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Walking Among Pharaohs: George Reisner and the Dawn of Modern Egyptology
In this expansive new biography of George Reisner, Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian examines the life and work of America's greatest archaeologist. Manuelian presents Reisner's undeniable impact and considers his life within the context of Western colonialism, racism, and nationalism.
Pyramids with hidden burial chambers. Colossal royal statues and minuscule gold jewelry. Decorated tomb chapels, temples, settlements, fortresses, ceramics, furniture, stone vessels, and hieroglyphic inscriptions everywhere. This is the legacy of forty-three years of breathtakingly successful excavations at twenty-three different archaeological sites in Egypt and Sudan (ancient Nubia). George Reisner (1867-1942) discovered all this and more during a remarkable career that revolutionized archaeological method in both the Old World and the New. Leading the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, Reisner put American Egyptology on the world stage. His uniquely American success story unfolded despite British control of Egyptian politics, French control of Egyptian antiquities, and an Egypt yearning for independence, all while his Egyptian teams achieved the fieldwork results and mastered the arts of recording and documentation.
Reisner's lifespan covers the birth of modern archaeology. It also intersects powerfully with aspects of colonialism, racism, and nationalism, as Western powers imposed their influence on Egypt especially during the two World Wars. The wholesale export of dynastic Egypt's treasures to European and American museums also raised issues of repatriation and cultural patrimony long before they became the hot topics they are today. Walking Among Pharaohs , by distinguished Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, gathers unpublished documents from all over the world to present a fascinating and intimate biography of one of the founding fathers of modern Egyptology and one of America's greatest archaeologists.
Pyramids with hidden burial chambers. Colossal royal statues and minuscule gold jewelry. Decorated tomb chapels, temples, settlements, fortresses, ceramics, furniture, stone vessels, and hieroglyphic inscriptions everywhere. This is the legacy of forty-three years of breathtakingly successful excavations at twenty-three different archaeological sites in Egypt and Sudan (ancient Nubia). George Reisner (1867-1942) discovered all this and more during a remarkable career that revolutionized archaeological method in both the Old World and the New. Leading the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition, Reisner put American Egyptology on the world stage. His uniquely American success story unfolded despite British control of Egyptian politics, French control of Egyptian antiquities, and an Egypt yearning for independence, all while his Egyptian teams achieved the fieldwork results and mastered the arts of recording and documentation.
Reisner's lifespan covers the birth of modern archaeology. It also intersects powerfully with aspects of colonialism, racism, and nationalism, as Western powers imposed their influence on Egypt especially during the two World Wars. The wholesale export of dynastic Egypt's treasures to European and American museums also raised issues of repatriation and cultural patrimony long before they became the hot topics they are today. Walking Among Pharaohs , by distinguished Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian, gathers unpublished documents from all over the world to present a fascinating and intimate biography of one of the founding fathers of modern Egyptology and one of America's greatest archaeologists.
1088 pages, Hardcover
Published October 20, 2022
About the author
Peter der Manuelian
23 books9 followersPeter der Manuelian is the Philip J. King Professor of Egyptology and the Director of the Harvard Semitic Museum.
Peter der Manuelian grew up locally but somehow escaped speaking with a Boston accent. He joined both the NELC and Anthropology Departments in 2010, after teaching Egyptology at Tufts University for ten years. He has also been on the curatorial staff of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, since 1987, and held the position of Giza Archives Project Director there until June 2011 (he is now Founding Director, The Giza Archives). In addition to Giza, his Egyptian archaeological and epigraphic site work includes New Kingdom temples at Luxor (Epigraphic Survey, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago), and the Predynastic site of Naqada.
His primary research interests include ancient Egyptian history, archaeology, epigraphy, the development of mortuary architecture, and the (icono)graphic nature of Egyptian language and culture in general. He has published on diverse topics and periods in Egyptian history, but currently focuses on the third millennium BC, and specifically on the famous Giza Necropolis, just west of modern Cairo. The Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition excavated major portions of the site between 1905 and 1947. Since 2000, the "Giza Archives Project" aims to collect and present online all past, present, and future archaeological activity at Giza (http://www.gizapyramids.org).
Interested in both ancient and modern graphic design-"publishing" in the widest sense of the word-he believes in bringing new technologies into his research and into the classroom. Among his current projects are the publication of elite Giza tombs west of the Great Pyramid, a biography of Harvard archaeologist George A. Reisner, and the development of electronic tools to aid in teaching Egyptian hieroglyphic grammar.
