The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum is proud to present Dr. Bela Sandor who will speak on chariots as Lew Wallace presented them in Ben-Hur. Sandor will present his program at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Carriage House at the Lew Wallace Study & Museum.
Lew Wallace understood the physics of chariot racing which helped to make it the most exciting aspect of the book and subsequent stage and film presentations. Sandor, a Professor Emeritus of Engineering Physics at the University of Wisconsin, takes an in-depth look into the world of competitive chariot racing, its depiction in Ben-Hur, and the historical accuracy of the exciting filmed chariot races. Discover what the film adaptations got right — and what they got wrong.
Professor Sandor’s main engineering research has been in the field of Thermoelastic Stress Analysis, a full-field non-contacting experimental method based on small, modulated infrared emissions. His interest in stress analysis, among other things, led to research and lecturing on the total mechanical analysis of ancient chariots. The chariots of ancient Egypt, Rome, and the Far East were very different in design and success. He has presented the program Virtual Rides on Tut and Ben-Hur Chariots at Queen’s College in Cambridge, UK, Tutankhamun’s Chariots and the Exodus at Madison Biblical Archaeology Society and Tut and Nero: Wild on Wheels. He was a fundamental technical advisor on the NOVA documentary Building Pharaoh’s Chariot with filming on location in Egypt. This documentary was originally broadcast in 2013, but has been repeated many times on PBS.
This presentation is free and open to the public and the Carriage House is ADA accessible, seating is limited and reservations are suggested.
For more information, visit www.ben-hur.com or call Larry Paarlberg at 765-362-5769 or email lpaarlberg@ben-hur.com.
