[070]Dr. Gillian Pyke to Explain Christian Historical Info Gleaned from Egyptian Tombs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 29, 2008EDITORIAL CONTACT: Gina Logue, 615-898-5081

EGYPTIAN CHRISTIANITY FOCUS OF VISITING LECTURER AT MTSU
Dr. Gillian Pyke to Explain Christian Historical Info Gleaned from Egyptian Tombs

(MURFREESBORO) – Dr. Gillian Pyke will lecture on “Life on the Fringe: The Christian Church and Settlement at the North Tombs of Amarna (Egypt)” from 12:40 to 1:35 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 3, in Room 220 of MTSU’s Peck Hall. This event is free and open to the public. “This will be a rare chance for us to learn more about current archaeological research concerning Coptic Egypt in Late Antiquity,” says Dr. Allen Hibbard, director of the Middle East Center at MTSU. Late Antiquity is defined by The On-Line Reference Book for Medieval Studies as “A.D. 284-632, the period between the Emperor Diocletian and the Prophet Muhammed … a period when the Mediterranean world changed dramatically. It saw the triumph of Christianity over paganism, the fragmentation of the Roman Empire, the rise of new polities, and the emergence of Islam. Many of the ideas and institutions important to the Middle Ages were formed in this period.” Pyke is visiting the university at the invitation of Dr. Dawn McCormack, assistant professor of ancient and classical history, who comes to MTSU this year from the University of Pennsylvania. For more information, contact McCormack at 615-494-8603 or mccormac@mtsu.edu.

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