Peter der Manuelian grew up locally but somehow escaped speaking with a Boston accent. He joined both the NELC and Anthropology Departments in 2010, after teaching Egyptology at Tufts University for ten years. He has also been on the curatorial staff of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, since 1987, and held the position of Giza Archives Project Director there until June 2011 (he is now Founding Director, The Giza Archives). In addition to Giza, his Egyptian archaeological and epigraphic site work includes New Kingdom temples at Luxor (Epigraphic Survey, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago), and the Predynastic site of Naqada.
His primary research interests include ancient Egyptian history, archaeology, epigraphy, the development of mortuary architecture, and the (icono)graphic nature of Egyptian language and culture in general. He has published on diverse topics and periods in Egyptian history, but currently focuses on the third millennium BC, and specifically on the famous Giza Necropolis, just west of modern Cairo. The Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition excavated major portions of the site between 1905 and 1947. Since 2000, the "Giza Archives Project" aims to collect and present online all past, present, and future archaeological activity at Giza (http://www.gizapyramids.org).
Interested in both ancient and modern graphic design-"publishing" in the widest sense of the word-he believes in bringing new technologies into his research and into the classroom. Among his current projects are the publication of elite Giza tombs west of the Great Pyramid, a biography of Harvard archaeologist George A. Reisner, and the development of electronic tools to aid in teaching Egyptian hieroglyphic grammar.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2023
This is easily the most well researched, in-depth book about an individual I have ever read. The level of detail this volume brings to the table about a period many would consider the 'golden' age of Egyptology, is simply astounding.
I have an enormous collection of books on ancient Egypt, and when I saw this as a new release it was an easy sell for me for a few reasons.
There are countless books on the history of ancient Egypt, but very few documenting the process of the actual archaeology. There are plenty dedicated to Howard Carter and the discovery of Tutankhamun, but few dare to tell the stories of those Egyptologists and their Egyptian workmen who are known only by those who see artifacts not simply as objects from the past, but each a story from the present. I have also been fascinated by George Reisner, whom many consider the greatest American Egyptologist, after my first visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston many years ago. Since then, my frequent visits to the museum (I live relatively close) have heightened my curiosity into discovering who this man was, but I am not sure I was prepared for the level of life this author was able to inject into a period which happened over one hundred years ago.
The story itself is incredible from Reisner's beginnings in Indiana through Samaria and ultimately to Egypt. The authors inclusion of Reisner's Egyptian reis' and crewmember names is a breath of fresh air to begin with, but to understand the importance these crews had on what we now see in museums around the world is fantastic to read. So often these people are lost (ignored) with the Egyptologists taking all the credit. This book sets the record straight, not only on the work done by the Egyptian crews, but in Reisner's admiration for them (and vice versa). In many ways Said Ahmed might be one of the real stand out figures that emerges from the pages of this book. If I were able to request anything from this author, it might be a specific book on the Said family and the workmen of Quft.
Reisner is flesh and bones walking across the pages, with cane in hand and pipe in his mouth, with such depth that by the end you start feeling sorry for him at first due to his vision problems, and then ultimately his health. His dedication to the scientific process was admirable at a time when museums simply wanted to fill their shelves by any means possible. Yes, you do get a sense that the pressure to 'discover' new things for the sake of filling an historical gap in the museum's collection was never far from Reisner's mind, but at the same time you feel it's his passion for filling in the historical record that drove him. There is just too much to talk about spanning the length of Egypt into Nubia, but therein lies the only critique I have.
This book is a masterpiece but unfortunately its scope limits its audience to an exceedingly small subset of people not only interested on ancient Egyptian history, but also interested on those who spend their lives digging in the sand looking for the truth. At ONE THOUSAND PAGES, this makes it an even more daunting task for those with a passing interest in Egyptology, and that is unfortunate because this book is so much more than that. In many ways you can draw a parallel between Walking Among Pharaohs and Reisner's Giza Necropolis volume 1, which was published after he died. A giant book that even some of Reisner's colleagues critiqued for being too dense! I would have loved to have seen more photos, but for the same reason Reisner did not include many hieroglyphs in his book, the cost would have been prohibitive. I started reading this on my Kindle Oasis, which halfway through I decided to upgrade to the Kindle Scribe simply so the photos would be shown larger and more relevant. This book is a must for anyone with a curiosity about Egypt or archaeology.
