Mondays, October 10, October 17, and October 24, 3:00–4:00 p.m., live on Zoom.

Free, registration required for Zoom link.

Instructor: Tasha Vorderstrasse, PhD, OI University and Continuing Education Coordinator, Illinois teachers earn 1 PD hour.

Each one-hour session will include an interactive, virtual-ready lesson demonstration of lessons involving different topics, plus suggestions for tying lessons into the OI’s online and virtual program resources. Everyone is welcome.

Week 1: Axumite Empire and Trade (Monday, October 10)

Use concepts of observation, inference, and evidence to study archaeological evidence for the Axumite Empire and its connections to other parts of Africa, as well as Arabia, Iran, and India.

Week 2: Napatan Queens (Monday, October 17)

Use the concepts of observation, inference, and evidence to study art historical and textual evidence for Napatan queens in Nubia. We look at how the office changed from the early Napatan period in the 7th century BCE, when queens played an important role in legitimizing the rule of the Nubian kings to the late Napatan period when we have ruling queens.

Week 3: Arabic Alchemy and the Philosopher's Stone (Monday, October 24)

Use the concepts of observation, inference, and evidence to Arabic alchemical texts. One of the most important concepts in Arabic alchemy was the creation of the Philosopher's stone, which would allow its user to transmute base metals into gold, as well as create life. We will look at these concepts, how they made their way to medieval Europe, and then how they have influenced our understanding of alchemy today.