A forgotten chapter in the history of Egyptology: John Beasley Greene at Deir el-Bahari in Egypt
2025, 34, No. 3
University of Warsaw, Faculty of Archaeology
University of Warsaw, Faculty of History, PhD Candidate
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Abstract
Édouard Naville, upon entering the Northern Room of Amun at the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, found inscriptions written in pencil high up on the walls, bearing the signature of John Beasley Greene and featuring the date 1855. J.B. Greene was a young Frenchman known mainly as one of the pioneers of photography. He is sometimes mentioned in the context of the excavations at Medinet Habu, but his activities at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahari are unknown. It appears that, in addition to the Northern Room of Amun, he discovered another small chapel and documented both rooms. His plans to publish the results of his research were interrupted by his untimely death in 1856. As a result, Greene’s Egyptological achievements have been consigned to oblivion. This article aims to recall his accomplishments in the fields of Egyptology and archaeological documentation.
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