Presented by Professor Boyo Ockinga, Department of Ancient History, and Member of the Australian Centre for Egyptology.

The New Kingdom tombs of the officials who were buried in the Theban necropolis are a vital source of information on their original owners and the times in which they lived. But their significance as a source of historical information goes beyond this, because the tombs were reused in later times, both pharaonic as well as post-pharaonic.

Two of the tombs excavated and investigated by the Macquarie University Theban Tombs Project, TT 233 (Saroy) and TT 149 (Amenmose), are of especial interest in this respect. They were reused, after the 19th and 20th Dynasties when they were first constructed, not only in later pharaonic times but also centuries later in the Byzantine Period, when Egypt was part of the Eastern Roman Empire. During this period the tombs were used as dwellings by Coptic Christians as part of the monastic settlement on Dra Abu el-Naga. This lecture focuses on this later phase of the tombs' life-history.

The lecture will be presented both in-person and online. The in-person event will open at 5pm with refreshments, before the lecture begins at 5.30pm. All welcome!

Presented as part of the Rundle Foundation for Egyptian Archaeology Lecture Series 2026.

When: 5:30-6.45pm AEST Wednesday 20 May 2026 (starting with free refreshments from 5pm)

Where (in person): Seminar Room C120, 25C Wally’s Walk, Arts Precinct, Macquarie University (above the Gale Museum)

Where (online): https://macquarie.zoom.us/j/84630535109

Image: The Coptic stratum of TT 149 (Amenmose), photo: B. Ockinga.