Encyclopedia, Difference between revisions of "George Reisner" - New World

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[[Image:Papyrus_Reisner.jpg|thumb|George Reisner with ceramic vessel (March 29,1929)]]
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'''George Andrew Reisner''' was born on November 5, 1867 in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]] to George Andrew Reisner and Mary Elizabeth Mason. His father's parents were of German decent. George Reisner received his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University graduating in the class of 1889. Then he went on to study at [[Harvard University]] receiving his A.B. in 1889 and A.M. in 1891. In 1892 he married Mary Putnam Bronson and then left for an excavation in the Middle East. He received his Ph.D. in 1893 and wrote his dissertation on Semitic languages. His specialty was Assyriology and Semitic languages.At Harvard, he received a study grant to research cuneiform at the University in Göttingen where he studied under the egyptologist [[Adolf Erman]](1845-1937)and Kurt Sethe(1869-1934) in [[Berlin, Germany]]. Sethe taught Reisner hieroglyphs, that supplemented his already extensive knowledge of Arabic, Cuneiform and various other ancient modern languages. This training would prove invaluable as Reisner excavated archaeological sites in Egypt.  
 
'''George Andrew Reisner''' was born on November 5, 1867 in [[Indianapolis]], [[Indiana]] to George Andrew Reisner and Mary Elizabeth Mason. His father's parents were of German decent. George Reisner received his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University graduating in the class of 1889. Then he went on to study at [[Harvard University]] receiving his A.B. in 1889 and A.M. in 1891. In 1892 he married Mary Putnam Bronson and then left for an excavation in the Middle East. He received his Ph.D. in 1893 and wrote his dissertation on Semitic languages. His specialty was Assyriology and Semitic languages.At Harvard, he received a study grant to research cuneiform at the University in Göttingen where he studied under the egyptologist [[Adolf Erman]](1845-1937)and Kurt Sethe(1869-1934) in [[Berlin, Germany]]. Sethe taught Reisner hieroglyphs, that supplemented his already extensive knowledge of Arabic, Cuneiform and various other ancient modern languages. This training would prove invaluable as Reisner excavated archaeological sites in Egypt.  
  
:== Timeline of Work ==
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Even in his old age, despite suffering from progressive blindness, he worked on dictating manucripts. Reisner died in his sleep on June 6, 1942 in Giza, Egypt, and is buried in the American cemetery(protestant) in the Mari Girgis area of Cairo, Egypt. Following his death, Resiner's Harvard camp was closed in 1947 and the Egyptian government awarded one half of the objects found by Reisner to the excavation sponsor-the Hearst Museum at University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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== Work ==
 
* 1895-1896: Assistant of Egyptology(Berlin)
 
* 1895-1896: Assistant of Egyptology(Berlin)
 
* 1897–1899: Classified [[Egyptology]] collection of the [[Egyptian Museum]] in [[Cairo]]
 
* 1897–1899: Classified [[Egyptology]] collection of the [[Egyptian Museum]] in [[Cairo]]
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* 1914-1942: Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University
 
* 1914-1942: Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University
 
* 1916–1923: Explored pyramids of [[Meroë]], dug out temple at [[Napata]]
 
* 1916–1923: Explored pyramids of [[Meroë]], dug out temple at [[Napata]]
 
Even in his old age, despite suffering from progressive blindness, he worked on dictating manucripts. Reisner died in his sleep on June 6, 1942 in Giza, Egypt, and is buried in the American cemetery(protestant) in the Mari Girgis area of Cairo, Egypt. Following his death, Resiner's Harvard camp was closed in 1947 and the Egyptian government awarded one half of the objects found by Reisner to the excavation sponsor-the Hearst Museum at University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
 
  
 
== Legacy ==
 
== Legacy ==

Revision as of 14:28, 13 July 2007



File:Papyrus reisner.jpg
George Reisner with ceramic vessel (March 29,1929)


George Andrew Reisner (November 5, 1867 - June 6, 1942) was an American archaeologist of Ancient Egypt. He was best-known for his methodological excavations of pyramids and other Egyptian sites in the early 1900s. Through his expeditions, Reisner discovered thousands of historical treasures, including the tombs of ancient Egyptian royalty, papyri, and numerous other artifacts. He was famous for his meticulous approach to archaeological excavations, keeping accurate records, and the preservation of artifacts. As a result, he earned the reputation for being the "Father of Modern Scientific Archaeology."

