October 20, 2006

LAS VEGAS , ATHENS LOVE OLD EGYPT AT ART MUSEUM ANNIVERSARY EVENT

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - Athens and Las Vegas aren't really sister cities. But talk about Egypt and the ancient and modern connections start bubbling up fast and furious. That's Egyptomania, and that's what Marjorie Venit is saying. Venit's presentation, "Egyptomania: From Athens to Las Vegas ," is part of the 10-year anniversary celebration for Cal State San Bernardino's Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum . The Oct. 28 event runs 7-10 p.m. The museum's anniversary event, "The Secrets of the Dead," puts guests "in Egypt" with Egyptian dance, actors portraying ancient myths, artifacts from the museum's world-class Egyptian collection and videos that tell the intriguing story of the ancient civilization's views on mummification, burial and the afterlife.

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The West has embraced Egyptian images and ornamentations and reused and reinterpreted them, says Venit, citing the work of the subject's leading scholar, Jean-Marcel Humbert. Venit, a professor of ancient Mediterranean art history and archaeology at the University of Maryland , College Park , will take a broader and somewhat entertaining look at the phenomenon, which really began when Athenians took a shine to all things Egyptian around 500 B.C.

Egyptomania is still alive and well in Las Vegas , where hotels such as the Luxor and many restaurants feature Egyptian architecture, images, and décor. Even Las Vegas chapels offer Egyptian-themed weddings.

Beyond the modern connections, however, Venit will pull in as well the "adoption and adaptation of Egypt by peoples of the ancient Greek and R oman worlds, especially those who inhabited the Egyptian city of Alexandria ."

Ancient Egyptian artifacts and exotic food also are a part of the anniversary celebration, and organizers will supply "Mummy's Curse" game cards to guests, making them eligible for prizes.

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