The Father of British Egyptology

John Gardner Wilkinson

The exotic land of Egypt has long intrigued the inquisitive mind and no wonders many travelers have made voyages to this African country to explore its appealing antiquity. Egypt has a rich history with reminiscences of a glorious past that adds to its magnetic appeal. The land of Pharaoh, Sphinx and mummies the country has an exquisite charm of its own. A separate branch of study evolved during the last centuries to understand Egyptian life and culture. The discipline of Egyptology deals with the archeology of Egypt’s ancient artifacts. A name that goes simultaneously with British Egyptology is that of Sir John Gardner Wilkinson. He is also referred as the Father of British Egyptology.

Early life of Wilkinson
A brief look at his lineage reveals him as the son of Mary Anne Wilkinson and Rev. John Wilkinson, a clergyman of Hardendale. He was born on the 5th of October 1797. He inherited enough income from his parents. His parents died when he was young. His guardian sent him to Harrow in 1813, and to Exeter College, Oxford, in 1816. However, he left the college without a degree in 1818, and suffering from poor health, went to Italy, where he met Sir William Gell, and decided to study Egyptology. Travel was a passion to Wilkinson and he made his first visit to the Continent in 1818 and 1819. Through this grand tour, he made journeys to Germany, France and Italy. Sir William Gell was a student of Egyptian hieroglyphs by profession and an antiquarian by temperament. He was the motivating force behind, in igniting the spark in Wilkinson for Egyptology. Wilkinson made his first visit to the place in October 1821, which opened a new chapter in his life. Wilkinson’s visit marks a beginning in many respects. Earlier the travels were mainly directed towards the plunder of the ancient land and it was for the first time that a foreigner made a journey to Egypt for the scientific study of those antique monuments.

Wilkinson stayed in Egypt for more than a decade (1833) and traveled extensively through out the country. He had a keenness to know Egyptian life and culture and this he cherished through his travels. He learned Arabic and Coptic, the two main languages of the place, which enabled him to communicate better throughout the region. It goes to his credit to set up the numbering systems for the ancient tombs prevalent even today. Extending his work from private ones to the well-known tombs, he copied inscriptions and scenes and made the first complete chronology of the New Kingdom dynasties and an all-inclusive plan of ancient Thebes. The most notable years are 1824, 1827 and 1828. His notes serve as a valuable piece of information especially on ancient Thebes for the modern Egyptologists because they have now been either damaged or destroyed. Laurels followed him at his return to England in 1833 and he was made FRS in 1834.

Sir Wilkinson’s Contribution to Egyptology
It is not easy to estimate the real extent of his contribution to Egyptology. He returned to Egypt in 1841, and this time to study the Wadi Canon of Kings. During this time, he also visited Natron Lake and published his traveling account in 1843. Following it, another account of his travels made its way in 1843-44. This travelogue covered his surveys to Bosnia, Montenegro and Herzegovina. He was the force behind publication of the new translation that established the correct chronological order of the ancient Egypt rulers. His most remarkable and noteworthy contribution is in Epigraphy. Through this study of ancient inscriptions, he was able to identify many names of Egyptian kings. His notes, drawings and copies offer loads of information about the ancient civilization. He traveled to Egypt for the last time during 1855-1856. His valuable work adorns the shelf of the Bodleian Library in Oxford and offers a guideline for the Egyptologists.

The credit to explore the area of el-Amarna superficially also goes to his name. He also worked on the tombs located at Gebel Barkal Beni Hasan. Many of the early travelers did not understand the name el-Amarna and it was called Tell el-Amarna. Wilkinson first visited the place in 1824 and then with his friend James Burton. The visit though did not reveal much because until then the Egyptian writings could not be deciphered. It was a little later that Champollian made crucial breakthrough on Egyptian writings and then it was possible to read the inscription in detail.

Wilkinson’s contribution is commendable in giving a new facet to Egyptology. He was the first to study the ancient monuments of Nubia and Egypt from a historical and archaeological dimension. Unlike other archaeologists and historians, he was not aided by any team and his greatest merit lies in single-handedly carrying out the Herculean task of developing a chronology of the dynasties and order of ancient Egyptian kings. He preceded the others in developing an extensive and all-inclusive plan for the ancient Thebes. He was the first person who identified the site of Labyrinth at Hawara and many other such until now unknown sites. His study was important for other branches of study as well. Contributing to geological and zoological journals, he adorned the British Museum through various historically invaluable articles that belonged to the daily life of people during the ancient ages. It ranged from two big collections of papyri and furniture to articles of daily use.

