, and 20th
Online Course: Kingship in Ancient Egypt
The zeitgeist is real! I am talking authoritarianism! Ancient Egypt offers a brilliant, long-duration lens through which we can examine power dynamics in our own time. Join me for this live, virtual course exploring the lives and legacies of four pivotal pharaohs: Khufu, Senwosret III, Akhenaten, and Ramses II.
This is a live, virtual course hosted by Roundtable, which includes interactive opportunities and post-course recordings available for all course participants. Come and ask me questions about diverse subjects dealing with power, populism, fanatical religion, colonialism and authoritarianism.
Course overview, from Roundtable.org by 92NY:
In this three-session course, you’ll learn about the history of Egyptian kingship with renowned Egyptologist and best-selling author Dr. Kara Cooney. In this course, you will explore the lives and legacies of four pivotal pharaohs: Khufu, Senwosret III, Akhenaten, and Ramses II.
Dr. Cooney’s expert analysis will unravel the complex ideology of divine rulership, offering a unique window into a world where religious beliefs and political power intertwined. You’ll discover how these pharaohs wielded authority — from Khufu, the man who built the Great Pyramid at Giza as testament to his authoritarian reign, to Ramses II, a pharaoh who worked to revive Egyptian greatness.
This course offers a lens through which we can examine power dynamics in our own time. Join us to gain fresh insights into leadership, authority, and the timeless struggle between the many and the few, and learn about how power was earned, controlled, and manipulated in ancient times.
This is a live, virtual course hosted by Roundtable, which includes interactive opportunities and post-course recordings available for all course participants.
More about the course
Session 1: Kingship in the Age of the Pyramids: Khufu and Senwosret III
This lecture introduces the religious foundations and ideology of ancient Egyptian divine kingship and looks at the nature of kingship in the age of the pyramids using the case studies of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza; and Senwosret III, a king who applied ruthless power to bend strongmen to his will despite inheriting a dynasty on the defensive.
When: March 6th 9:00 - 10:00 AM PT
Duration: 60 min
Session 2: Priest Kings. Warrior Kings.: Akhenaten and Ramses II
This lecture continues the discussion of ancient Egyptian kingship using the case studies of Akhenaten, an apostate king who implemented religious upheaval during his reign; and Ramses II, a master of the optics of power who maintained the illusion of Egypt’s fabulous wealth, his status as a great military leader, and presented himself as a man of the people through gas-lighting and monumental propaganda.
When: March 13th 9:00 - 10:00 AM PT
Duration: 60 min
Session 3: No Zealot Like the Convert: Taharqa and Colonialism
This lecture examines ancient Egyptian kingship and colonialism using the case study of Taharqa. A canny imperialist who was able to unify and tame Egypt from his base in Kush, Taharqa attempted to win hearts and minds with a stout religious zeal. Heir to generations of Egyptian oppression, he aspired to wield a benevolent, pious force over his homeland's conquerors, but in the end his efforts unraveled in the face of Assyrian king Ashurbanipal’s infamous sack of Egypt in 663 BCE.
When: March 20th 9:00 - 10:00 AM PT
Duration: 60 min