Welcome to the website of the Third International Colloquium on Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt. This triennial conference draws together an international field of Egyptologists, archaeologists and anthropologists who specialise in the origins and formation of the ancient Egyptian state (c. 4000–2680 BC). The inaugural meeting entitled “Origin of the State: Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt” was held in Kraków, Poland, in August 2002. Following the success of the second meeting in Toulouse, France, in September 2005, the third meeting is scheduled for the British Museum, London, from Sunday 27th July to Friday 1st August 2008. This website provides details regarding many aspects of the conference, to which regular updates will be added as the information becomes available.
The first day of the colloquium (Monday 28th July) will be held in conjunction with the British Museum Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan’s one day Annual Egyptological Colloquium 2008* on the topic of:
Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt: Recent Discoveries
BP Lecture Theatre, The British Museum, London
Speakers: Dirk Huyge (Qurta), Matthieu Honnegger (pre-Kerma), Deborah Darnell (Rayayna)
Matthew Adams & David O’Connor (Abydos), Vera Müller (Abydos, Umm el-Qa‘ab)
Renée Friedman (Hierakonpolis), Thomas Hikade (Hierakonpolis), Christiana Köhler (Helwan)
Béatrix Midant-Reynes (Kom el-Khilgan), Ulrich Hartung (Buto)
Followed by:
The Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation Distinguished Lecture in Egyptology 2008
Krzysztof Ciałowicz: Ivory and gold in the Delta: excavations at Tell el-Farkha
Reception in the Egyptian Sculpture Gallery
*For those who do not wish to attend the entire conference, tickets for the Annual Egyptological Colloquium and/or the Sackler Lecture must be obtained separately from the British Museum’s Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, available from 1st June 2008. Further details can be found here.
All other enquiries regarding the Third International Colloquium on Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt should be sent to the Organising Committee at the following address:
The deadline for submission of abstracts was Monday 1st October 2007. Abstracts accepted onto the programme by the Scientific Committee are available for downloading here.
Posters will be exhibited in the conference area for the duration of the colloquium from Tuesday 29th July to Friday 1st August 2008.
Guidelines for the production of posters can be downloaded here:
Final registration for the entire colloquium is now CLOSED. Tickets for the Annual Egyptological Colloquium and/or the Sackler Lecture on Monday 28th July can still be obtained from the British Museum’s Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan. Further details can be found here.
Registered conference delegates who are interested in attending the Script as Material Culture workshop scheduled for Thursday 31st July (from 12:00–2:00pm as a working lunch - see the provisional programme) should contact Kathryn Piquette to reserve a place*:
*Please note: Places are limited to approximately 30 persons.
Those giving pre-papers are strongly encouraged to join the Google Group associated with the workshop, where further details and updates will be posted in due course. Those interested in this topic generally, whether working on scripts, 'non-textual' marking systems or other graphical culture are also warmly welcomed to join this online forum.
We look forward to welcoming our colleagues in London in 2008.
Renée Friedman and Liam McNamara
The Organising Committee
