30 May 2025
About the Lecture
The royal pyramid necropolis at Abusir Center is one of the most significant archaeological sites in the region of ancient Egypt’s capital, Memphis, which was founded around 3100 BC at the dawn of the unified Egyptian state. The necropolis flourished during the Fifth Dynasty (c. 2435–2306 BC), when the pyramid complexes of four Egyptian kings were constructed. Surrounding these monumental structures were the pyramids of queens, tombs of royal family members, and burials of non-royals. Since 1960, the Czech Institute of Egyptology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University, has been conducting research at this site. Over the decades, it has uncovered dozens of archaeological artifacts in Abusir, most of which date back to the third millennium BC, primarily from the Old Kingdom (2686–2181 BC). The era in which the pyramid complexes at Abusir Center were built was marked by advancements in technological knowledge, increasing complexity in the administration of the Egyptian state, and administrative reforms. It also saw changes in the concept of kingship, evolving religious ideas, and distinct architectural styles. Notably, this period was characterized by the rise of the sun cult, whose growing influence is evident in religious imagery, royal titulary, the design of pyramid complexes, and the construction of specific religious precincts known as sun temples. Of the six solar temples mentioned in written sources of the period, two have been archaeologically investigated—the sun temples of Kings Userkaf and Niuserre, located northwest of Abusir Center. These temples were closely associated with the mortuary cult practices within the pyramid complexes. Accordingly, the lecture will provide a brief overview of these temples alongside the monuments at Abusir Center.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.
Date: June 11, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m. Amman Time
Place: American Center of Research, Amman (click for directions)
Please note that this lecture will not be available remotely.
About the Speaker
Doc. Mgr. Jaromír Krejčí, PhD, is a staff member of the Czech Institute of Egyptology at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University in Prague, is an Egyptologist with long-standing archaeological experience in Egypt. He specializes in addressing issues of Egyptian archaeology and history from the end of the Fourth to the mid-Second Millennium BC. Additionally, he involved in the study of development of ancient Egyptian architecture. He has been regularly participating in archaeological research in Egypt since 1991, focusing mainly on the study of structures at the Fifth Dynasty royal cemetery in Central Abusir. Recently, he has been engaged in the archaeological excavation in the eastern part of the pyramid complex of King Niuserre and the study of the solar cult and its manifestations in Egypt in the Third Millennium BC. Alongside this, he has been actively involved in teaching students at his home institution for a long time, he supervises student works and regularly gives lectures for the public and appears in the media.