Campus Connection

Archaeologist to share latest discoveries from world’s oldest harbor

An Egyptian archaeologist will share the latest discoveries at the oldest known harbor in the world during a public lecture at UW-La Crosse. Gregory Marouard, a research associate in Egyptian Archaeology at The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, will share details about the harbor complex at Wadi al-Jarf, along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, at 4 p.m. Thursday, March 1, at 1400 Centennial Hall. The massive installation dates back to the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty. The lecture is free and open to all. Marouard will also provide a new overview on some of the papyri fragments discovered at the site, which are the oldest inscribed papyri discovered in Egypt. Papyri is material ancient Egyptians used for writing and painting, among other things. The uncovered papyri underline the complex organization and well-structured logistics for royal projects and expeditions 4,600 years ago. Some clearly name King Khufu, the Egyptian pharaoh famous for building the Great Pyramid at Giza. The papyri also give important details and describe activities in close relation to the construction of the Great Pyramid at Giza. A joint team of Paris-Sorbonne University and the French Institute in Cairo (IFAO), supported by the CNRS and the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs, have been excavating the harbor complex since 2011. The harbor was used for a short time as a departure point to the Sinai Peninsula for royal expeditions on the way to the regions of Serabit al-Khadim and Wadi Maghara, the principal mining areas for copper and turquoise during the Pharaonic times.

If you go —

Who: Gregory Marouard, a research associate in Egyptian Archaeology at The Oriental Institute, University of Chicago What: Public lecture on the oldest known harbor When: 4 p.m. Thursday, March 1 Where: 1400 Centennial Hall, UWL