World Renowned Egyptologist
Dr. Zahi Hawass
Visits the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

by Elizabeth Thompson

IN THE COMPANY of silent mummies, statues of forgotten deities, and 6000-year-old pottery, Bay Area residents listened attentively as Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and the leading Egyptologist of our time, spoke about the difficult task of unraveling the secrets of Egypt’s history.

Dr. Hawass, one of the few individuals who hold the honor of Explorer-In-Residence for National Geographic Society, focused his lecture on the recent work at the Giza Plateau, site of the Great Pyramid and the world-renowned Sphinx. “When I came to work at the Giza Plateau, everyone said that nothing could be discovered, everything had been done,” Dr. Hawass explained to the Tuesday-evening crowd on August 12, 2003, in the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. “But, as a matter of fact, since I have put my feet at the pyramids in August of 1987, many important discoveries have been made,” he went on to say.

“Where were the people who actually built the pyramids?” Dr. Hawass asked the museum audience—a question that has plagued scholars for decades. “This is what we had to know.”

Dr. Hawass described how his archeological team finally found the tombs of the pyramid builders, answering that lingering question. These tombs have since provided many insights onto the lives of the pyramid builders. Dr. Hawass used the lecture as an opportunity to discuss these recently unearthed clues form the past.

In contrast to the plentiful knowledge available on ancient Egypt’s ruling class, these tombs provide information about the everyday lives of the working class. Archeologists can now speculate on the workmen’s families, customs, diet, and even their sources of joy or pride. From the evidence found in these tombs and from graffiti left inside the pyramids, Egyptologists can now say that the pyramid builders were not slaves, but actual hired workmen and women, proud to be part of this magnificent national enterprise. And there is mounting evidence that the workers were well taken care of, in regards not only to their food and health needs, but their burial in preparation for the all-important afterlife.

Although Dr. Hawass focused on the recent discoveries around the Giza Plateau, he also emphasized the importance of returning national antiquities to Egypt as well as the need to recover Iraq’s lost treasures. Dr. Hawass has long been an active proponent of returning smuggled antiquities to their original home, and urges collectors and museums to help Iraq recover its lost artifacts.

Within his lecture Dr. Hawass also alluded to some upcoming projects. Dr. Hawass and his team recently discovered three intact tombs, and he hopes to open these in September. He also has plans for the ongoing preservation of Egypt’s treasures. These plans focus on protecting the area around the Giza Plateau from modern residential, commercial, and industrial growth. He also mentioned plans to remove the camel rides and souvenir stands from the immediate area in front of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx.

The lecture complimented the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum’s atmosphere of excitement and activity. “It was a great honor to host such an eminent archeologist in our newly renovated galleries,” said Museum Curator Lisa Schwappach-Shirriff. The museum opened its Afterlife Gallery just a little less than a year ago, and each of the museum’s galleries is scheduled to be renovated. The newly installed Gallery D, which will explore the dualities of the ancient Egyptian religion, is slated for re-opening as early as this fall. Restoration has already begun on the Rosicrucian Planetarium, which was the fifth planetarium to be built in the United States. And in the summer of 2004, Rosicrucian Park will open an International Peace Garden, authentically designed to reflect 18th-Dynasty Egypt—a period of history that dates back 3300 years.

Following his lecture, Dr. Hawass answered questions from the audience, and then mingled with the crowd and signed some of the many books he has authored. There was a sizeable turnout for this major event.


Photo Captions:

Dr. Zahi Hawass with Rosicrucian Grand Master Julie Scott and Museum Curator Lisa Schwappach-Shirriff.	Dr. Hawass autographs one of his many books for an interested reader.