Best-selling Egyptologist Dr Bill Manley comes to Bradford Literature Festival to delve into the mysteries of Akhenaten’s reign, from 1353 to 1336 BC, which was all but lost to history prior to the late 19th-century discovery of Amarna, the capital city he built for the worship of Aten.

Did Moses learn his beliefs at the court of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten, forming the basis for Christianity?

Join us for this fascinating event that will explore a period of history in which Egypt shifted from polytheism to Atenism, and the ramifications on global religion for millennia since.

About The Speaker

Headshot of author and Egyptologist William Manley

William Manley

Dr Bill Manley is a best-selling author, Egyptologist and Coptic scholar, who teaches at the University of Glasgow and has been working with archaeological projects in Egypt and Palestine for a quarter of a century. His output has included popular titles, textbooks, catalogues, scholarly articles and museum exhibitions, covering subjects as diverse as ancient art and texts, the history of Egyptology, and the world’s oldest philosophy. He has also spoken at various international book festivals, including The Sunday Times Literary Festival. Bill is Honorary President of the educational charity Egyptology Scotland, Co-Director of Egiptología Complutense based in Madrid, and a contributor to the Coptic Magical Papyri Project. He lives in Renfrewshire and is a member of the Committee of the Society of Authors in Scotland. His latest book, The Oldest Book in the World, is due to be published by Thames & Hudson in 2023.