TESSA Diary

MEETINGS OF THE EGYPTIAN SOCIETY OF SOUTH AFRICA

Meetings and lectures are usually held at 7:30 pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month, there is no meeting in December.

Non-members are very welcome at all meetings, a nominal entry fee of R30 is charged.

LECTURES IN 2026

Tuesday 27 January 2026, 19:30 PM
Ona Viljoen – The ancient Pyramids of Peru

Tuesday 24 February 2026, 19:30 PM
Pepe Sofianos – Cosmetics in Ancient Egypt

Tuesday 24 March 2026, 19:30 PM
Prof Pieter Loyson – Cleopatra’s daughter

Tuesday 22 April 2026, 19:30 PM
Prof Sebastian van As – The nurture of Children in Ancient Egypt

Tuesday 26 May 2026, 19:30 PM
Ian Douglas – Giza and the Big Dipper Correlation

Tuesday 23 June 2026, 19:30 PM
Raoul de Villiers – The Coptic heritage in Egypt

Saturday 25 July 2026, 9.45 AM -16.00 PM
Day school. Explorers of the Ancient World

• Hanno the Navigator (c.310 BC): A Carthaginian explorer who sailed around West Africa, exploring the coast and established trade routes, Prof. Sebastian van As
• Pytheas of Massalia (c. 310 BC) who sailed to Britain and explored the North Sea, discovering the Midnight Sun and the Arctic Circle. Prof Philip Bosman.
• Eudoxus of Cyzicus (c. 120 BC): A Greek navigator who sailed from Egypt to India, discovering the monsoon winds and establishing a trade route between the Mediterranean and Asia. Mr. Joseph Koetsier.

See the downloadable Poster for more details and how to register for the Day School.

Tuesday 25 August 2025, 19:30 PM
Nerine Dorman – Women in Power in Ancient Egypt

LECTURES IN 2025

Ona Viljoen
The Nubian Pharaohs who ruled Egypt – Tuesday 28 January 2025, 19:30 PM

Joseph Koetsier
Libraries in Ancient Egypt – Tuesday 25 February 2025, 19:30 PM

Prof Peter Loyson
Napoleon in Egypt – Tuesday 25 March 2025, 19:30 PM

Ona Viljoen
Göbekli Tepe… a journey to the dawn of civilisation – Tuesday 22 April 2025, 19:30 PM

Gabriel Athiros
A Journey into the Colourful and Fascinating History of the Cape –
from the late 1400s until more recent times. Unusual stories of people, legends and shipwrecks – Tuesday 27 May 2025, 19:30 PM

Raoul de Villiers
Le Dolci Acque di Trevi: The Harnessing of Water Through the Ages – Tuesday 24 June 2025, 19:30 PM

Dr Lester Cowley
Time, the Stars and the Sky-Watchers – Tuesday 22 July 2025, 19:30 PM

Day School at the Hellenic Community Church Hall Woodstock – Saturday 23 August 2025,
10.00 -16:00

• Lecture 1 Prof Philip Bosman, The Legacy of Alexander the Great
• Lecture 2: Prof Izak (Sakkie) Cornelius, A Tale of Two Cities on the Nile. Pharaonic Egypt and Ptolemaic culture and religion.
• Lecture 3 Joseph Koetsier, The history of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Its foundation, development, destruction and resurrection.

Prof Sebastian van As
The Origin of the World according to the Ancient Egyptians – Tuesday 23 September 2025, 19:30 PM

Joseph Koetsier
Pythagoras philosophy of harmony and order and the practice and philosophy of ubuntu, a dialogue – Tuesday 28 October 2025, 19:30 PM.

Tuesday 25 November 2025
AGM, Vision for 2026 & Lecture – Dr Lester Crowley, The Antikythera Mechanism