Oriental Institute Podcast Oriental Institute

OI Podcast Episode 16
Afrofuturism: Ancient Egypt in Speculative Fiction
Ytasha Womack

Time as a web, weaved in storytelling to offer a remix of narratives exploring who we are and how we got here. Author Ytasha Womack, "Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture," joins us for a discussion that examines the Black Speculative Arts Movement in general and the roles that ancient Egyptian culture and religion play in her upcoming graphic novel, "Blak Kube."

To explore this topic, look for "Afrofuturism" by Ytasha Womack, Lawrence Hill Books, 2013. Available everywhere books are sold.
The graphic novel "Blak Kube" is coming soon!

This podcast continues our Contemporary Artist/Ancient Voices series, a set of conversations with artists who draw inspiration from the ancient Middle East. These conversations focus on individual artists interpretations of the ancient world, and are not intended to provide historical accuracy.

A video version of this discussion with images can be viewed on the Oriental Institute YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/bPBnrU8mUnI

To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: https://oi.uchicago.edu/join-and-give/become-member

Please excuse the audio and video quality, this was recorded at home during the pandemic.

2021, Oriental Institute

Image credits and original art:
Tim Fielder, Infinitum
John Jennings
Album covers:
The ArchAndroid, Janelle Monáe, Wonderland Arts Society, Atlantic, Bad Boy, 2013
Raise!, Earth Wind and Fire, ARC, Columbia, 1981
Next Lifetime, Erykah Badu, Kedar Records, 1997

Music: Andrew List
Intro Music: bensound.com

OI Podcast Episode 15
Egyptian Influences/Contemporary Music
Andrew List

Ancient Egypt offers a feast of inspiration. From the mammoth carved temples to the intimate, painted tombs, visitors to these sites often daydream a fantasy of what life must have been like. Earlier this year, composer Andrew List, Berklee College of Music, reached out to the OI for permission to use translations from the Book of the Dead by OI scholar Thomas Allen George in a composition that is influenced by his own recent travels and a lifelong fascination with this ancient religion.

Join us as we listen to selections from List's works, The Temple of Dendera and From the Heart of Ra, while exploring how the ancient Egyptian world continues to influence his compositions.

This podcast continues our Contemporary Artist/Ancient Voices series, a set of conversations with artists who draw inspiration from the ancient Middle East. These conversations focus on individual artists interpretations of the ancient world, and are not intended to provide historical accuracy.

To listen to The Temple of Dendera and From the Heart of Ra visit:

https://soundcloud.com/andrewlist/sets/from-the-temple-of-dandera-twelve-etudes-for-piano-inspired-by-the-egyptian-zodiac

https://soundcloud.com/andrewlist/from-the-heart-of-ra-for-viola-and-piano-1

A video version of this discussion with images can be viewed on the Oriental Institute YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/aP_TkAuD_JI

To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: https://oi.uchicago.edu/join-and-give/become-member

2021, Oriental Institute
Music: Andrew List
Intro Music: bensound.com

OI Podcast Episode 14
The Lyre Ensemble, Part 2
Playing the Gold Lyre of Ur

Contemporary music played on an ancient Lyre. The Lyre Ensemble continues a discussion on the recreation of the Gold Lyre of Ur, focusing on both the possibilities and trappings of creating music on an ancient replica. Andy Lowings, Jennifer Sturdy, Mark Harmer, and Stef Conner sit down with the OI for a look at their project, The Flood, a piece of music that incorporates ancient texts into a speculation on what ancient music might have sounded like.

To watch part 1, visit: https://youtu.be/CimbNIhc70E

To listen to part 1, visit: https://soundcloud.com/orientalinstitute/oi-podcast-episode-13-the-lyre-ensemble-part-1

Part 2 of the Lyre Ensemble podcast, continues our Contemporary Artist/Ancient Voices series, a set of conversations with artists who draw inspiration from the ancient Middle East.

A video version of this discussion with images can be viewed on the Oriental Institute YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/PaWPtHdRV58

To learn more about the Lyre Ensemble, please visit: http://lyre-ensemble.com/admin/

To explore the text used in the Lyre Ensemble's recordings, click on these two dramatic interpretations of the death of Enkidu produced by the Lyre Ensemble, the first video is in Akkadian, the second is in English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qlMQtxg-JA&t=58s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUdllauhlvM&t=5s

To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: https://oi.uchicago.edu/join-and-give/become-member

2021, Oriental Institute
Music: They Lyre ensemble
Intro Music: bensound.com

OI Podcast Episode 13
The Lyre Ensemble, Part 1
Recreating the Gold Lyre of Ur

What might ancient Mesopotamian music sound like?
Inspired by both this question and the 2003 looting at the Baghdad Museum, harpist Andy Lowings set out to recreate a playable replica of the iconic Gold Lyre of Ur. Andy, along with his friend Jennifer Sturdy, enlisted the help of academics, students, artisans, and musicians to faithfully reconstruct the ancient instrument. Their journey resulted in a series of recordings, concerts, and radio broadcasts, all featuring the haunting sounds of the ancient lyre.

With part 1 of the Lyre Ensemble podcast, we start our Contemporary Artist/Ancient Voices series, a set of conversations with artists who draw inspiration from the ancient Middle East.

A video version of this discussion with images can be viewed on the Oriental Institute YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/CimbNIhc70E

To learn more about the Lyre Ensemble, please visit: http://lyre-ensemble.com/admin/

To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: https://oi.uchicago.edu/join-and-give/become-member

OI Podcast Episode 12
Demons in Ancient Egypt
Rita Lucarelli

From Pazuzu to Baphomet, demons in modern pop culture are figures of dark terror and fear. In the ancient world, the concepts of demons weren't always so simple.

The OI's Steven Townshend sits down with Rita Lucarelli, University of California, Berkeley, for a podcast that explores the many different roles and natures of demons in the ancient Egyptian world.

A video version of this discussion with images can be viewed on the Oriental Institute YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/68ZXXYEX3Zo

To support OI research, become a member of the Oriental Institute. To explore the benefits of joining, please visit: https://oi.uchicago.edu/member

Please excuse the audio and video, this podcast was recorded at-home.

In the Wake of the Phoenicians: Makers of the Mediterranean
Presented by David Schloen, OI

From olive oil to the alphabet, the Phoenicians left a lasting mark on the Mediterranean. The OI's David Schloen guides us through exciting new research into this ancient civilization and anticipates future excavations of Phoenician colonies in coastal Spain.

In the Wake of the Phoenicians: Makers of the Mediterranean
**This is an at home lecture, please excuse the audio and video quality.

This audio recording was originally presented as an illustrated lecture on November 4, 2020. The video of this lecture is available on the OI YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/fofxL3WEhZc

Our lectures are free and available to the public thanks to the
generous support of our members. To become a member, please visit: http://bit.ly/2AWGgF7

2020, OI
Music credit: bensound.com