Etienne Drioton
Encyclopedia
Étienne Drioton was a French Egyptologist, archaeologist, and Catholic
canon
.
in the Department of Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre
in Paris
; in 1936 he became Director General of Antiquities of Egypt in the Egyptian Museum
at Cairo; finally becoming Head Curator
back at the Louvre in 1957. He deciphered hieroglyphic writings, and later laid the foundations of Copt
ic archaeology
. Dr. Drioton authored numerous books, and has been considered the greatest Egyptologist of all time.
of over a dozen codices written in ancient Coptic
were discovered near Nag Hammadi
, Egypt, in 1945 (they became known as the Nag Hammadi codices
), underworld characters began to acquire them, selling them on the black market. Fearful that the precious manuscript
s would be scattered and never recovered, the Egyptian government sent Drioton to acquire as much of the collection as he could.
Cairo antiquities dealer Phocion Jean Tano had acquired most of the collection from these outlaws, but had already sold one codex
to Maria Dattari, a private antiquities collector in Cairo. Dattari offered the collection to the Egyptian government for £71,000+, which was negotiated down to ₤45,000.
An antiquities law was quickly modified to include the artifacts, which made both the Tano and Dattari collections the legal property of the Egyptian government. At that time, Drioton took immediate possession of them, and ordered them sequestered until a proper course of action could be determined by the courts.
The publishing in 1949 of the inventory (Codices I to XII) of the “Tano collection” did not include Codex III, since it was already in the possession of the Coptic Museum
at that time. But it was the quick thinking and decisive action of Étienne Drioton that led to the preservation and availability of these literary artifacts to scholars today.
, who had a legal license to buy and sell antiquities
. Mansoor decided to show his growing Tell el Amarna
Collection of sculptures to Dr. Drioton.
Afterward, the Faculty of Arts
of the University of Cairo purchased, from Mansoor, a bas-relief that was presented to Farouk on the occasion of his accession to the throne of Egypt. The relief, measuring roughly eleven by eight inches, depicts Akhenaten
enthroned, his feet resting on a stool, wearing a curly wig with hanging flaps, and a rather large uraeus
. Also Farouk’s mother had purchased for Farouk's birthday another quite handsome statuette of a youthful princess, measuring approximately nine inches in height.
But once publicity began to surface, along with pictures of the works of art, rumors began to circulate in Cairo
that the entire group consisted of forgeries. Egyptologists and art historians were interviewed, generating articles describing the beauty of the artifacts
and their importance in the history of ancient Egyptian art.
Two Cairo antique dealers, Maurice Nahman and Phocion J. Tano, fearful perhaps of losing business, quickly spread rumors that the Mansoor Amarna objects were spurious. All such criticisms were dismissed by Farouk, the Egyptologists, and Mansoor, as being generated by ignorance and jealousy.
In the end, the artifacts were authenticated, and Mansoor and Drioton were vindicated as experts in the field of ancient Egyptian Art. In a letter of support for Dr. Drioton’s expertise in the field of Egyptian art, Edmond Mansoor referred to Canon Drioton as a "giant" of Egyptology, further asserting that he was one of the greatest Egyptologists of this century. (A letter by Edmond Mansoor)
Driorton was appointed an Officier of the Légion d'honneur
.
Drioton has been cited as an authority on Egyptian matters by a number of authors in the field of Egyptology. With the closing of the twentieth century, Dr. (Abbé) Étienne Drioton has thus emerged as one of the greatest Egyptologists of that century.
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
canon
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
.
Biography
Early in life he assisted as Conservative DeputyDeputy (legislator)
A deputy is a legislator in many countries, particularly those with legislatures styled as a 'Chamber of Deputies' or 'National Assembly'.-List of countries:This is an list of countries using the term 'deputy' or one of its cognates....
in the Department of Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
; in 1936 he became Director General of Antiquities of Egypt in the Egyptian Museum
Egyptian Museum
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms....
at Cairo; finally becoming Head Curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
back at the Louvre in 1957. He deciphered hieroglyphic writings, and later laid the foundations of Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
. Dr. Drioton authored numerous books, and has been considered the greatest Egyptologist of all time.
