Lecture | Herta Mohr-lezing
Herta Mohr Lecture 2026: Identity and Connectivity at the Oryx District
- Anna-Latifa Mourad-Cizek (ISAC, The University of Chicago)
- Date
- Friday 17 April 2026
- Time
- Explanation
- Admission: free - registration required
- Series
- Herta Mohr lecture
- Location
- Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Leiden (also online via WebinarGeek)
The Oryx District was once a thriving town located almost in the middle of Egypt. From the late Third to Second Millennium BCE, its officials decided to carve their tombs in the cliff-face at Beni Hassan. These beautifully decorated monuments offer us glimpses into the identities, achievements and desires of the District’s members, as they lived through a pivotal period of changing socio-political dynamics. Several tombs contain scenes of individuals represented with features atypical of Egyptians, signalling the presence of foreigners. Who were these individuals, and why were they pictured in these tombs?
In this Herta Mohr lecture, we will explore identity and connectivity at the Oryx District. We will consider a community’s shifting world view as it negotiated connections through a tumultuous period, representing a rich local identity while navigating complex affairs with those from within and beyond the borders of ancient Egypt.
More information: Herta Mohr Lecture: Identity and Connectivity at the Oryx District - NINO Leiden
Registration
Sign up for the lecture on the website of het Rijksmuseum van Oudheden.
Annual Herta Mohr lecture
The Netherlands Institute for the Near East and the National Museum of Antiquities jointly organise this lecture series. The annual event is to showcase and focus on early career contributions to Egyptology.
The series is named after Herta Mohr who, as a native Austrian, moved with her family to the Netherlands and studied Egyptology at Leiden University from 1937 onwards. She published a volume on the mastaba of Hetepherakhty in the National Museum of Antiquities. Together with her parents, Herta was deported and ultimately died at concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. Records mention April 15th, 1945, the day that Bergen-Belsen was liberated, as the day of her death.