Enough said. Let me just say that I will now purchase the hardcover version so I can put it on my shelves.
I have an enormous collection of books on ancient Egypt, and when I saw this as a new release it was an easy sell for me for a few reasons.
There are countless books on the history of ancient Egypt, but very few documenting the process of the actual archaeology. There are plenty dedicated to Howard Carter and the discovery of Tutankhamun, but few dare to tell the stories of those Egyptologists and their Egyptian workmen who are known only by those who see artifacts not simply as objects from the past, but each a story from the present. I have also been fascinated by George Reisner, whom many consider the greatest American Egyptologist, after my first visit to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston many years ago. Since then, my frequent visits to the museum (I live relatively close) have heightened my curiosity into discovering who this man was, but I am not sure I was prepared for the level of life this author was able to inject into a period which happened over one hundred years ago.
The story itself is incredible from Reisner's beginnings in Indiana through Samaria and ultimately to Egypt. The authors inclusion of Reisner's Egyptian reis' and crewmember names is a breath of fresh air to begin with, but to understand the importance these crews had on what we now see in museums around the world is fantastic to read. So often these people are lost (ignored) with the Egyptologists taking all the credit. This book sets the record straight, not only on the work done by the Egyptian crews, but in Reisner's admiration for them (and vice versa). In many ways Said Ahmed might be one of the real stand out figures that emerges from the pages of this book. If I were able to request anything from this author, it might be a specific book on the Said family and the workmen of Quft.
Reisner is flesh and bones walking across the pages, with cane in hand and pipe in his mouth, with such depth that by the end you start feeling sorry for him at first due to his vision problems, and then ultimately his health. His dedication to the scientific process was admirable at a time when museums simply wanted to fill their shelves by any means possible. Yes, you do get a sense that the pressure to 'discover' new things for the sake of filling an historical gap in the museum's collection was never far from Reisner's mind, but at the same time you feel it's his passion for filling in the historical record that drove him. There is just too much to talk about spanning the length of Egypt into Nubia, but therein lies the only critique I have.
This book is a masterpiece but unfortunately its scope limits its audience to an exceedingly small subset of people not only interested on ancient Egyptian history, but also interested on those who spend their lives digging in the sand looking for the truth. At ONE THOUSAND PAGES, this makes it an even more daunting task for those with a passing interest in Egyptology, and that is unfortunate because this book is so much more than that. In many ways you can draw a parallel between Walking Among Pharaohs and Reisner's Giza Necropolis volume 1, which was published after he died. A giant book that even some of Reisner's colleagues critiqued for being too dense! I would have loved to have seen more photos, but for the same reason Reisner did not include many hieroglyphs in his book, the cost would have been prohibitive. I started reading this on my Kindle Oasis, which halfway through I decided to upgrade to the Kindle Scribe simply so the photos would be shown larger and more relevant. This book is a must for anyone with a curiosity about Egypt or archaeology.
Enough said. Let me just say that I will now purchase the hardcover version so I can put it on my shelves.
October 24, 2022
George Reisner brought in the modern age of archaeology, and made some spectacular finds along the way.
Peter Der Manuelian dives into the life of Reisner, from his beginnings, through education, and then into the field of archaeology. While there were some bumps along the way, Reisner continued to rise above, and push through, becoming the father of modern archaeology (although some argue that Howard Carter also bears this title), and bringing forth some of the great finds that we see today.
I enjoyed reading through this book! There was a lot of information, but it was broken down in pretty easy to follow segments, and there were some images throughout, lending to the subject matter at hand. When this is in print form, I would love to see a copy, as I feel that the images will better suited in that format.
Overall, fabulous read! If you are interested in Egyptian history, then you are not going to want to miss this book! I absolutely LOVED it!
Peter Der Manuelian dives into the life of Reisner, from his beginnings, through education, and then into the field of archaeology. While there were some bumps along the way, Reisner continued to rise above, and push through, becoming the father of modern archaeology (although some argue that Howard Carter also bears this title), and bringing forth some of the great finds that we see today.
I enjoyed reading through this book! There was a lot of information, but it was broken down in pretty easy to follow segments, and there were some images throughout, lending to the subject matter at hand. When this is in print form, I would love to see a copy, as I feel that the images will better suited in that format.
Overall, fabulous read! If you are interested in Egyptian history, then you are not going to want to miss this book! I absolutely LOVED it!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews