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Exhibition at Oriental Institute shows how ancient cultures commemorated the dead

All cultures throughout time have tried to honor and commemorate those they have lost. A new exhibit at the Oriental Institute Museum will show how the living cared for the dead, and how the ancients conceptualized the idea of the human soul in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Israel/Palestine.
This stela with hieroglyphic text asks the living to leave food or to say prayers evoking
food for a deceased man and his wife. (Egypt, ca. 2219–1995 B.C. OIM E16955)
[Credit: Anna R. Ressman/Oriental Institute Museum]
The exhibit, “In Remembrance of Me: Feasting with the Dead in the Ancient Middle East,” opens to the public April 8. The show is built around two themes: the regular offering of food and drink to nourish the dead in the afterlife, and the use of two- or three-dimensional effigies of the dead, often made of stone, to preserve their memory and provide a means of interaction between the living and the dead.
The Oriental Institute’s Neubauer Expedition to Zincirli, Turkey in 2008, during which an inscribed funerary monument was discovered, inspired the exhibit. The monument, which dates to about 735 B.C, is carved with an image of a man named Katumuwa seated before a table heaped with offerings and with a lengthy inscription in Aramaic—a language widely used in the ancient Middle East. The text proved to be the longest-known memorial inscription of its type.
The original Katumuwa stela, discovered by University of Chicago archaeologists, dates to about 735 B.C. (Rendering and reconstruction by Travis Saul, 2014) [Credit: Oriental Institute Museum]
Until the discovery of the stela, scholars did not know about the practice of enacting annual sacrifices for the soul of the deceased. The discovery also revealed that the people of Zincirli, located in the ancient Syro-Hittite region of southeastern Turkey, believed Katumuwa’s spirit resided in the monument.
“The text gave us a whole new understanding of the ancient belief system in eastern Turkey and northern Syria. Although Katumuwa knew that the realm of the dead could be a cruel and lonely place, the rituals he describes that his family would enact on his behalf would give him a happy afterlife,” said exhibit curator Virginia R. Herrmann, PhD’11. Herrmann, now a visiting professor at Dartmouth College, was part of the team that discovered the stela and co-curated “In Remembrance of Me.”
Archaeologists Virginia R. Herrmann and Ben Thomas examine the Katumuwa stela
at Zincirli, Turkey, shortly after its discovery in 2008 during an Oriental Institute
expedition [Credit: Eudora Struble/Oriental Institute Museum]
Before the discovery of the stela, it was not understood that, in eastern Turkey and northern Syria, such banquet scenes depicted on other monuments were special pleas to the viewer to make annual offerings of animal sacrifices and grapes or wine. Those offerings were directed not only to the deceased, but also to local gods. The biblical commandment to “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long” (Exodus 20:12), is rooted in the tradition expressed by the Katumuwa text.
The text also revealed that the rituals took place not just at the grave or in the home, but in a private mortuary chapel next door to a temple—exactly the setting where the Katumuwa stela was discovered. The stela itself is in the Gaziantep Museum in eastern Turkey, but a precise facsimile of its front has been produced for the exhibit.
This door plaque contains a scene of ritual feasting. (Khafajeh, Iraq, ca. 2600–2350 B.C. OIM A12417) [Credit: Anna R. Ressman/Oriental Institute Museum]
The exhibit also features a video produced by video artist Travis Saul, MFA’12, in collaboration with Herrmann and her colleague and exhibit co-curator, Oriental Institute Associate Professor David Schloen. It provides background on the site of Zincirli, the discovery of the stela, a recreation of the rituals enacted to commemorate the soul of Katumuwa, and a recitation of the text in Aramaic and English.
Rituals of remembrance
Other sections of the exhibit explore how commemoration and communication with the dead was enacted, the importance of banquet scenes, and how the concept of the soul differed in ancient Egypt, Iraq and Israel/Palestine.
These vessels were from a funerary ritual, enacted at the time of Tutankhamun’s funeral.
(Luxor, Egypt, ca. 1327 B.C.) [Credit: Anna R. Ressman/Oriental Institute Museum]
Artifacts include a stone plaque from Mesopotamia that shows a banquet, an Egyptian wooden model of men preparing food that was thought to provide food eternally for the deceased, and stone schematic human figures that living relatives thought to have contained the soul of the dead. Loaned objects were provided by the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and include a stela of a woman of a type similar to that of Katumuwa.
Rituals of remembrance of lost loved ones—from memorial services to Day of the Dead celebrations in Latin America and even the “funeral selfie” phenomenon—continue to be an important aspect of many cultures.
This stela shows a deceased man being attended by family members, part of an
ancestor cult. (Luxor, Egypt, ca. 1295–1069 B.C. OIM E14287)
[Credit: Anna R. Ressman/Oriental Institute Museum]
Understanding how the ancients considered and prepared for mortality and worked to preserve the memories of their family members raises questions about how contemporary society contends with these same issues. An epilogue to the exhibit features modern objects of commemoration from many nations, reminding the visitor that rituals that link the living and the dead remain a part of our lives.
Jack Green, chief curator of the Oriental Institute Museum, said, “In coordinating this exhibit, we found that although death can often be a taboo topic in Western society, there are plenty of examples today that commemorate the dead through festive and colorful celebrations—the Dia de Muertos being just one example.”
Source: Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago [March 13, 2014]
Food Porn — D4D Has 2 Shorts Selected To NYC Food Film Festival

