Upcoming Classes and Webinars

I offer remote, live webinars and classes about ancient Egypt. Topics include religion and magic, history, animals, literature, art, and much more. Classes focused on how to read hieroglyphs and hieratic teach you step-by-step the language and writing systems of ancient Egypt.

Fashion and Beauty in the Age of Cleopatra

This three-part course, which will take place live on Zoom, will dive into the fashion history, cosmetic trends, and perfume innovations during the final centuries of ancient Egypt, the Macedonian/Ptolemaic Dynasty (332-30 BCE).  

Class 1: Ancient Egyptian Fashion through the Conquest of Alexander the Great

To understand the fashion history that Cleopatra inherited, this class will survey the basics of ancient Egyptian fashion. We will discuss the two main dress types of the pharaonic period: tight-fitting sheath dresses and voluminous pleated dresses and shawls. I will cover fabrics, construction, and how to interpret artistic representations of ancient Egyptian clothing.

Class 2: Ptolemaic Queens and Multicultural Dress

In this class, you will learn about the history of the Ptolemaic Dynasty within the context of the Hellenistic world. How did Ptolemaic queens dress in their day-to-day lives? How did Ptolemaic queens use fashion to present themselves as goddesses? In addition to the famous events during the life of Cleopatra VII, we will also examine queens such as Arsinoe II, Cleopatra II, and Cleopatra III.

Class 3: Cosmetics and Perfumes

Cleopatra VII was not only the first member of her dynasty to speak Egyptian, but she was likely the author of a book called On Cosmetics. In this class, we will also read through the original hieroglyphic recipe for kyphi, the most famous perfume of the ancient world and discuss the role of scented unguents in ancient Egyptian ritual.

Image: Funerary Portrait of a Girl, c. 30 CE from Roman Egypt (Cleveland Museum of Art 1971.137)

FASHION AND BEAUTY IN THE AGE OF CLEOPATRA meets live on Zoom Tuesdays, April 1, 8, and 22nd from 2-3PM and 8-9PM US Eastern time. The two time slots cover the same material each week. The fee for the class is $55, and includes the live lectures, recordings (accessible for one month), and a curated list of freely available resources. Checkout below for Paypal or purchase at Venmo @vintage-egyptologist.

Past Hieroglyph Reading & Grammar Courses

Tomb of Nefertari

Hymn to Aten

Story of Sinuhe

Introduction to Coptic

Tomb of Khnumhotep

Introduction to Hieratic

Pseudo-verbal Sentences

Past Lectures

Secrets of the Valley of the Kings

How to Cast a Spell in Ancient Egypt

Deciphering Cartouches

Party Like an Ancient Egyptian

Historical Fiction in Ancient Egypt

Introduction to Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt in Creation Theology

Ancient Egypt in Film

The Life and Times of Hatshepsut

Kind Words

  • "Having taken every one of Dr. Colleen’s Zoom classes over the last four years, I find her to be delightful, informative, lovely and brilliant! You will never regret spending time with her and you will always learn something new no matter how well versed in Ancient Egypt you are!”

    Lauren P

  • "The classes bring Ancient Egypt alive! Colleen’s knowledge and expertise in the field is deep. She is engaging and makes everything very user friendly. I can’t recommend the classes enough!"

    Gabrielle F

  • "​​I absolutely recommend Dr. Darnell’s courses on Egyptology. She is so knowledgeable and her insight is brilliant. She goes above and beyond to also provide resources for further studies. She has such passion for the subject and it radiates when she is teaching!"

    Julia V

  • I appreciate both the breadth of the topics she chooses to present — everything from Hermeticism and the Book of Thoth to Pharaoh Hatshepsut and the Queens of Ancient Egypt and Nubia — but also the depth to which she researches each of those topics. I’ve learned about aspects of Ancient Egyptian culture that I might not otherwise have been able to access.

    Elizabeth W.