Posted on Aug 4, 2022
How early Egyptologists formed 'small, ephemeral communities'
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The study of ancient Egypt flourished in the late 1880s, and, over the next decades of British occupation of the country, archaeologists and historians sought to study the artifacts and tombs left behind.
After working at their dig sites, these early Egyptologists gathered in hotels to discuss what they found. Their conversations, held in the hotels of Alexandria, Cairo and Luxor, became “small, ephemeral communities,” writes Missouri University of Science and Technology history professor Kate Sheppard, whose research on the topic is featured in her new book, “Tea on the Terrace: Hotels and Egyptologists’ social networks, 1885-1925.”
“I'm a biographer, so what happens when you're reading biographies and notes and diaries and letters, you find that a lot of the letterhead is the same,” Sheppard said Wednesday on St. Louis on the Air. “It's from the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, or somebody is talking about, ‘I went to meet this person at the Continental for tea.’”
After working at their dig sites, these early Egyptologists gathered in hotels to discuss what they found. Their conversations, held in the hotels of Alexandria, Cairo and Luxor, became “small, ephemeral communities,” writes Missouri University of Science and Technology history professor Kate Sheppard, whose research on the topic is featured in her new book, “Tea on the Terrace: Hotels and Egyptologists’ social networks, 1885-1925.”
“I'm a biographer, so what happens when you're reading biographies and notes and diaries and letters, you find that a lot of the letterhead is the same,” Sheppard said Wednesday on St. Louis on the Air. “It's from the Shepheard's Hotel in Cairo, or somebody is talking about, ‘I went to meet this person at the Continental for tea.’”
How early Egyptologists formed 'small, ephemeral communities'
Posted from news.stlpublicradio.org
Egypt
Archaeology
United Kingdom
Ancient History
Culture
Posted >1 y ago
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The book sounds interesting as a thorough historic social study of early Egyptologists who were creating the field of Egyptology, and how it is inextricable from the British political interest in Egypt at the time. Interesting interview too.
I have to say that Egyptologists worth their salt, these days, see through the cultural imperatives about early "Egyptology" the article is pointing out, while appreciating the nuts and bolts work those folks were doing of finding and excavating. The field has been, and still is being honed and tempered a lot since those times. It is no longer as much of a caste system associated with and limited to the race, gender, and British social class type status typical of British colonialism.
Flinders Petrie, under whom many of the early Egyptologists studied, is known for having insisted on a systemic method of excavation. Howard Carter (i.e. Ra-Tut's burial ), had been one of his doctoral students. Carter was impeccable with his excavating, so improved the field in that way. One of his main concerns was insisting the Egyptians and everyone else not interfere with the very careful excavating, and recoding of the entire process of discovery - drawing, and photos too - his impeccable very detailed system of excavating, He would have made Petrie proud.
However, the monkey wrench in the works associated with the early Egyptologists finding and excavating sites, including the permit process, was often in competition with tomb robbers' illicit trade, thus often dangerous; some were in cahoots with the illicit trade. And many nations absconded with treasures that should be in Egypt, some of which Egypt has graciously given to Museums . . . for permanent display, although much of what was taken is still considered to have been thieved by Egypt and nations that are in possession of the treasures.
It is not as if tomb robbing and associated sales were new in the early days when Britain was turning Egyptology into a field of study. It is not as if the Brits did not participate in it. Illicit trade i.e. black market, underground . . . actual tomb robbing, has a long history since ancient times in Egypt. And of course the British often went head to head with corruption wherever they colonized, to whatever extent they took possession in some way or another, which differed from time to time and place to place. Many have "possessed" Egypt, which has remained Egypt, none the less.
Turning Egyptology into a field of study and a specialized field of archaeology/anthropology/history, among many other specialties, science being applied increasingly also, has helped with minimizing the illicit market of tomb robbing. And eventually Egyptology produced stellar Egyptian Egyptologists, like one of everyone's favorites, Zahi Hawass, who has inspired many more worldwide regardless of race, creed, color, gender, to become modern day Egyptologists.
I have to say that Egyptologists worth their salt, these days, see through the cultural imperatives about early "Egyptology" the article is pointing out, while appreciating the nuts and bolts work those folks were doing of finding and excavating. The field has been, and still is being honed and tempered a lot since those times. It is no longer as much of a caste system associated with and limited to the race, gender, and British social class type status typical of British colonialism.
Flinders Petrie, under whom many of the early Egyptologists studied, is known for having insisted on a systemic method of excavation. Howard Carter (i.e. Ra-Tut's burial ), had been one of his doctoral students. Carter was impeccable with his excavating, so improved the field in that way. One of his main concerns was insisting the Egyptians and everyone else not interfere with the very careful excavating, and recoding of the entire process of discovery - drawing, and photos too - his impeccable very detailed system of excavating, He would have made Petrie proud.
However, the monkey wrench in the works associated with the early Egyptologists finding and excavating sites, including the permit process, was often in competition with tomb robbers' illicit trade, thus often dangerous; some were in cahoots with the illicit trade. And many nations absconded with treasures that should be in Egypt, some of which Egypt has graciously given to Museums . . . for permanent display, although much of what was taken is still considered to have been thieved by Egypt and nations that are in possession of the treasures.
It is not as if tomb robbing and associated sales were new in the early days when Britain was turning Egyptology into a field of study. It is not as if the Brits did not participate in it. Illicit trade i.e. black market, underground . . . actual tomb robbing, has a long history since ancient times in Egypt. And of course the British often went head to head with corruption wherever they colonized, to whatever extent they took possession in some way or another, which differed from time to time and place to place. Many have "possessed" Egypt, which has remained Egypt, none the less.
Turning Egyptology into a field of study and a specialized field of archaeology/anthropology/history, among many other specialties, science being applied increasingly also, has helped with minimizing the illicit market of tomb robbing. And eventually Egyptology produced stellar Egyptian Egyptologists, like one of everyone's favorites, Zahi Hawass, who has inspired many more worldwide regardless of race, creed, color, gender, to become modern day Egyptologists.
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