Two short films directed by Matt Checkowski and produced by The D4D, Porter Braised Ox "Cheek" and "Mixed Berries, Three Ways",” have been named part of the official selection for the 7th Annual NYC Food Film Festival, which runs October 23rd — 27th, 2013 in New York City.
The Food Film Festival (http://thefoodfilmfestival.com) sprang from the imagination of Festival Director and Travel Channel host George Motz, the documentary filmmaker behind the award-winning Hamburger America film and book, along with co-creator Harry Hawk. Through documentaries, features and short films, the Festival showcases the best, and the most memorable, of the world’s favorite foods. Along with a heaping helping of mouth-watering films, Motz, Hawk and company serve up the food that guests are watching on the screen for a multi-sensory experience.
“I am excited to be a part of the festival and to screen these short films for audiences who share our passion for unique food experiences,” notes Matt Checkowski, Director/Founder of The D4D. “Connecting the visual narratives with a story for the palate makes for an inspired take on the traditional film festival.”
Porter Braised Ox Cheek" and "Mixed Berries, Three Ways” feature Chef Martin Berg of Michelin-starred restaurant Mathias Dahlgren as he prepares some of his favorite dishes. The films are part of a near painterly short film series surrounding Berg’s appreciation and mastery of fine ingredients. Each unfolds in reverse; an homage to culinary magic.
This is the second time The D4D and Matt Checkowski have had work in the Food Film Festival. Two years ago the Chicago iteration screened its short film for Intelligentsia “Espresso” The film is part of a series created for Intelligentsia’s core audience of coffee obsessives and artisanal culturistas.
Food and drink are reoccurring themes in The D4D's storytelling. Checkowski recently curated a collection of stills taken during his culinary content adventures, exploring the oldest bakery in Berlin, meeting the rock star butcher of London and a master class with the Pope of Foam. Read more about Matt’s tales from behind the counter: http://checkowski.com/tales-from-behind-the-counter/
The Seductive Heidi Klum as Mrs Robinson for Carl's Jr. and Hardee's

So Carl's Jr. and Hardee's are launching the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger with a new commercial starring Supermodel Heidi Klum. Klum takes on the iconic role of Mrs. Robinson in the new ad for the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger, inspired by the classic coming-of-age movie The Graduate. Created by Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny, the commercial, titled “Mrs. Robinson,” depicts Heidi tempting a naive younger man with this indulgent burger. The commercial will begin airing nationally on March 25, until then a behind the scenes clip is all we have.
Press via:
In yet another fast food first, Carl’s Jr.® and Hardee’s® will begin selling burgers with the distinctive taste of a branded, distilled spirit when they introduce the new Jim Beam® Bourbon Burger this week. A mature burger for mature tastes, the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger features rich and tangy sauce flavored with Jim Beam bourbon – the world’s No. 1-selling bourbon – crispy onion straws, two strips of bacon, pepper-Jack cheese, lettuce and tomato, all atop a charbroiled beef patty and served on a sesame seed bun. The Jim Beam Bourbon Burger is available now at all Hardee’s restaurants and at all Carl’s Jr. locations starting tomorrow.
“Higher-end restaurants have long served menu items flavored with branded spirits but, until now, they had yet to find their way onto fast food menus and we considered it our mission to change that,” said Brad Haley, chief marketing officer for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s. “The sweet, smoky flavors of Jim Beam bourbon go really well with the great taste of a charbroiled burger, and the folks at Jim Beam were just as excited about the pairing as we were. While there is no residual alcohol in the sauce, that wonderful bourbon taste remains and is enhanced by the smoky flavors of bacon, the spice of pepper-Jack cheese, the salty-crunch of crispy onion straws, and fresh lettuce and tomato. And, who better to help us promote this burger for grown-up tastes than the incomparable Heidi Klum?”
The Jim Beam Bourbon Burger is available as an entrée for $3.59 or as a combo meal with fries and a drink for $6.09 at Carl’s Jr. and $5.59 at Hardee’s. Prices may vary by location.
Supermodel Heidi Klum takes on the iconic role of Mrs. Robinson in the new commercial for the Jim Beam Bourbon Burger, inspired by the classic coming-of-age movie The Graduate. Created by Los Angeles- and Amsterdam-based creative agency 72andSunny, the commercial, titled “Mrs. Robinson,” depicts Heidi tempting a naive younger man with this indulgent burger. The commercial will begin airing nationally on March 25.
“For Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, paying homage to this iconic movie moment is an appropriately fun and irreverent way to introduce the mature taste of bourbon to hungry guys,” said Glenn Cole, founding partner and CCO at 72andSunny. "In casting the new Mrs. Robinson, we hoped to find someone with as much savvy, sophistication and sex appeal as the original Mrs. Robinson. In Heidi Klum, we got a wildly successful producer, businesswoman, TV host and one of the most iconic supermodels of all time. Not a bad day at the office."
“The Bourbon Burger is no ordinary burger. It was truly the star of this commercial and I was proud to play the supporting role,” said Klum. “I’m not sure who had more touch-ups – me with the hair and lip gloss or the Bourbon Burger with the readjusting of the lettuce, spritzing of the tomatoes and fluffing of the bun.”