World-famous Egyptian archaeologist Salima Ikram will deliver a free public lecture on ancient Egyptian mummies at 7:30 p.m. April 10 at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa Campus Center Ballroom.

The lecture by Ikram, Professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo, will focus on why the ancient Egyptians mummified their dead, how this was accomplished, an overview of mummification through Egyptian history, and the history of the use and abuse of mummies in modern times, including new techniques used to extract information concerning the diet, disease, and level of technology known to the ancient Egyptians.

According to event organizers, Ikram is a leading expert on animal mummies. As founder and co-director of the Animal Mummy project at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, she has emerged as one of the leading scholars in Egyptian funerary archaeology. Combining an interest in and understanding of the past with a passion of preserving it for the future, she has brought the little-known world of animal mummies to light.

Highlights of her professional career include: visiting scholar at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC); consultant Egyptologist at Giza, Saqqara, Abu Sir, Valley of the Kings; and Co-Director of the North Kharga Oasis Survey. She frequently appears in documentaries about ancient Egypt on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic Channel.

This public lecture is co-sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America - Hawai'i Chapter, UH Alumni Association and the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.