Date: Thursday, March 16, 2011, 6:30pm

Chapter: New York, NY

Speaker: Dr. Phyllis Saretta, Education Staff Lecturer/Researcher, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Location:  Alston & Bird LLP, 90 Park Avenue, (between 39th and 40th Streets), 15th Floor Lecture Room (Note:  Photo ID Required to enter Building

A Wine and Cheese Reception to follow the Lecture

Description: Cloth and garments in ancient Egypt were considered to be one of the most important components of a person's life. Clothing was not only functional, but was symbolic of a person's social position. Cloth was highly valued and appeared as a major feature in the list of tomb offerings. Cosmetics, jewelry and other accoutrements were not only ornamental, but were believed to have magical properties attached to them as well.

This talk examines transitions in ancient Egyptian fashion from the severe to the frivolous. Objects and images include shirts, dresses, sandals, mirrors, kohl tubes, razors, jewelry, wigs, and hair ornaments from the collection of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum, and beyond.

About the Speaker: Phyllis Saretta received her Ph.D. from New York University in Egyptology and Ancient Near East Archaeology and Languages in 1997. Dr. Saretta was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow in the Dept. of Egyptian Art at The Metropolitan Museum in 1994-95, where she completed research for her dissertation entitled, “Egyptian Perceptions of West Semites in Art and Literature during the Middle Kingdom: An Archaeological, Art Historical and Textual Survey,” which focused on cultural and social interconnections between Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Levant.

She has taught courses on Egypt and Mesopotamia as part-time faculty member of the New School University and is currently on staff in the Education Department of the Metropolitan Museum, where she lectures extensively.