Egypt in Rome: With Professor Bob Brier, Egyptologist, and Art Historian, Patricia Remler
Dates to be announced for 2012
History reveals strong links between the two most ancient and powerful empires that ever existed - Rome and Ancient Egypt. Roman art was greatly influenced by Egypt as revealed by the many obelisks and other artifacts brought to Rome from that country. The Borgias wanted the story of Egyptian deities painted on the ceilings and walls in their rooms in the Vatican and Raphael used a semblance of Artemis Ephesia (thinking her to be Isis) on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Stanza della Segnatura. Egyptian influences also permeated religion, as temples to Isis and Sarapis were built all over the Roman Empire with remains still standing at both Pompeii and Hadrian’s Villa in Rome. An intense passion for Egypt was rife throughout the 18th century, partly due to Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign, and has continued on until the present day.
Far Horizons proudly presents an eleven day cultural tour to Italy that explores the Rome-Egypt connections. Egyptologist, Bob Brier will take us through several museums overflowing with exquisite artifacts, including Turin’s museum with the second largest Egyptian collection in the world. Our quest includes thirteen obelisks still standing in Rome, either created by pharaohs or copied by Roman rulers, and four UNESCO World Heritage sites – the historic centers of Rome and Florence, Residences of the Royal House of Savoy in Turin, Pompeii and Herculaneum, and an optional tour to a fifth - Villa d'Este and Tivoli Gardens.
Join Professor Bob Brier and Art Historian Patricia Remler for this unique learning experience.
“Bob Brier and Pat Remler are outstanding! Their passion, their stories, enthusiasm and kindnesses were wonderful.” - Jane Krejci
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(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner
Day 1: Depart on our archaeological tour from New York’s JFK airport on American Airlines’ non-stop flight to Milan, Italy.
Day 2: Arrive Milan and transfer to Turin by bus. After a welcome lunch at a charming local restaurant, transfer to Hotel Victoria, a 4-star hotel located in the historic city center and our home for the next two nights. The New York Times’ review said that 'the rare style, attention to detail and comfort are the hallmarks of this boutique hotel’. The rest of the afternoon and dinner are on our own. (L)
Day 3: Begin our tour of Turin: Turin’s world-renowned Museo Egizio contains the second largest Egyptian collection in the world and is the only museum other than the Cairo Museum in Egypt that is solely dedicated to Egyptian art and culture. Among the many important items are an extraordinary collection of papyri, considered the most important set of Egyptian written documents in the world, and the Royal Papyrus with a list of all the kings from 3000 to 1600 BC. Turin, or Torino, is a city of parks, palaces, arcades, cafés and colleges, and it has been the seat of a university since the Middle Ages. This afternoon, we tour the city’s historic center to see the Baroque and Rococo architecture, elegant palaces, residences and castles, and eleven miles of porticoes. (B/L/D)
Day 4: Transfer to Florence this morning. One of the most beautiful cities in Italy and heart of the Italian Renaissance, Florence is a cultural and architectural gem and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After lunch, the afternoon is free to explore the historic center. Overnight at the charming 4-star Grand Hotel Cavour, located in the city center within walking distance of Palazzo del Bargello, Piazza della Signoria and Piazza del Duomo. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)
Day 5: Begin our tour of Florence: Walk with Bob Brier through The Egyptian Museum of Florence containing over 14,000 artifacts, displayed in nine rooms. The most remarkable pieces are statues dating back to the age of Amenhotep III, an 18th dynasty chariot, a pillar from the tomb of Seti I, a mummy portrait from the Fayum, and a collection of fabrics belonging to the Coptic age. After lunch, transfer by bus to Rome. Our home for the next six nights is the oldest hotel in Rome, the 4-star Albergo Sole de Pantheon, located in the heart of the city directly across from the Pantheon, and within walking distance of the Coliseum and the Forum. We dine this evening in an elegant local restaurant. (B/L/D)
