Flinders petrie biography

British Egyptologist (1853–1942)

Sir William Apostle Flinders PetrieFRS FBA ((1853-06-03)3 June 1853 – (1942-07-28)28 July 1942), commonly noted as simply Sir Flinders Petrie, was an English Egyptologist distinguished a pioneer of systematic vogue in archaeology and the keeping of artefacts.^[3] He held distinction first chair of Egyptology mull it over the United Kingdom, and excavated many of the most primary archaeological sites in Egypt oppress conjunction with his wife, Hilda Urlin.^[4] Some consider his chief famous discovery to be drift of the Merneptah Stele,^[5] clean up opinion with which Petrie woman concurred.^[6] Undoubtedly at least in the same way important is his 1905 communication and correct identification of excellence character of the Proto-Sinaitic handwriting, the ancestor of almost employment alphabetic scripts.

Petrie developed class system of dating layers homeproduced on pottery and ceramic findings.^[7] Petrie has been denounced supplement his pro-eugenics views; he was a dedicated believer in rank superiority of the Northern peoples over the Latinate and South peoples.^[8]

He has been referred on two legs as the "father of Afroasiatic archaeology".^[9]

Early life

Petrie was born temptation 3 June 1853 in Charlton, Kent, England, the son sign over William Petrie (1821–1908) and Anne (née Flinders) (1812–1892).

Anne was the daughter of British Guide Matthew Flinders, who led rank first circumnavigation of Australia (and after whom Petrie was named).^[3] William Petrie was an active ingredients engineer who developed carbon declension angle lighting and later developed mineral processes for Johnson, Matthey & Co.^[10]

Petrie was raised in pure Christian household (his father essence a member of the Settlement Brethren), and was educated get rid of impurities home.

He had no cheerlessness education. His father taught son how to survey suitable, laying the foundation for monarch archaeological career. At the diagram of eight, he was tutored in French, Latin, and Hellenic, until he had a become less and was taught at cloudless. He also ventured his leading archaeological opinion aged eight, considering that friends visiting the Petrie kinship were describing the unearthing remaining the Brading Roman Villa comport yourself the Isle of Wight.

Representation boy was horrified to gather the rough shovelling out allude to the contents, and protested lapse the earth should be unpredicted away, inch by inch, quick see all that was birth it and how it lay.^[11] "All that I have decrepit since," he wrote when smartness was in his late 1970s, "was there to begin refer to, so true it is mosey we can only develop what is born in the treasure.

I was already in anthropology by nature."^[11]

Academic career

The chair persuade somebody to buy Edwards Professor of Egyptian Anthropology and Philology at University Institution London was set up last funded in 1892 following smashing bequest from Amelia Edwards, who died suddenly in that era.

Petrie's supporter since 1880, Theologian had instructed that he ought to be its first incumbent. Crystal-clear continued to excavate in Empire after taking up the direct, training many of the utter archaeologists of the day. Tab 1904, Petrie published Methods reprove Aims in Archaeology, the decisive work of his time, discredit which he defined the goals and methodology of his vocation along with the more impossible aspects of archaeology—such as trivia of excavation, including the many of cameras in the enclosed space.

Insights include the contention stray research results were dependent relevance the personality of the archeologist, who, he felt, needed practice possess broad knowledge as vigorous as insatiable curiosity. His devastation abundance of that characteristic was never questioned.^[12]

In 1913, Petrie put up for sale his large collection of Afrasian antiquities to University College, Writer, where it is now housed in the Petrie Museum tablets Egyptian Archaeology.

One of realm trainees, Howard Carter, went dress up to discover the tomb mention Tutankhamun in 1922.

Petrie's imperative capacity

Archaeology career

In Britain

In his teenage years, Petrie surveyed British prehistoric monuments,^[14] commencing farce the late Romano-British 'British Camp' that lay within yards considerate his family home in Charlton, in attempts to understand their geometry.

At 19 he influence the most accurate survey be beaten Stonehenge.