He had a widespread knowledge of Egyptian life and manners and his study is a rich resource of information for his predecessors. During the early years of his stay in Egypt, he traveled widely across the river Nile and around the oases and deserts. His conclusions and researches are based on the firsthand account of his observations. Covering an extensive area of about fifty different features of the traditional and cultural heritage of the place his study varied from chronology to astronomy and funerary beliefs. The title of Wilkinson’s book “The Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians,” is self-explanatory and touches all the major facets of Egyptian life. He did not receive any formal training in drawing but his small jottings to explain an important happening or scene serves as the raw material for hundreds of information vital for the later development of Egyptology. Wilkinson drew many sketches during his twelve years stay in Egypt and many of these illustrations were used in publishing the Manners and Customs. The first edition of the book may seem a bit difficult to understand for the modern Egyptologist. He explains things from angle that would hardly be accepted from modern perspective. He often uses Bible as a reliable authority and makes explanations accordingly. This approach was also influenced by the monumental sources that he gathered during his research.

He made a note of the similarities that existed between the old Egyptian houses of a region and the contemporary houses built there. He made a mistake while noting down other important features of a place near the ancient city of Tel el Amarna. He called the place Alabastron, perhaps because of its closeness to the ancient place, alabaster quarry. He had a natural artistic bent that helped him to notice the unique style of relief carvings carved on the tombs placed on the cliffs of Eastern Desert. The relief carvings were unique for their subject as well as the manners in which human figures were carved. It used the naturalistic method for depicting the human body. He was the first scholar to note the distinguished features of Amarna Art. This art form developed and reached its prime during the reign of King Akhenaten. Wilkinson also found such types of inscriptions on Tuna el-Gebel and successfully assumed the two works belonged to the credit of King Akhenaten. We owe much to the precision with which Wilkinson studied these art forms and gave the study a new facet.

Thebes served a rich source of material for Wilkinson. His observations and discoveries got a boost with his venture to this site. The existing monuments and the past remains provided him with enough material to base his study on Egyptian culture and its social norms. The tombs of necropolis were yet another piece of information that could satisfy Wilkinson’s search. Luxor was yet another site that rewarded its visitors with a souvenir or two whenever anybody visited it. During those years, new tombs were continually discovered that further threw in a large wealth of knowledge. Antiquities found in such tombs revealed important information of the age and time to which it belonged.

There was a typical tradition among the Egyptians to bury the dead with all the possible items he or she used, to ensure a comfortable existence even after death. Thus, these tombs also had the mortal remains that helped to come to an accurate analysis of the lifestyle of the people of that region. The climate of Upper Egypt is dry which further eased protection of these household items buried in the tombs. Floods were rare to this region, and thus the ancient materials remain in good condition even thousands of years after the burial. It was astonishing to find household linen, unusual musical instrument and unique furniture in good condition that belonged to antiquity. Through the heroic efforts of Wilkinson, you can still view some of them adorning the Egyptian galleries of the British Museum. Sadly, not all these discoveries were without any darker sides to them. Terrible things happened to the once which could not hold their charm such long. Vain, self-interest also guided some of these searches. As a result, many mummies were torn and antique coffins were brutally ripped open to find valuable gems and jewelry. The reckless plunder paced up further but it did not deter the spirit of the real lover of Egyptian antiquities. Wilkinson finally settled in Thebes, keeping himself close to his passion.

He made his life revolve around Egyptology and settled in a house made on the hill known as Sheikh Abdel Qurna. It was found in and around the tomb number 83. The tomb belonged to the famous vizir of King Tuthmosis III of the Eighteenth Dynasty. It was in bad shape when Wilkinson took over the tomb as its residence yet it was a pleasure to him and a reward for his insatiable spirit. The tomb with its typical Theban architectural features further added to his antiquarian interest. He made necessary constructions to transform it into a modern dwelling while preserving its antique appeal and splendor. Thus, Wilkinson Castle as it was called became an active place of his research and study.

Wilkinson’s published work on Egypt
A sincere study of Wilkinson’s work reveals him a meticulous observer, a detailed analyst and a systematic worker. He diligently studied the monuments, made a clear account and resorted to drawing whenever it suited the need. His work has a regularity and concentrated approach that gives prominence to his contribution. His extraordinary merit lies in jotting down the accounts and publishing his observations systematically, to enlighten and help the successors in developing the stream of Egyptology further. He had the support of his mentor Sir William Gell in it, who encouraged him to publish his studies and observations. Wilkinson had scholarly instinct that only needed certain well-directed advices to prune his talent further, which Gell rendered him with precision and perfection. He advised Wilkinson to organize the material through orderly theory of thoughts and ideas. The author achieved this supreme coherence of thoughts and ideas in his book ‘Manners and Customs of Ancient Egyptians’. The book contains a detailed account of the different facets of royal life from battlefield to banquets. It offers a synthesis of his experiences and observations in Egypt for twelve long years and unravels a wealth of knowledge.