Day 6: Begin our tour of Rome: Rome, the Eternal City, has been in existence for more than 3,000 years and the historic center is filled with the remains of former civilizations. Today we begin our adventure as Bob Brier leads us on a quest for Egyptian obelisks in Rome. At least eight of these monuments were created in antiquity and taken from Egypt to Rome after the Roman conquest. And five other obelisks were manufactured in Egypt in the Roman period at the request of the wealthy Romans, or made in Rome as copies of ancient Egyptian originals. We cross the Tiber River to the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square where we view the first obelisk that was originally raised in the Forum Iulium in Alexandria by the Prefect Cornelius Gallus on Octavian's orders. It was brought to Rome by Caligula in 37 for the spina, the raised median of the Vatican Circus. After seeing the obelisk, we enter the Vatican. Pope Gregory XVI founded the Gregorian Egyptian Museum in 1839. It houses monuments and artifacts of ancient Egypt partly coming from Rome and from Villa Adriana in Tivoli, where they had been transferred mostly in the Imperial age, and partly from private collections purchased by nineteenth century collectors. There will be free time to visit other Vatican museums. Dinner is on our own this evening to enjoy one of Rome’s excellent restaurants. (B/L)
Day 7: Our first stop today will be the Museum of Medical History to view instruments used in ancient Egyptian surgeries. We then continue our quest for Egyptian obelisks in the Piazza dei Termini to see a rare red granite obelisk, originally erected in Heliopolis by Ramses II. Excavated in 1883 from the site of the Temple of Isis near the Pantheon, it stands today in front of the railroad station. Originally paired with the Quirinale obelisk, the obelisk in the Piazza dell'Esquilino was erected on the western flank of the Mausoleum of Augustus. Augustus had visited the tomb of Alexander the Great in Alexandria and he decided to build his family tomb in the same grandeur as the tomb of Alexander. Lost in floods, it was again found in 1527 and erected in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V behind Santa Maria Maggiore. The so-called Lateran Obelisk is the largest standing obelisk in the world. Its inscriptions state that while it was begun during the reign of Tuthmosis III, it lay in the craftsmen's workshops for 35 years and was finally erected by his grandson Tuthmosis IV. The only single obelisk ever put up in Karnak Temple (obelisks usually came in pairs), it was removed under the orders of the Roman emperor Constantine, who hoped to raise it in his new capital at Constantinople. He died before the obelisk ever left Egypt, and his son and successor Constantius had it taken to Rome in a specially built ship, where it was re-erected in the Circus Maximus. Today the obelisk stands in the Piazza San Giovanni. The small obelisk in the garden of the Villa Celimontana is one of four originally erected by Ramses II in the Temple of Ra in Heliopolis. It was presented in 1582 by the Senate of Rome to Ciriaco Mattei, who placed it in his villa on the Celio. The afternoon and dinner are on our own. (B/L)
Day 8: Our all day trip takes us two hours south to Pompeii, once a flourishing port and prosperous resort, and today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. An eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD buried Pompeii under cinders and ashes that preserved the many elegant villas - down to the fresh colors of the wall paintings. Rediscovered in 1748 and under excavation since that time, the houses have yielded rare and beautiful examples of Roman art. And the everyday life in Roman times have been revealed in great detail by the plan of the streets and footpaths, the statue-decorated public buildings, and the simple shops and homes of the artisans. While here, we visit the Temple of Isis, a Roman temple dedicated to the Egyptian goddess, Isis. This small and almost completely intact temple was one of the first discoveries during the excavation of Pompeii. It dates from the pre-Roman age and was almost entirely rebuilt after the earthquake of 62 AD. The sacred water of the Nile was kept in an underground passage, and a large room behind the temple was used as a meeting room for the initiates of Isis. Then it’s on to Herculaneum, also destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Unlike Pompeii, this city was covered rapidly by volcanic tuff that turned to a cement-like consistency. The 50-60 foot layer of this hard material has meant that the excavations have more difficult and thus, there is less uncovered. However, the findings are stunning, mainly because Herculaneum is thought to have been a luxurious seaside resort for wealthy Romans. The villas found here have proven to be even more elaborate than those of Pompeii. Return to Rome with dinner on our own. (B/L)
Day 9: Our all day walking tour takes us to view the remaining Egyptian obelisks of Rome. The obelisk in Piazza di Santa Maria sopra Minerva was originally erected in Sais in the western Egyptian Delta by Pharaoh Apries. It was brought to Rome by Diocletian for the nearby Temple of Isis. Located in Piazza del Popolo is a 75 foot tall obelisk covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Seti I decorated three sides of the obelisk, while his son Ramses II carved the fourth and then erected the obelisk in the sun temple at Heliopolis. In inscriptions on one side of the monolith, Seti I describes himself as "the one who fills Heliopolis with obelisks that their rays may illuminate the Temple of Re." Ramses II, one of history's greatest self-aggrandizers, styled himself as one who made "monuments as innumerable as the stars of heaven. His works join the sky. When Re shines, he rejoices because of [the obelisks] in his temple of millions of years." Situated within the Piazza del Pincio is an obelisk commissioned by Hadrian and erected in Tivoli for the tomb of Antinous. It was moved to Rome to decorate the spina of the Circus Varianus, and finally erected on the Pincian by Pope Pius VII in 1822. Continue to areas near the Pantheon where there are four obelisks. The obelisk called Macuto sits in front of the Pantheon in the Piazza della Rotonda. It was one of a pair originally erected in Heliopolis by Rameses II, and its mate is standing at the Villa Celimontana. In the 18th century Pope Clement IX moved this obelisk to an already created fountain with water spouting dolphins. The top of the obelisk is decorated with mountains and a star, the emblem of 
the pope. The Agonalis Obelisk stands in the Piazza Navona on top of the magnificent 17th century fountain of the sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini. It most likely originally decorated the Isaeum/Serapeum Campense, a large complex of Temples dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis (thus Isaeum) and Serapis (Serapeum) in Campus Martius. Its hieroglyphs are related to the cult of these gods. Salustiano Obelisk is above the Spanish Steps in Trinità dei Monti. It is an Aurelian copy, although smaller, of the Flaminio obelisk of Ramses II in the Piazza del Popolo. It was erected in 1789 by Pope Pius VI. Psammetikos II, the third king of the 26th Dynasty erected the so-called Solare Obelisk at Heliopolis near Cairo. Many of the inscriptions have eroded away, though a list of the king's many names remains: "The Golden Horus, 'beautifying the Two Lands,' beloved of Atum, lord of Heliopolis; the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Neferibre, beloved of Re-Harakhti; the son of his own body, who seizes the White Crown and who unites the Double Crown, Psammetikos, beloved of the Souls of Heliopolis." It was carried to Rome in 10 B.C. to commemorate the Emperor Augustus' victories in Egypt, and finally restored and re-erected at Monte Citorio in the 18th century. Now standing in the Baths of Diocletian, Dogali Obelisk was created by Ramesses II for Hieropolis. It was raised in its present site in 1924 and commemorates the Battle of Dogali. Dinner is on our own. (B/L) (Note: We will walk to most of our site visits today.)
Day 10: Today, begin in the Palazzo dei Conservatori Museum, home to the Capitoline collection of sculptures and housing the gilt ball on top of the obelisk that was believed to contain the ashes of Julius Caesar. Lunch and the afternoon are free with an optional tour to Villa d’Este and Tivoli Gardens, another UNESCO World Heritage Site. Gather this evening for our gala farewell dinner. (B/D)
Day 11: Transfer to Rome’s Fiumicino Airport for our international flight to JKF. (B)
Bob Brier received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina. He is not only one of the nation’s leading Egyptologists, but a brilliant lecturer and storyteller. He is professor of philosophy at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and the author of several books including The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story, The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians and The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man's Obsession Led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt's Greatest Mystery. Professor Bob Brier has served as director of the "Egyptology Today" program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and as host of the Learning Channel series, The Great Egyptians. He has twice been selected as a Fulbright Scholar, and has received Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of his achievements as a lecturer. He is a wonderful teacher with a special flair for evoking the distant past in ways that make it seem vividly present. Professor Brier is presently working on a book highlighting the obelisks.
Patricia Remler is an author, photographer, and art historian. Her photographs appear regularly in Archaeology Magazine and foreign publications. She was the Researcher for four important Learning Channel documentaries - the three-part Pyramids, Tombs, and Mummies, the six-part series The Great Egyptians, the one hour Napoleon's Obsession: The Quest for Egypt, the three-part series Unwrapped, The Mysterious World of Mummies and the National Geographic special, Unlocking the Secret of the Great Pyramid. She teaches Egyptology at the C. W. Post Campus of Long Island University in the Hutton House Series and the Gifted Youth Program. She is the author of Egyptian Mythology A – Z.
To be announced for 2012
TO BE ANNOUNCED. Cost includes international flights from New York to Milan and return flight from Rome to New York on American Airlines; all ground transportation; all hotels; most meals (as noted in brochure); and entry fees.
Single Supplement: TO BE ANNOUNCED. Should a roommate be requested and one not be available, the single supplement will be charged.
Cost Does Not Include: A donation as outlined below; airport transfers for flights other than designated group flights; meals other than those listed in the itinerary; food, alcoholic and other beverages not on set menus; passport and visa fees; airport fees and taxes; excess baggage charges; gratuities to guides and drivers; email, telephone, and fax charges; laundry or other items of a personal nature.
Fuel Surcharges: Far Horizons must pass on price increases when additional fuel charges are levied.
Note on Donation: As a tour company that benefits from the cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to the scientific and cultural projects and museums we visit. This has created a bond between Far Horizons and the academic and local communities that has helped us establish an extensive list of lecturers and contacts in each of our destinations. We ask that each participant write a check to the noteworthy project we designate. The donation amount is $150.00 per person and is made by check directly to the donation project. Note that the donation is required as part of your registration for the trip and that it is non-refundable. We will be designating a donation project for this trip shortly.
A deposit of $500.00 and the separate donation check for $150.00 (made out to the designated project) are required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure. Upon receipt of your deposit and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a tour bulletin containing travel information. Prior to the trip, we will send links to various websites of pertinent interest to the trip. Click here to download our Registration Form.
Cancellations and RefundsCancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00 per person. Cancellations received less than 75 days before departure will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the tour, we will not reimburse any fees. Registrants are strongly advised to buy travel insurance that includes trip cancellation.
When a tour includes international flights from the United States, we have contracted with an airline for the most cost effective and logistically desirable flights. Contracted group flights are normally confirmed at an advantageous rate, and in order to maintain this rate, air carriers require a minimum number of passengers in a group. In order to maintain this minimum number and not jeopardize this group rate, we strongly encourage all participants to take advantage of our group flights. If you do not fly on the group flight, you are responsible for all flight arrangements and transportation (including airport transfers) to join the group. If Far Horizons must change the trip dates or cancel the trip for any reason, Far Horizons is not responsible for any air ticket you may have purchased. If you issue your own international flight, please send the complete schedule as soon as you have it.
Changes in our itinerary, accommodations, and transportation schedules may occur. A good book to read as well as a flexible attitude and a sense of humor are essential.
Private Tours of Archaeological Sites The private tours of archaeological sites and museums, and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Scholars are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts. However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be on site when our groups arrive due to other commitments.
Majesty of Egypt with Bob Brier
Oases of Egypt with Bob Brier
FAR HORIZONS ARCHAEOLOGICAL TOUR TO EGYPT IN ROME IS LIMITED TO 18 PARTICIPANTS
