Sacred Writing, Hidden Power: Ancient Egyptian Cryptographic Texts
Details
## June 13th, 2026 — 7:30 PM — Jonathan Winnerman
Free and open to the public!
### “Sacred Writing, Hidden Power: Ancient Egyptian Cryptographic Texts”
Amun-Re, the only god in ancient Egypt frequently referred to as “king of the gods,” was conceived through the unity of two separate deities: Amun and Re. Amun was the source of all creation but concealed from all of existence and even other gods. Re, on the other hand, was the visible sun itself. It was only in combining these hidden and revealed powers, however, that Amun and Re became Amun-Re and ascended to a supreme divine kingship.
This talk analyzes how terrestrial rulers took advantage of this duality to define their own power using a series of unique inscriptions, which juxtapose standard and cryptographic hieroglyphs. After a brief introduction to cryptographic writing, it will then situate these inscriptions in their historical and monumental contexts to explore how they may have activated these sacred spaces to empower the actions and agents within.
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### About the Speaker
Jonathan Winnerman, currently Assistant Director of Global Antiquity and future Assistant Teaching Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, is a specialist in ancient Egyptian philology (Old Egyptian through Coptic) and visual culture. He is interested in the construction of sacred kingship and power not only in ancient Egypt, but also across ancient, premodern, and contemporary worlds. Most recently, this has led him to explore different conceptions of the body politic, the relationships between real and imagined representations of power, and the rise of authoritarianism.
Jonathan is also the Assistant Director of Global Antiquity at UCLA, an initiative that foregrounds the entanglements of ancient cultures and the relevance of the ancient past for our world today. Before joining UCLA, he worked in Egypt for many years, most notably as an epigrapher with the Epigraphic Survey of the University of Chicago in Luxor and with the Tell Edfu project.
Venue:
#### Fondren Science Building — 3215 Daniel Ave, Dallas, TX 75205
Important SMU Parking Information
Southern Methodist University kindly sponsors us and provides limited free parking
Please be sure to park in Lot Q or Lot R next to Fondren Science Building.
It’s easiest to find lecture room 123 in Fondren if you enter from the Lot R side of the building. There will be limited NT-ARCE event signage to help you find your way once inside the Fondren Science Building.