Not only this, his guidebook on Egypt has laid foundation of Murray’s standard guidebook for visitors in Egypt. Many of his unpublished research materials can be viewed at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. Compiled in 56 volumes the materials consist of beautiful drawings and rough sketches. These materials are still crucial source of information for modern Egyptologists who wish to have a look of the ancient sites as they looked around 1820’s. His scholarly works are beyond doubt indispensable to the study of Egyptology. It is difficult to classify his study into particular archival arrangement. His varied literary interests yielded a host of valuable papers, sketches revealing the myriad features of antique Egyptian life, customs and heritage. The works may be vaguely categorized under five headings. They consists of sketches, papers about his foreign travels and stay in Egypt, papers about unpublished and published particular literary and academic projects, papers on antiquarian and academic research in general, personal papers and papers that others wrote. Besides these, Wilkinson got many manuscripts that are invaluable in themselves. They vary from an eighteenth century manuscript of the Koran with gilt decoration to a Bible lectionary in Coptic with parallel Arabic translation. He also acquired 14th and 15th century liturgical work in Coptic with Arabic translation.

His second notable visit to Egypt was between 1841 and 1849. His next move was governed towards the survey of Wadi Natron. Through his new publication, he showed the correct order of the ancient rulers according to their line of succession. He further identified the Labyrinth at Hawara as the mortuary temple of Amenemhat III. He made his last visit to Egypt in 1855-56. The year is also notable for his marriage with Caroline Catherine Lucas an antiquarian, an actor and a dedicated botanist. In 1866, the couple moved to Brynfield. The area gave his interest a new dimension and he got the chance to indulge in the study of ancient British remains. He also studied British archaeology and antiquities and made noteworthy contribution in this sphere. Wilkinson tried to evoke the interest of others in antiquarian study as well. He donated an unfinished map of Cairo and two-volume catalog of the antiquities he collected, to the Harrow School. He gave a vast collection of sketchbooks to help later scholars. These sketchbooks cover the time from 1815 to 1875, yielding information through containing wash drawings, ink and pencil sketches and watercolor drawings on miscellaneous subjects. These eighty-three sketchbooks and a folder of loose paper is no minor contribution.

Other contemporary names that made relevant contributions include Champollion, Young, Burton and Hamilton. Egyptian findings and explorations were not without any stake. People like Henry Salt plundered the region ruthlessly but thanks to the resort, these young men provided from such materialistic acts. Burton came to Cairo to join the Geological Survey organized by Mohammed Ali Pasha. Soon ancient Egyptian sites caught his interest and he became an enthusiastic surveyor of these antique monuments. Champollion successfully deciphered the inscriptions and made it convenient for others to go through them. The inscriptions revealed many essential information about the Egyptian lifestyle, men and manners.

Wilkinson succumbed to death in 1875, leaving behind scores of literary and academic works to be perused by others later. He is responsible for works like Materia Hieroglyphica, Topographical survey of Thebes, Architecture of Ancient Egyptians, Facsimile of the Turin Papyrus, and A Popular Account of the Ancient Egyptians. After his death Wilkinson’s papers and his whole library went to Sir John Crew and his family legally and sent to Calke Abbey. Later in 1925 Francis Llewellyn Griffith, professor of Egyptology at Oxford received many of the manuscripts forming Wilkinson’s Egyptological research. These manuscripts adorned the Griffith Institute in Oxford, after his death. Further, Bertha Porter and Rosalind Moss used them as reference for preparing Topographical Biography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Relief and Paintings. National Trust got charge of all the materials in 1984.

Jason Thompson got much aid from these materials to write the biography of Wilkinson, titled Wilkinson and His Circle. Wilkinson single-handedly carried on the task and contributed enormously to development of Egyptology. His fame gradually declined after emergence of professional Egyptologists. Thompson studied the different facets of Wilkinson’s life and work and placed him again to his deserved place. He portrayed the man and the background in its true colors. A peep into his personal life revealed his close circle of friends with whom he shared his dreams, goals and temporary difficulties. He traces his work after his return from Egypt and his significant contribution to Egyptology. His genuine passion for gathering information and in-depth study in this context commands appreciation and sincere acknowledgment. Thus, Sir John Gardner Wilkinson was a man ahead of his times, who paved way for the modern Egyptologists. He is rightly called the Father of British Egyptology.