*In Person* EX LIBRIS: Dinner with King Tut

Bestselling author Sam Kean investigates the fascinating world of experimental archaeologists in Dinner with King Tut.

The EX LIBRIS program series from the Providence Athenæum features an array of humanities scholars, authors, historians, and thought leaders, illuminating fascinating topics and inspiring the intellectually curious. EX LIBRIS programs take place at the Athenæum in front of a live studio audience and are simulcast via Zoom, as well as recorded.

This is the IN-PERSON event. In-person $5 tickets are exclusively available to members. They include access to a pre-program reception from 5-5:30 and a post-program book sale, if applicable. To register for the virtual simulcast, please click here.

Experimental archaeology resurrects the hidden details of lost civilizations. These are scientists gone rogue: They make human mummies. They investigate the unsolved murders of ancient bog bodies. They carve primitive spears and go hunting, then knap their own obsidian blades to skin the game. They build perilous boats and plunge out onto the open sea—all in the name of experiencing history as it was, with all its dangers, disappointments, and unexpected delights.

New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean joins these experimental archaeologists on their adventures across the globe, from the Andes to the South Seas. He fires medieval catapults, tries his hand at ancient surgery and tattooing, builds Roman-style roads, and much more. Lively, offbeat, and filled with stunning revelations about our past, Dinner with King Tut sheds light on days long gone and the intrepid experts resurrecting them today, with startling, lifelike detail and more than a few laughs along the way.

Book sale and signing

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Sam Kean is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including Dinner with King Tut, The Icepick Surgeon, The Bastard Brigade, and The Disappearing Spoon. His stories have appeared in National Geographic, The New Yorker, and The New York Times, and his work has been featured on NPR’s “Radiolab,” “Science Friday,” “All Things Considered,” and “Fresh Air,” among other places.

The Athenæum's Spring 2026 Season is generously sponsored by the following friends and partners:

Please note that we are piloting new waitlist procedures this season. If we receive cancellations, available tickets will be offered to waitlisted members in the order they registered for the waitlist. Two days prior to the event, any remaining tickets will be offered by email to all waitlisted members on a first-come, first-served basis.