Biology - Egypt Trip

Discovery in Egypt

BY: STEVE JOHNSON

The word “Egypt” evokes romantic images of ancient civilizations, wondrous pyramids and fascinating history.  The chance to actually go there and see the burial chamber deep within an ancient pyramid is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  The Discovery Program at Benedictine College provided just that opportunity for a group of students during the spring 2009 semester.

“The English and Biology departments put together a course that gave credit in both disciplines and provided a chance to do research and gain inspiration from the cultural and historic sites in Egypt,” said Dr. Julie Bowen, associate professor of English at Benedictine.  “The Spring Break trip moved students to do some great writing and create five Discovery Projects.”

The trip covered everything from the Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramid and Sphinx in northern Egypt to the incredible Temple of Abu Simbel, only 30 miles from the Sudanese border in southern Egypt.  Luxor, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, Memphis, the necropolis at Sakkara, Thebes, Kom Ombu, the intact temple at Edfu and an ancient quarry were all stops along the way.

Egyptian pyramids

Justin Pregont ’09 took the class and signed up for the trip after reading a novel, a historical fiction, in which the Egyptian pharaoh, Akhenaten, was one of the main characters.

“He was also the subject of a documentary and I was fascinated by him,” Pregont said.  “He’s been called everything from the heretic king to the world’s first monotheist.  He was so different than any other pharaoh, before or after, that he was definitely an individual and probably brilliant.”

That curiosity took Pregont and five other Benedictine students from the classroom all the way to the Valley of the Nile.  Pregont, specifically, was interested in the ancient city of Thebes and the Luxor Museum.

“I had done my research,” he said.  “I knew there were Akhenaten artifacts at the Luxor Museum and I needed to see those for my project.”

Although that particular Museum was not on the tour’s agenda, Pregont made a point of getting there during some free time.  His reward was a wealth of statues and carvings depicting the pharaoh and a museum guard that allowed him to take photographs of the artifacts.

“This was a huge project for me,” he said.  “I bought four or five textbook-like books on Akhenaten and had read everything I could, but being there completed my research in ways I didn’t even imagine.”

Riding a camel in Egypt

After a subsequent visit to the Cairo Museum netted him even more information and background, Pregont was ready to build his Discovery presentation.

“I could have given the lecture without the trip, but I wouldn’t have had the complete story.  I would have lacked some perspective,” he said. 

In the end, the majority of his presentation was comprised of original material, with 75% of the photographs taken by him while at the ancient sites in Egypt. It was quite an accomplishment, considering it was the first time he had ever done a Discovery Project, but it was reflective of the spirit of Discovery that drives the program.

“Having done it now, I think this is the most fruitful program the college offers,” said Pregont. “If you have the time and are driven to learn, you can take a Discovery Project as far as you want to go.”

And that includes exploring the wonders of Egypt.

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