Everyday life & afterlife in ancient Egypt (with Renée Dreyfus)

If you learned about ancient Egypt in school, you likely heard a lot about pharaohs, tombs, and elaborate death rituals. A new exhibition at the de Young Museum juxtaposes this familiar royal history with the lives and afterlives of ordinary citizens. Here, you'll find golden jewelry and shining sarcophagi, but also everyday objects you have likely never seen before: a baby's rattle, a stone headrest, and a jar for cured meat. "We are learning so much more about how people lived who were not royalty," says Renée Dreyfus, the curator in charge of ancient art at Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Renée oversaw the American debut of "Treasures of the Pharaohs," which expands our understanding of ancient Egyptian culture, fueled by archaeologist Zahi Hawass's recent excavation of the Golden City near Luxor. Today on Call 'Em Like Museum, we talk about how ordinary people lived, worked, and prepared for an afterlife in ancient Egypt; Renée's collaborative work with global institutions like the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Luxor Museum; and what she has learned during her remarkable 50 years working at FAMSF. Plus: Why the most interesting object in the whole exhibition might just be a wooden chair. Full transcript of this episode Subscribe to the newsletter This episode was hosted, produced, and edited by Eric Johnson from LightningPod Chapters (00:00) - Introduction (04:07) - What museums means to Renée (07:02) - Misconceptions about Ancient Egypt (13:37) - The Golden City & regular people (22:55) - Renée's favorite object in the exhibition (31:46) - Curating King Tut 30 years apart (37:34) - The Etruscans exhibit (40:29) - What to buy in a museum gift shop Music: www.purple-planet.com Images: Several images courtesy Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco The de Young Museum The Legion of Honor Vincent Price Brooklyn Museum The Golden City of Aten Amenhotep III Zahi Hawass Sitamun Videos: Video from Treasures of the Pharaohs, courtesy of Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco