GRANTS RECEIVED BY MEMBERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN CENTRE FOR EGYPTOLOGY

The Australian Research Council has awarded two projects of A.C.E. some of the largest grants offered to the Humanities in Australia.

1. “Enduring is the Perfection: State Formation and Socio-Cultural Change in the First Capital of Ancient Egypt (c.3200 to 1069 BCE)” directed by Professor N. Kanawati, Dr. C. Kohler, Dr. B. Ockinga was awarded $660,000 over a five-year period.

2. “The Design and Decoration of Burial Chambers in Old Kingdom Egypt” directed by Professor N. Kanawati, was awarded $215,000 over a five-year period.

The A.R.C. described the projects as:

"An unprecedented and systematic investigation of the Egyptian state and its extraordinarily rich society and culture over 2,000 years.  It will impact profoundly on the disciplines of World History and Egyptology, confirm Australia as a world leader in ancient Mediterranean studies, and provide exciting new opportunities for academic and cultural exchanges between our country and the Middle East.  By making a major contribution to preserving, interpreting and explaining Egypt's magnificent but imperilled heritage, it will significantly enhance Australia's image there and underwrite our country's strategic and commercial relations with our most important partner in the Arab world."

"It represents a significant attempt to understand the rationale behind the evolving design and decoration of Ancient Egyptian burial chambers. The undertaking of this important research by Australian based scholars will continue to establish Australia as a leading nation in the important international discipline of Egyptology, while also continuing to forge a relationship with Egypt. During an era in which Australians have in general engaged in discourses of insecurity and threat, our project will resonate with many contemporary concerns, asserting a link between the growing sophistication of society and a concomitant sense of threat and insecurity."