简体中文
EnglishWhat Does Membership of The Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt Offer?
Updated
The Society for the Study of Ancient Egypt (SSAE) is open to anyone with an interest in Ancient Egypt, and its own website states that beginners are welcome with no prior knowledge required. Membership gives you access to a programme of lectures and to the society's members' library, with meetings held in Chesterfield and Nottingham. The site's "Join Us" and "Members Library" pages are the places to look for current details, and the contact page is the route for asking about specific benefits and how to join.
Who the society is for
The SSAE describes its purpose as promoting and encouraging interest in, and study of, the history and archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Two points from its own welcome text matter most for a prospective member:
- No prior knowledge is required. The society explicitly says beginners are welcome — "just an interest in Egypt" is enough.
- It presents itself as friendly and enthusiastic, and invites people to simply turn up to a lecture.
That makes it a reasonable fit if you are curious about Egyptology but have never studied it formally, as well as for people who already read widely on the subject.
What membership gives you
Based on the site's navigation and content, the member-facing offer centres on:
| Area | What the site indicates |
|---|---|
| Lectures and events | A programme of talks; the homepage lists upcoming lectures with dates, times and venues |
| Meeting venues | Chesterfield and Nottingham |
| Members' library | A dedicated "Members Library" section of the site |
| Community | Links to Facebook and Twitter accounts for following the society |
The homepage shows the style of programming: for example, "The Book of the Dead" by Joel Sams, listed for Saturday, 5th December at 1:30 pm at Chesterfield Library Lecture Theatre and on Zoom, and "Disease, disability and Healing in Ancient Egypt" by Dr Sofia Aziz, listed for Saturday, 10th October at 1:30 pm, Zoom only. These examples show that some events are in person, some are online-only, and some are offered both ways — useful if you cannot travel to Chesterfield or Nottingham.
Attending before you join
You do not necessarily need to become a member first. The site says there is "no need to book" to pop along to one of the lectures, and it invites enquiries through its contact page. If you want to test whether the society suits you, attending a lecture is the lowest-commitment way to do that.
Note that the homepage also lists a separate "Non Society Events" section, so not everything advertised there is run by the SSAE itself — check which category an event falls under if that matters to you.
How to find out more or join
- Go to the SSAE website and open the "Join Us" page for membership information.
- Check the "Members Library" page to see what library access involves.
- Review the "Events" page for the current lecture programme and venues.
- Use the "Contact Us" page to ask about specific membership benefits, costs and how to sign up.
The website does not publish membership pricing or a detailed list of benefits in the material available here, so the contact page is the reliable way to get those specifics rather than assuming what is included.
A practical note
The site carries an affiliate disclosure: the SSAE participates in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, earning fees from qualifying purchases made through links to Amazon.co.uk. That is a funding mechanism for the society, not a membership benefit, but it is worth knowing when you see Amazon links on the site.