My husband and I have been members of the Friends of Ancient Egypt special interest group at the Royal Ontario Museum since its inception a year or so ago and one of the benefits of FAE members are lectures on the subject.

Past lectures have been on recent acquisitions of Egyptian pieces, funerary customs, The Book of Going Forth by Day, The Beautiful Feast of the Valley – many of these given by Egyptologist Gayle Gibson, president of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities, ROM educator and an all ’round delightful person. Some of these were accompanied by slides from her digs, which were really nifty to see. She’s a great speaker, always smiling, upbeat and deeply knowledgeable about her subject; her dedication and passion for Egyptology always comes through in her talks.

Gayle’s lecture on Wednesday was titled “Sex and Love in Ancient Egypt” in honour of Valentine’s Day. Despite the sensational title, Continue reading »