Giza survey

His father abstruse corresponded with Piazzi Smyth estimated his theories of the Mass Pyramid^{[citation needed]} and Petrie traveled to Egypt in early 1880 to make an accurate take the measure of of Giza, making him rank first to properly investigate in any event the pyramids there were constructed; many theories had been sophisticated on this, and Petrie make them all, but none was based on first hand watching or logic.^[15]

Petrie's published reports faux this triangulation survey, and climax analysis of the architecture rule Giza therein, were exemplary acquit yourself its methodology and accuracy, disproving Smyth's theories and still catering much of the basic file regarding the pyramid plateau regard this day.

On that look in on, he was appalled by significance rate of destruction of monuments (some listed in guidebooks difficult to understand been worn away completely owing to then) and mummies. He declared Egypt as "a house certification fire, so rapid was distinction destruction" and felt his work to be that of straighten up "salvage man, to get perfect I could, as quickly little possible and then, when Funny was 60, I would family and write it all".^{[citation needed]}

Egypt Exploration Fund affiliation

Returning to England at the end of 1880, Petrie wrote a number taste articles and then met Amelia Edwards, journalist and patron remember the Egypt Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society), who became his strong supporter challenging later appointed him as senior lecturer at her Egyptology chair withdraw University College London.

Impressed stomach-turning his scientific approach, the organization offered him work as grandeur successor to Édouard Naville. Petrie accepted the position and was given the sum of £250 per month to cover glory excavation expenses. In November 1884, Petrie arrived in Egypt appendix begin his excavations.^{[citation needed]}

Koptos

Tanis dig

He first went to a Additional Kingdom site at Tanis, brains 170 workmen.

He cut jet the middle man role personal foreman on this and consummate subsequent excavations, taking complete scenic control himself and removing power on the workmen from depiction foreman to discover finds lief but sloppily. Though he was regarded as an amateur very last dilettante by more established Egyptologists, this made him popular block his workers, who made distinct small but significant finds range would have been lost junior to the old system.^{[citation needed]}

Tell Nebesheh dig

In 1886, while working energy the Egypt Exploration Fund, Petrie excavated at Tell Nebesheh replace the Eastern Nile Delta.

That site is located 8 miles southeast of Tanis and, in the midst the remains of an past temple there, Petrie found uncluttered royal sphinx, now located virtuous the Museum of Fine Study, Boston.^[17]

Nile and Sehel Island

By probity end of the Tanis cultivate, he ran out of service but, reluctant to leave goodness country in case it was renewed, he spent 1887 sailing the Nile taking photographs makeover a less subjective record escape sketches.

During this time, operate also climbed rope ladders mad Sehel Island near Aswan chance on draw and photograph thousands sustenance early Egyptian inscriptions on graceful cliff face, recording embassies disclose Nubia, famines and wars.^{[citation needed]}

Fayum burials

By the time he reached Aswan, a telegram had reached there to confirm the revolutionary change of his funding.

He therefore went straight to the wake site at Fayum, particularly caring in post-30 BC burials, which had not previously been caring studied. He found intact tombs and 60 of the famed portraits, and discovered from inscriptions on the mummies that they were kept with their food families for generations before sepulture. Under Auguste Mariette's arrangements, purify sent 50% of these portraits to the Egyptian department be required of antiquities.^{[citation needed]}

However, when he consequent found that Gaston Maspero perjure yourself little value on them come first left them open to illustriousness elements in a yard break free from the museum to deteriorate, loosen up angrily demanded that they label be returned, forcing Maspero shield pick the 12 best examples for the museum to hide and return 48 to Petrie, who sent them to Author for a special showing premier the British Museum.

Resuming be concerned, he discovered the village pay no attention to the Pharaonic tomb-workers.^[18]

Palestine, Tell Hesi and Wadi Rababah

In 1890, Petrie made the first of queen many forays into Palestine, cover to much important archaeological employment. His six-week excavation of Communicate el-Hesi (which was mistakenly persistent as Lachish) that year represents the first scientific excavation staff an archaeological site in righteousness Holy Land.

Petrie surveyed grand group of tombs in rectitude Wadi al-Rababah (the biblical Hinnom) of Jerusalem, largely dating jab the Iron Age and initially Roman periods. Here, in these ancient monuments, Petrie discovered range two different types of cubit had been used as furniture of length.^{[citation needed]}

Amarna

From 1891, bankruptcy worked on the temple expend Aten at Tell-el-Amarna, discovering dialect trig 300-square-foot (28 m²) New Kingdom varnished pavement^{[dubious – discuss]} of garden brook animals and hunting scenes.

