Vol.07.p.025[3]

Modern People

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  George Andrew Reisner

  • Type Author
  • Nationality & Dates American, 1867–1942
  • Remarks Egyptologist, archaeologist; Referred to as "the doctor" and "mudir" (Arabic for "director") in the excavation records. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology.
• Guy Brunton

  • Type Mentioned on page
  • Nationality & Dates British, 1878–1948
  • Remarks Egyptologist and archaeologist. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1878-1948) British Egyptologist and archaeologist; he was born in Beckenham, 18july 1878, son of Spencer B. and Janet Swift, and as a boy became interested in Egypt through reading Amelia Edwards's book; he afterwards read and studied books in the Edwards Library at Univ. Coll. London; at the age of 18 he went to S. Africa for several years, where he later married at Prynnsberg, Clocolan, 28 April 1906 Miss Winifred Newbery (see next entry) who became his collaborator in Egypt; he returned to London in 1911 where he studied for two years under Petrie (q.v.) and Miss Murray (q.v.); he then dug with the former at Lahun, 1912-14, where he discovered the famous royal jewellery of the 12th Dynasty and most carefully assembled it after weeks of work after military service, 1914-18, he had another season at Lahun, 1919-21, after which he workedwith Miss Caton Thompson (q.v.) at Qau and Badari; three important discoveries were made here, fossil bones, a Coptic Gospel of St. John, and espec. Badarian rippled pottery; this last led to the discovery of the oldest known cultures of predynastic Upper Egypt, which began a new epoch in the story of early Egypt; Brunton afterwards excavated at Der Tasa and found an earlier phase still; he was appointed assistant Keeper, Cairo Museum, 1931, and did a considerable amount of arranging in the galleries; Brunton was a careful excavator and one of Petrie's most distinguished followers, often improving on and refining his master's techniques; he published, Lahun L The Treasure, 1920; Sedrwnt, 2 vols., with Petrie, 1924; Gurob, with R. Engelbach, 1927; Qua and Badari, with Petrie and Gardiner vols., 1927-30; The Badarian Civilisation and predynastic remains near Badari with G. Caton Thompson, 1928; Mostagedda and the Tasian Culture, with G. M. Morant, 1937; Matmar, 1948; he also contributed many articles to ASAE and other journals and was working on button seals at the time of his death; he retired in March 1949 and went to S. Africa, where he died in White River, Transvaal, 17 Oct. 1948. His library is housed in the Library of the University of Witwatersrand, johannesburg, as a separate collection and some of his papers are in the Griffith Institute ASAE 49 (1949), 95-8 (M. A. Murray); Chron. Eg. 49 (1950), 85; EES Ann. Rep. 1948, 6- 7 (A. J. Arkell); Petrie, 232, 240, 242, 250, 254; inf J. W. Perry, University Librarian, Witwatersrand.
• Reginald Engelbach

  • Type Mentioned on page
  • Nationality & Dates British, 1888–1946
  • Remarks Egyptologist and engineer. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1888-1946) British Egyptologist and engineer; he was born in Moreton hampstead, Devon, 9 July 1888, son of Frederick George E., surgeon and Marianne Wrench; he was educated at Tonbridge School and afterwards trained as an engineer at the City and Guilds Institute 1905-8 but his studies were interrupted by a long illness, and a visit to Egypt during convalescence in 1909-10 turned his attention to Egyptology; he studied Egyptian, Coptic, and Arabic at University College London, and in 1911 went as assistant to Petrie (q.v.), excavating at Heliopolis, Shurafa, Kafr Ammar, Riqqa, and Haraga; in 1914 he joined the Artists Rifles, and served in France and Gallipoli and was then sent by Allenby to report on the ancient sites in Syria and Palestine; he married Nancy Lambert, 1915; after the war, he returned to help Petrie at Lahun and Gurob, 1919-20, and was appointed Chief Inspector in Upper Egypt for the Antiquities Service, 1920; Assistant Keeper, Cairo Museum, 1924; Chief Keeper, 1931; retired 1941; Hon. Member French Inst. 1935; Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, 1937; Hon. Fellow University Coll. London, 1946, but died before confirmed; Technical Adviser to Cairo Museum, 1941-6; Engelbach had an active career in the field and in museum work and arrangement, his greatest achievement being without doubt his great museum Register for Cairo, a vast index of 100,000 nos.; he contributed articles to ASAE and otherjournals regularly; his main publications were, Riqqeh and Memphis VI, with chaps. by M. A. Murray,. H. Petrie, W M. F. Petrie, 1915; The Aswân Obelisk, with some remarks on ancient engineering, 1922; The Problem of the Obelisks from a study of the unfinished Obelisk of Aswan, 1923; Harageh, with B. G. Gunn, 1923; A Supplement to the Topographical Catalogue of the Private Tombs of Thebes, nos. 253-334. With some notes on the Necropolis from 1913 to 1924,1924; Gurob, with G. Brunton, 1927; Ancient Egyptian Masonry, with Somers Clarke, 1930; Index of Egyptian and Sudanese Sites from which the Cairo Museum contains Antiquities, 1931; edited the Introduction to Egyptian Archaeology. With special reference to the Egyptian Museum Cairo. 1946; some of his papers are in the Griffith Institute; he died in Cairo, 26 Feb.1946. ASAE 48 (1948), 1-7 (portr.) (bibl.) (G. Brunton); BIE29 (1946-7), 329-44 (0. Guéraud); JEA 32 (1946), 97-9 (S. R. K Glanville); R Janssen, The First Hundred Years, 1992, 14.
• Sir William Flinders Petrie

  • Type Mentioned on page
  • Nationality & Dates British, 1853–1942
  • Remarks Father of British Egyptology.

• Mr. and Mrs. Bolland

  • Type Mentioned on page
  • Remarks (Sudan Office)
• Mrs. and Miss Euires (wife of British Consul General in Constantinople)

  • Type Mentioned on page