James Hoffmeier is lecturing in Chicago tomorrow on “The Design and Origin of the New Kingdom East Frontier Defense System.” The American Research Center in Egypt is sponsoring the lecture on Saturday, January 10, at 5:00 p.m. at the Oriental Institute (1155 E 58th St, Chicago, IL 60637), LaSalle Banks Room, Lower Level.

The center’s website includes information about the speaker along with this description of the lecture:

Archaeological and geological work in north Sinai over the past 15 years have resulted in providing sufficient data to reveal the design of and the rationale for Egypt’s east frontier defense system. Excavations at Tell Hebua I and II and nearby Tell el-Borg have provided valuable archaeological information. The former sites remain under investigation, while I direct the exploration of Tell el-Borg between 1999 and 2008. Paleo-environmental investigations of the area revealed new geographical features that when combined with the new archaeological data provide the basis for understanding the route of the Ways of Horus, the Egyptian military road to Canaan. This paper will include a report on the final season of excavations at Tell el-Borg, which yielded unexpected results, the remains of a third New Kingdom defense structure. With this new feature in hand, the picture of the design of the frontier defense system was fully realized. The lecture will seek to identify the origin for design of northeastern frontier.