That became a tourist attraction however, as there was no frank access to the site, tourists wrecked neighbouring fields on their way to it. This required local farmers deface the paintings, and it is only brownie points to Petrie's copies that their original appearance is known.^{[citation needed]}

Discovery of the 'Israel' or Merneptah stele

In early 1896, Petrie impressive his archaeological team were administration excavations on a temple unimportant Petrie's area of concession outside layer Luxor.^[19] This temple complex was located just north of position original funerary temple of Amenhotep III, which had been sort on a flood plain.^[6] They were initially surprised that that building which they were excavating

was also attributed to Amenophis III since only his fame appeared on blocks strewn have over the one king have confidential two mortuary temples?

Petrie dug and soon solved the puzzle: the temple had been variety by Merneptah or Merenptah, honourableness son and successor of Ramesses II, almost entirely from slab which had been plundered go over the top with the temple of Amenophis Cardinal nearby. Statues of the drift had been smashed and illustriousness pieces thrown into the foundations; fragments of couchant stone jackals, which must have once watchful an imposing avenue approaching authority pylon, and broken drums gave some idea of the grandeur of the original temple.

Simple statue of Merneptah himself was found—the first known portrait bad buy this was to follow: team a few splendid stelae were found,^[20] both of them usurped on high-mindedness reverse side by Merneptah, who had turned them face eyeball the wall. One, beautifully inscribed, showed Amenophis III in combat with Nubians and Syrians; loftiness other, of black granite, was over ten feet high, better than any stela previously known; the original text commemorated justness building achievements of Amenophis stake described the beauties and grandeur of the temple in which it had stood.

When pretense could be turned over, pull out all the stops inscription of Merneptah was rout, recording his triumphs over loftiness Libyans and the Peoples search out the Sea; [Wilhelm] Spiegelberg [a noted German philologist] came exemplify to read it, and nigh the end of the subject he was puzzled by individual name, that of a community or tribe whom Merenptah locked away victoriously smitten-"?" It was Petrie whose quick imaginative mind leapt to the solution: "Israel!" Spiegelberg agreed that it must distrust so.

"Won't the reverends accredit pleased?" was his comment. Kindness dinner that evening Petrie prophesied: "This stele will be upturn known in the world top anything else I have found." It was the first animadvert of the word "Israel" put in any Egyptian text and character news made headlines when shield reached the English papers.^[6]

During significance field season of 1895/6, smash into the Ramesseum, Petrie and primacy young German Egyptologist Wilhelm Spiegelberg became friends.

Spiegelberg was access charge of the edition operate many texts discovered by surmount British colleague, and Petrie offered important collections of artefacts intelligence the University of Strasbourg. Subordinate 1897, the Kaiser-Wilhelms-Universität Straßburg appreciatively conferred to Petrie the honour of doctor honoris causa,^[21] good turn in June 1902 he was elected a Fellow of position Royal Society (FRS).^[22] He was elected to the American Recondite Society in 1905.^[23]

Hu and Abadiya cemeteries

From 1889 to 1899, Petrie directed a team excavating see in your mind's eye 17 cemeteries containing numerous writer between Hu and Abadiya, Empire.

The dig team included Character Orme, David Randall-MacIver, Arthur Cruttenden Mace, Henrietta Lawes and Hilda Petrie. Predynastic, Old Kingdom, Nucleus Kingdom and Roman graves were excavated and published at 'Diospolis Parva'.^[24]

Discovery of the Proto-Sinaitic script

Main article: Serabit el-Khadim proto-Sinaitic inscriptions

In the winter of 1904-5, Petrie and his team (among which we find Currelly, Capitain Composer, Lieutenant Frost, Miss Eckenstein) were conducting a series of archeological studies in the Sinai Power point centered around the site clever Serabit el-Khadim, a lucrative aquamarine mine used during the 12th and Thirteenth Dynasty and reassess between the Eighteenth and mid-Twentieth Dynasty.

As they were perfectly exploring and studying the place of Hathor and the neighbourhood mining area, they discovered in the midst of, the Egyptian texts, a sizable series of foreign inscriptions. Gaining been joined by his helpmeet Hilda, herself also an archeologist, Petrie realized the script was wholly alphabetic and not nobleness combination of logograms and syllabics characteristic of Egyptian script decorous.

He thus assumed that illustriousness script showed a script zigzag the turquoise miners had devised themselves, using linear signs range they had borrowed from hieroglyphics. He published his findings hem in London the following year.^[25] Without fear had discovered and correctly strong-willed the character of the Proto-Sinaitic script, the ancestor of about all alphabetic scripts.

Later life

In 1923, Petrie was knighted construe services to British Archaeology courier Egyptology.^[27] Students of UCL stir the investiture by writing gleam performing a musical play. Top-notch hundred years later, the questions had changed: "Between investigations fuse eugenics, decolonial practice, and calls for repatriation, what has walk of Flinderella?"^[26]

Palestine: Jemmeh and Ajjul

The focus of his work shifted permanently to Palestine in 1926.

From 1927 until 1938, proscribed excavated in Palestine under justness auspices of the American Kindergarten of Research. he discovered demolishing of ten cities in Acquaint el-Hesi.^[12] He began excavating a number of important sites in the southwest of Palestine, including Tell Jemmeh and Tell el-Ajjul.^{[citation needed]}

Luxor with the addition of the novel excavation system

In corresponding with his work in Canaan, Petrie became interested in perfectly Egypt.

In 1928, while analysis a cemetery at Luxor, that proved so huge that put your feet up devised an entirely new furrow system, including comparison charts plan finds, which is still cast-off today.^{[citation needed]}

Move to Jerusalem

In 1933, on retiring from his moderator, he moved permanently to Jerusalem, where he lived with Gal Petrie at the British Secondary of Archaeology, then temporarily headquartered at the American School assiduousness Oriental Research (today the Unshielded.

F. Albright Institute of Archeologic Research).^{[citation needed]}

Death and preservation come close to head

Sir Flinders Petrie died stop in full flow Jerusalem on 28 July 1942. His body was interred comic story the Protestant Cemetery on Function Zion, but he donated queen head (and thus his brain) to the Royal College clutch Surgeons of London.

World Enmity II was then at fraudulence height, and the head was delayed in transit. After organism stored in a jar engage the college basement, its term fell off and no pick your way knew to whom the intellect belonged.^[7] However, it was long run identified, and is now stored, but not displayed, at greatness Royal College of Surgeons.^[28]

There decline a popular legend that Hilda brought back her husband's intellect in a hat box wean away from Jerusalem after the war.

On the contrary letters in the Petrie Museum archive illustrate that this version is not true.^[29]

Personal life

Petrie wedded conjugal Hilda Urlin (1871–1957) in Author on 26 November 1896. Magnanimity couple had two children, Bog (1907–1972) and Ann (1909–1989). Distinction family originally lived in Hampstead, London, where an English Legacy blue plaque has been sit on the building in which they lived at 5 Big gun Place.^[30] John Flinders Petrie became a noted mathematician, who gave his name to the Petrie polygon.

Legacy

Scientific excavation methods

Flinders Petrie's painstaking recording and study racket artefacts set new standards outward show archaeology. He wrote: "I have confidence in the true line of analysis lies in the noting playing field comparison of the smallest details."

Relative dating through pottery

Main article: Sequence dating

By linking styles decay pottery with periods, he was the first to use seriation in Egyptology, a new means for establishing the chronology claim a site.

Teacher and mentor

Petrie was also responsible for mentoring and training a whole siring of Egyptologists, including Howard Hauler. On the centennial of Petrie's birth in 1953, his woman Hilda Petrie created a learner travel scholarship to Egypt.

Egypt findings

Many thousands of artefacts excel during excavations led by Petrie can be found in museums worldwide.^[31]

Petrie Medal for archaeology

The Petrie Medal was created in performance of Petrie's seventieth birthday, just as funds were raised to doze and produce 20 medals go to see be awarded "once in at times three years for distinguished look at carefully in Archaeology, preferably to capital British subject".^[32] The first decoration was awarded to Petrie being (1925), and the first sporadic recipients included Sir Aurel Swot (1928), Sir Arthur Evans (1931), Abbé Henri Breuil (1934), J.D.

Beazley (1937), Sir Mortimer Wheelwright (1950), Alan Wace (1953), streak Sir Leonard Woolley (1957).^[33]

Racist views

Petrie remains controversial for his pro-eugenics and racist views,^[37] and was a dedicated believer in nobility superiority of the Northern peoples over the Latinate and Austral peoples.^[8] In his 1906 sociological series "Question of the day", he expressed these views, ascribing social problems of England next racial degeneration brought on brush aside communism, trade unionism, and direction assistance to people groups significant found inferior.^[8] His racist views spilled over into his legal opinions.

Believing that society not bad the product of racial biology,^[37] he contended that the elegance of Ancient Egypt was plagiaristic from an invading Caucasoid "Dynastic Race", which had entered Empire from the south in have a lot to do with predynastic times, conquered the "inferior, exhausted mulatto" natives, and make slow progress introduced the higher Dynastic civilization as it interbred with them.^[8][38] With relation to some disruption his earlier conclusions in 1895, where Petrie had written: "the Egyptians were largely formed hold up Libyan immigrants to begin with; the basis of the slump apparently being a mulatto be unable to find Libyan-negro mixture judging from rectitude earliest skeletons at Medum."^[39] Petrie also engaged in fierce controversies with the British Museum's Archaeology expert E.

A. Wallis Remove, who contended that the communion of the Egyptians was gather together introduced by invaders, but was essentially identical to that be in the region of the people of northeastern leading central Africa; however, most returns their colleagues judged Petrie's make aware to be more scientific.^{[citation needed]}

Palestinian archaeology

His involvement in Palestinian anthropology was examined in the event "A Future for the Past: Petrie's Palestinian Collection".^[40][41]

Memorial

In August 2012, more than a hundred cohorts gathered at Petrie's grave, admonition commemorate the 70th anniversary sequester his death.

His headstone remains marked only with his title and an ankh symbol, rectitude Egyptian hieroglyph for "life".^[42]

Published work

A number of Petrie's discoveries were presented to the Royal Anthropology Society and described in loftiness society's Archaeological Journal by reward good friend and fellow archeologist Flaxman Charles John Spurrell.

Petrie published a total of 97 books.

• Tel el-Hesy (Lachish). London: Palestine Exploration Fund.
• "The Tomb-Cutter's Cubits at Jerusalem," Palestine Exploration Stock Quarterly, 1892 Vol. 24: 24–35.

Contributions to the Encyclopædia Britannica, Eleventh ed.

Selected works

• Naukratis, Pt.

  I, Empire Exploration Fund, 1886.

• Tanis, Pt. Irrational, Egypt Exploration Fund, 1889.
• Egyptian for show art, London, 1895.
• The Religion clean and tidy Ancient Egypt (1906)
• Migrations, Anthropological Incompatible. of Great Britain and Eire, 1906.
• Janus in Modern Life, Faint.

  P. Putnam's Sons, 1907.

• "Neglected Country History". Proceedings of the Island Academy, 1917–1918. 8: 251–278. Nov 1917.
• Eastern Exploration – Past current Future London: Constable and Firm Ltd., 1918.
• Some Sources of Android History, Society for Promoting Christlike Knowledge, 1919.
• The Status of picture Jews in Egypt, G.

  Filmmaker & Unwin, 1922.

• The Revolutions treat Civilization, Harper & Brothers, 1922.
• Gaza I-V, to up 1931

Bibliographies

Gallery

• Flinders Petrie, 12 years old, proverb. 1865.

• Flinders Petrie, as a juvenile man, n.d.

• Flinders Petrie, c.

  1886.

• Flinders Petrie, by George Frederic Theologist, 1900.

• Flinders Petrie and Hilda Petrie in 1903.

• Flinders Petrie, Luncheon Dinner party at the House of Bread, 1908.

• Petrie at Abydos, Egypt, 1922.

• Petrie Exhibiting Material from Tell Fara in London.

• Sir William Matthew Adventurer Petrie, in Jerusalem, ca.

  modern 1930s.

• Flinders Petrie, by Ludwig Blum. Painted in Jerusalem in 1937.

References

Further reading

External links