Turning points in Egyptian archaeology 1850-1950. In Piacentini, Patrizia (ed.), Egypt and the pharaohs: from the sand to the library: pharaonic Egypt in the archives and libraries of the Università degli Studi di Milano, 115-172. Milano: Università degli Studi di Milano; Skira, 2010. (original) (raw)

The author discusses the story of the great discoveries in Egypt between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries through documents held in the Egyptological Archives and Library of the University of Milan. Discoveries of Auguste Mariette are described, and photographs of the Serapeum, coffin lid, jewels and weaponry from the tomb Queen Ahhotep are shown, these coming from the collections of Alexandre Varille and Pierre Lacau. Panels from the tomb of Hesyra in Saqqara and the excavation held in his tomb are discussed, accompanied photos from the collections of Varille and James E. Quibell. Studies of the Pyramids Texts are discussed and exemplified by hieroglyphic columns of these texts handwritten by Victor Loret. The mummies and objects found in the "royal cache" of Deir el-Bahri are well documented, not only in the archives but also in the publications of the Milanese library: some plates from these volumes are presented, as well as correspondence between Loret and other scholars about his discoveries in the Valley of the Kings, together with photos, handwritten notes, maps and plans of the tomb of Amnhotep II. The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb is discussed, accompanied by photos of Lacau guiding European royalty at the tomb, which were taken during official visits to Egypt. Finally, discoveries in Tanis are described, along with some photographs from the Loret and Varille archives that were taken during Pierre Montet’s excavations.