Life

George Andrew Reisner was born on November 5, 1867 in Indianapolis, Indiana to George Andrew Reisner and Mary Elizabeth Mason. His father's parents were of German decent. George Reisner received his undergraduate degree at Cambridge University graduating in the class of 1889. Then he went on to study at Harvard University receiving his A.B. in 1889 and A.M. in 1891. In 1892 he married Mary Putnam Bronson and then left for an excavation in the Middle East. He received his Ph.D. in 1893 and wrote his dissertation on Semitic languages. His specialty was Assyriology and Semitic languages.At Harvard, he received a study grant to research cuneiform at the University in Göttingen where he studied under the egyptologist Adolf Erman(1845-1937)and Kurt Sethe(1869-1934) in Berlin, Germany. Sethe taught Reisner hieroglyphs, that supplemented his already extensive knowledge of Arabic, Cuneiform and various other ancient modern languages. This training would prove invaluable as Reisner excavated archaeological sites in Egypt.

Even in his old age, despite suffering from progressive blindness, he worked on dictating manucripts. Reisner died in his sleep on June 6, 1942 in Giza, Egypt, and is buried in the American cemetery(protestant) in the Mari Girgis area of Cairo, Egypt. Following his death, Resiner's Harvard camp was closed in 1947 and the Egyptian government awarded one half of the objects found by Reisner to the excavation sponsor-the Hearst Museum at University of California, Berkeley, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Work

  • 1895-1896: Assistant of Egyptology(Berlin)
  • 1897–1899: Classified Egyptology collection of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
  • 1899-1905: Led the Hearst Expedition of the University of California to explore burial grounds at and around Qift
  • 1905-1914: Assistant professor of Egyptology at Harvard University
  • 1907-1909: Directed archaeological survey of Nubia (Nilotic Sudan) for Egyptian government
  • 1908-1910: Directed excavations of Samaria in Palestine
  • 1910-1942: Curator of Egyptian collections at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
  • 1914-1942: Professor of Egyptology at Harvard University
  • 1916–1923: Explored pyramids of Meroë, dug out temple at Napata

Legacy

Reisner uncovered the fact that the Nubian kings were not buried in the pyramids but outside of them. He also found the skull of a Nubian female (whom he thought was a king) which is now displayed in the Peabody Museum at Harvard. Reisner believed that Kerma was originally the base of an Egyptian governor and that these Egyptian rulers evolved into the independent monarchs of Kerma. He also created a list of Egyptian viceroys of Kush. He gained notoriety for finding the tomb of Queen Hetepheres the mother of King Khufu (Cheops in Greek) who built the Great Pyramid at Giza. Reisner rewrote the history of Nubia, and explored the world-famous Giza Pyramids.

George Reisner, an experienced egyptologist, is ranked among the most important archaeologists of the twentieth century. he worked during apart of the great era of American museum-sponsored expeditions. As methods began to take on a more scientific perspective. Reisner developed a new method of documentation that proved to be more elaborate and methodical than that of Sir Flinders Petrie(1853-1942), making it the most methodical procedure used in egyptian excavations. Reisner was well-known for his humor and intelligence, even leading to the nickname "Papa George" used by his students. Reisner had excavated one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world, the Giza pyramids, not to mention thousands of ancient artifacts and hundreds of art masterpieces, rewritten Egypto-Nubian history, and changed the course of modern scientific archaeology.

Publications

  • 1896: Wrote articles on cuneiform hymns
  • 1899: Published article on canopic jars that was important to theZeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache
  • 1901: Documented his research of the temple documents of Telloh
  • 1905: Edited The Hearst Medical Papyrus, today at UC Berkeley
  • 1907: Wrote Amulets, 1st section of the important catalog gènèral for the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt.
  • 1913:Wrote Models of Ships and Boats -2nd section of catalog gènèral
  • 1931: Wrote Mycerinus (alternative name of Menkaure)
  • 1936: The Development of the Egyptian Tomb down to the Accession of Cheops
  • 1942: Published final work, A History of the Giza Necropolis
  • 2004: The Egyptian Concept of Immortality" released

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Biography of George Reisner at Dictionary of Art Historians
  • [Bio.: American National Biography, 18, 328-9] Archaeology Dictionary definition of George Andrew Reisner.The concise Oxford Dictionary of Archaeology. Copyright©2002,2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
  • Reisner Biography
  • George Reisner at Duke library
  • "Reisner, George Andrew." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 11 Nov. 2005 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9063116>.
  • American Research Center in Egypt(Northern California)[1]

External links

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