Alan Gardiner
Encyclopedia
Sir Alan Henderson Gardiner (29 March 1879, Eltham
– 19 December 1963, Oxford
) was one of the premier British
Egyptologists of the early and mid-20th century. Some of his most important publications include a 1959 book on his study of "The Royal Canon of Turin" and his seminal 1961 work Egypt of the Pharaohs, which covered all aspects of Egyptian chronology and history at the time of publication.
Two major contributions to ancient Egyptian
philology
by Gardiner are his famous three editions of Egyptian Grammar
and its correlated list of all the Middle Egyptian
hieroglyphs in Gardiner's Sign List
. Publishing Egyptian Grammar produced one of the few available hieroglyphic printing fonts.
In 1915 Gardiner was also able to crack the so-called Proto-Sinaitic writing system by deciphering the "B'alat inscriptions".
He was educated at Charterhouse
and Queens College, Oxford; he was later a student of the famous egyptologist Kurt Heinrich Sethe
in Berlin.
Eltham, London
-Parks and open spaces:There is a large variety of open green space in Eltham, in the form of parkland, fields and woodland.*Avery Hill Park is large, open parkland, situated to the east of Eltham. It is most notable for its Winter Garden, a hothouse containing tropical trees and plants from around...
– 19 December 1963, Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
) was one of the premier British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Egyptologists of the early and mid-20th century. Some of his most important publications include a 1959 book on his study of "The Royal Canon of Turin" and his seminal 1961 work Egypt of the Pharaohs, which covered all aspects of Egyptian chronology and history at the time of publication.
Two major contributions to ancient Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
by Gardiner are his famous three editions of Egyptian Grammar
Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs
Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs was written by Alan Gardiner and first published in 1927 in London by the Clarendon Press. It has been reprinted several times since. The third edition published in 1957 is the most widely-used version for the subject...
and its correlated list of all the Middle Egyptian
Middle Egyptian
Middle Egyptian is the typical form of Egyptian written from 2000 BCE to 1300 BCE .Although evolving into Late Egyptian from the 14th century, Middle Egyptian remained in use as literary standard language until the 4th century AD. As such, it is the classical variant of Egyptian that historically...
hieroglyphs in Gardiner's Sign List
Gardiner's Sign List
Gardiner's Sign List is a list of common Egyptian hieroglyphs compiled by Sir Alan Gardiner. It is considered a standard reference in the study of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs....
. Publishing Egyptian Grammar produced one of the few available hieroglyphic printing fonts.
In 1915 Gardiner was also able to crack the so-called Proto-Sinaitic writing system by deciphering the "B'alat inscriptions".
He was educated at Charterhouse
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
and Queens College, Oxford; he was later a student of the famous egyptologist Kurt Heinrich Sethe
Kurt Heinrich Sethe
Kurt Heinrich Sethe was a noted German Egyptologist and philologist from Berlin. He was a student of Adolf Erman...
in Berlin.
Important publications
- The Admonitions of an Egyptian Sage from a Hieratic Papyrus in Leiden (Pap. Leiden 334 recto). Leipzig, 1909 (reprint Hildesheim - Zürich - New York, 1990).
- "New Literary Works from Ancient Egypt", Journal of Egyptian ArchaeologyJournal of Egyptian ArchaeologyThe Journal of Egyptian Archaeology or JEA is a scientific journal containing scholarly articles and reviews of recent books of importance to Egyptology....
1 (1914), 20-36 and 100-106. - Notes on the story of Sinuhe, Paris, Librairie Honoré Champion, 1916 (Read on line, Kelvin Smith Library).
- "The Tomb of a much-travelled Theban Official", Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 4 (1917), 28-38.
- "On Certain Participial Formations in Egyptian", Rev. ég. N.S. 2/1-2 (1920), 42-55.
- "The Eloquent Peasant", JEA 9 (1923), 5-25.
- Egyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of HieroglyphsEgyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of HieroglyphsEgyptian Grammar: Being an Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs was written by Alan Gardiner and first published in 1927 in London by the Clarendon Press. It has been reprinted several times since. The third edition published in 1957 is the most widely-used version for the subject...
. 3rd Ed., Rev. Oxford: Griffith InstituteGriffith InstituteThe Griffith Institute is an institution based in the Ashmolean Museum of the University of Oxford for the advancement of Egyptology as a discipline. The Griffith Institute is named after the eminent Egyptologist Francis Llewellyn Griffith, who bequeathed funds within his will for the foundation of...
, 1957 (1st edition 1927). ISBN 0-900416-35-1 - "The Earliest Manuscripts of the Instruction of Amenemmes I", Mélanges Maspero I.2, 479-496. 1934
- Ancient Egyptian Onomastica. Vol. I—III. London, 1947.
- The Ramesseum Papyri. Plates (Oxford 1955)
- The Theory of Proper Names: A Controversial Essay. London; New York: Oxford University Press, 1957.
See also
- Egyptian hieroglyphs
- PharaohPharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
- Margaret GardinerMargaret Gardiner (artist)Margaret Gardiner was a radical modern British artist and resident of Hampstead, London, from 1932, where she was also a left wing political activist. She was also for a time the partner of Professor John Desmond Bernal the eminent scientist and political activist...
, his daughter. - Gardiner's Sign ListGardiner's Sign ListGardiner's Sign List is a list of common Egyptian hieroglyphs compiled by Sir Alan Gardiner. It is considered a standard reference in the study of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs....