Madsen, Prof. Sarah Scott, Lawrence Stelter and Lynn Morrell '73.
Dr. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney visited Wagner College from Los Angeles on March 27, 2024 to share her knowledge and research of ancient Egyptian archaeology and leadership practices and its lessons for modern politics. Dr. Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA, specializing in craft production, coffin studies and economies in the ancient world. The title of Kara’s lecture comes from her book, When Women Ruled the World, published in 2018. It explores the reigns of six powerful ancient Egyptian queens and how they changed our perceptions of power.
Dr. Cooney proposed that a woman’s power in the ancient world (and perhaps even today) was always compromised from the outset. The lecture addressed the root causes of this social inequality. Given this social reality in the ancient world, women negotiated their limited leadership roles. Her research pointed to women’s ability to rule “behind the throne” as matriarchs for young male leaders. Dr. Cooney drew contrasts to female leaders of today and the political systems that restrict their roles in different parts of the world.
The theme of the lecture aligned with Wagner Prof. Sarah Scott’s Egyptian Art and Architecture class, as well as introductory Art History and Anthropology classes, and Gender Studies events in the spring. In addition to the lecture and reception there was also an exhibit installed in the ‘Living Room’ in Horrmann Library, and related work in the archives.
The lecture was made possible by a grant from the Archaeology Society of Staten Island (ASSI) which dissolved in 2022 and has transferred its resources to Wagner College. Wagner alumnus and past President of ASSI, Dr. Peter Russo M’69, remarked, “it’s time for an academic institution like Wagner to bring the importance of archaeology to the next generation of students and the community as they explore history and the humanities. The current ASSI leadership is pleased to pass the torch back to Wagner College to continue our work.”
Now, Wagner College, through its arts, anthropology and history departments, will host a series of lectures for the students, faculty and the community. Dr. Scott, professor of Art History at Wagner, secured Dr. Cooney as the inaugural speaker.
“I saw Kara speak at a conference many years ago”, said Prof. Scott, “and I was looking for the opportunity to have her on campus to share her unique perspective on the powerful role of women in ancient Egypt. This gift from ASSI made it possible.”
The Archaeology Society of Staten Island (ASSI) was formed in 1962 by a group of students of the late Dr. George Hackman, Professor Emeritus of Archaeology and Religion at Wagner. Hackman was a scholar of Assyriology who published on cuneiform texts stemming from his research at the Yale Babylonian Collection. Together with Jacques Noel Jacobsen, Jr. (Wagner alum ‘64) Hackman and the Society hosted a series of lectures that brought prominent scholars in the various fields of archaeology and anthropology to Staten Island.
In addition to an extensive and active series of scholarly lectures, the Society worked with Wagner College to administrate a holding of antiquities that began with a cuneiform tablet and Egyptian usabti figurine, and through gifts, purchases, and loans grew to a collection of 400 objects. ‘The Staten Island Museum of Archaeology,’ opened in 1976 and curated educational exhibits and programming related to the objects. The Society also sponsored trips across the seven decades it was active. The current exhibit and archival holdings now in the Hormann library offer a taste of the amazing events and educational contributions of the Society to our community. Wagner is pleased to now be able to continue the education mission of the Society through events like the lecture presented by Dr. Cooney.
About the Speaker
Dr. Kathlyn (Kara) Cooney is a professor of Egyptian Art and Architecture at UCLA. Specializing in craft production, coffin studies, and economies in the ancient world, Cooney received her PhD in Egyptology from Johns Hopkins University. In 2005, she was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Cooney produced a comparative archaeology television series, entitled Out of Egypt, which aired in 2009 on the Discovery Channel and is available online via Netflix and Amazon.
