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Arthur Edward Pearse Brome Weigall

Details

  • Type
    Individual - Modern
  • Nationality and Dates
    British, 1880–1934
  • Remarks
    Egyptologist and author. Nationality and life dates from Who was Who in Egyptology. (1880-1934) British Egyptologist and author; born St Helier, jersey, 2O Nov. 1880, son of Major Arthur Archibald Denny Weigall and Alice Cowan; he was educated at Hillside School, Malvern, and Wellington College; he entered New College, Oxford, 1900, but left after a short residence to become assistant to Prof. Flinders Petrie on the staff of the EEF, 1901; he married twice, first Hortense Schleiter of Chicago, second Muriel Frances Lillie of Hillsborough, Co. Down; he was Inspector-General of Antiquities for the Egyptian Government, 1905-14; he was closely associated with excavations in the Theban Necropolis carried out by Sir Robert Mond (q.v.), and also with those of Theodore Davis (q.v.) in the Valley of Kings; he was an efficient and ener- getic official and for the first time probably since Pharaonic times the tombs and temples of Western Thebes became well ordered and properly conserved; he initiated the numbering of the Tombs of the Nobles now in general use, and assisted in their opening up and restoration; with A.H. Gardiner (q.v.) he produced the Topographical catalogue of the Private Tombs of Thebes later supplemented by Engelbach (q.v.); his later popular works are better known but were often written in haste; his later life was that of a writer and journalist even, of a scene designer, and shows avery individualistic stamp; for hisarchaeological work Weigall was awarded the Cross 4th Class Red Eagle, Germany, Officer's Cross of Franz Joseph, Austria, 3rd Class Medjidieh, Egypt; he published many works serious and popular, see Abydos I, in part, 1902; Abydos III 1904; A Report on the Antiquities of Lower Nubia, 1907; A Catalogue of the Weights and Balances in the Cairo Museum 1908; TraveLc in the Upper Egyptian Deserts, 1909; A Guide to the Antiquities of UpperEgypt, 1910, like Baikie's a very useful book for the tourist; The Life of Akhenaten, Pharaoh of Egypt, 1910, rev. 1922; The Treasury of Ancient Egypt, 1911; A Topographical Gatalogue of the Tombs of Thebes, with A. H. Gardiner, 1913; The Life of Cleopatra, Queen of egypt, 1914, rev. 1924; Egypt from 1798 to 1914, 1915; The Clory of the pharaohs, 1923; Tutankhamen, and other Essays, 1923; AnctIent Egyptian Works of Art, 1924; A History of the Pharaohs, vol.i, 1925, vol. ii, 1926, never completed, a work of great originality and very well written, but marred by the author's individual approach to certain philological and historical matters, and displaying considerable arrogance towards other contemporary Egyptologists; at this stage of his career Weigall's writing became more general with works such as Flights into Antiqulity Sappho, and Laura was My Camel; but he produced a final Egyptological book Ashort History of Ancient Egypt , 1934; he died in London 2 Jan. 1934. Egyptian Religion, ii, 75, ]EA 20 (1934), 107 (A. H. Gardiner); WWWiii, 1431;j. Hankey, Minerva 5 no. 4 (1994), 16-23