EXODUS: A REVOLUTION BEGINS THE MODERN WORLD

Jan Assmann
born in Langelsheim (Harz) in 1938, has taught Egyptology at the University of Heidelberg since 1976. He has been leading a research project in Luxor (Upper Egypt) since 1978 and has taught as a visiting professor in Paris, Yale and Jerusalem, among other places. In 2015, Jan Assmann is a visiting professor at the Johannes Gutenberg Foundation of the University of Mainz.

Moderation: Isolde Charim, author and philosopher

Together with his wife, Aleida Assmann, Jan Assmann coined the concept of cultural memory, which has become a key concept in cultural studies and systematically and theoretically demonstrates the connection between culture and memory and clarifies the links between cultural memory, collective identity and political legitimisation.

In his new book Exodus - The Revolution of the Ancient World, Jan Assmann traces the Exodus narrative from Ancient Egypt to the 20th century, develops a new theory of monotheism and shows why the story of the Exodus from Egypt is also the founding narrative of the modern world. The Book of Exodus contains key scenes from the history of salvation that have had a wide-ranging impact in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as in art and literature.

Jan Assman's new book - Exodus - Die Revolution der Alten Welt - will be published by C.H. Beck on 21 January 2015 (ISBN 978-3-406-67430-3)