Egyptologist Dr. Eugene Cruz-Uribe of CSU Monterey Bay talks about his research into the much-misunderstood divinity Seth. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Seth, the god of the desert, of storms, of unpredictable forces that could kill you; god of mayhem, confusion and chaos, murderer of his brother god, Osiris. To this day, his face remains a total mystery. Often depicted as red-haired, was Seth born evil or did events turn him that way? The Ancient Egyptian world view was very big on subduing the forces of Chaos and permitting regeneration of life, to which Seth represented the exact opposite. Yet later Pharaohs took his name. Was he redeemed in later dynasties?
Could Seth be tamed and sent to vanquish the enemies of Egypt? Does religion always need a bad guy or a devil? Come decide for yourself.
This talk examines new scholarship and interpretations of Seth's role in the Egyptian religious world and history.
About the Speaker: Dr. Eugene David Cruz-Uribe received his Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (Egyptology) at the University of Chicago in 1983.
Academic appointments include Professor Emeritus, Department of History, Northern Arizona University; Editor, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt; Assistant Professor of Egyptology, Brown University; Curatorial Assistant, Department of Egyptian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1978-1979 (Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition); and Associate Project Egyptologist, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington, 1978 (Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibition).
Dr. Cruz-Uribe's books include Hibis Temple Project, Volumes 1, 2 and 3; Demotic Graffiti from the Temple of Isis in Aswan, coauthored with Jitse Dijkstra; The Archive of Tikas - Demotic Papyri from Philadelphia in the Fayum, coauthored with C. Nims.