Nag Hammadi Codices
When a cacheCache
In computer engineering, a cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere...
of over a dozen codices written in ancient Coptic
Coptic language
Coptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century...
were discovered near Nag Hammadi
Nag Hammâdi
Nag Hammadi , is a city in Upper Egypt. Nag Hammadi was known as Chenoboskion in classical antiquity, meaning "geese grazing grounds". It is located on the west bank of the Nile in the Qena Governorate, about 80 kilometres north-west of Luxor....
, Egypt, in 1945 (they became known as the Nag Hammadi codices
Nag Hammadi library
The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early Christian Gnostic texts discovered near the Upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi in 1945. That year, twelve leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by a local peasant named Mohammed Ali Samman...
), underworld characters began to acquire them, selling them on the black market. Fearful that the precious manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s would be scattered and never recovered, the Egyptian government sent Drioton to acquire as much of the collection as he could.
Cairo antiquities dealer Phocion Jean Tano had acquired most of the collection from these outlaws, but had already sold one codex
Codex
A codex is a book in the format used for modern books, with multiple quires or gatherings typically bound together and given a cover.Developed by the Romans from wooden writing tablets, its gradual replacement...
to Maria Dattari, a private antiquities collector in Cairo. Dattari offered the collection to the Egyptian government for £71,000+, which was negotiated down to ₤45,000.
An antiquities law was quickly modified to include the artifacts, which made both the Tano and Dattari collections the legal property of the Egyptian government. At that time, Drioton took immediate possession of them, and ordered them sequestered until a proper course of action could be determined by the courts.
The publishing in 1949 of the inventory (Codices I to XII) of the “Tano collection” did not include Codex III, since it was already in the possession of the Coptic Museum
Coptic Museum
The Coptic Museum is a museum in Coptic Cairo, Egypt with the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artifacts in the world. It was founded by Marcus Simaika Pasha in 1910 to house Coptic antiquities. The museum traces the history of Christianity in Egypt from its beginnings to the present day...
at that time. But it was the quick thinking and decisive action of Étienne Drioton that led to the preservation and availability of these literary artifacts to scholars today.
Tell el Amarna Collection
As with many other prominent Egyptologists in the field, a solid friendship developed between Dr. Drioton and M. A. MansoorM. A. Mansoor
M. A. Mansoor was an antiquarian who compiled an exquisite collection of Amarna Period sculptures.-Early life and studies:He was born to Coptic Orthodox Egyptian parents in Cairo in 1881...
, who had a legal license to buy and sell antiquities
Antiquities
Antiquities, nearly always used in the plural in this sense, is a term for objects from Antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures...
. Mansoor decided to show his growing Tell el Amarna
Amarna
Amarna is an extensive Egyptian archaeological site that represents the remains of the capital city newly–established and built by the Pharaoh Akhenaten of the late Eighteenth Dynasty , and abandoned shortly afterwards...
Collection of sculptures to Dr. Drioton.
Afterward, the Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Arts
The Faculty of Arts was one of the four traditional divisions of the teaching bodies of medieval universities, the others being Theology, Law and Medicine...
of the University of Cairo purchased, from Mansoor, a bas-relief that was presented to Farouk on the occasion of his accession to the throne of Egypt. The relief, measuring roughly eleven by eight inches, depicts Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
enthroned, his feet resting on a stool, wearing a curly wig with hanging flaps, and a rather large uraeus
Uraeus
The Uraeus is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian spitting cobra , used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity, and divine authority in ancient Egypt.The Uraeus is a symbol for the goddess Wadjet, who was one of the earliest Egyptian deities and who...
. Also Farouk’s mother had purchased for Farouk's birthday another quite handsome statuette of a youthful princess, measuring approximately nine inches in height.
But once publicity began to surface, along with pictures of the works of art, rumors began to circulate in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
that the entire group consisted of forgeries. Egyptologists and art historians were interviewed, generating articles describing the beauty of the artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
and their importance in the history of ancient Egyptian art.
Two Cairo antique dealers, Maurice Nahman and Phocion J. Tano, fearful perhaps of losing business, quickly spread rumors that the Mansoor Amarna objects were spurious. All such criticisms were dismissed by Farouk, the Egyptologists, and Mansoor, as being generated by ignorance and jealousy.
In the end, the artifacts were authenticated, and Mansoor and Drioton were vindicated as experts in the field of ancient Egyptian Art. In a letter of support for Dr. Drioton’s expertise in the field of Egyptian art, Edmond Mansoor referred to Canon Drioton as a "giant" of Egyptology, further asserting that he was one of the greatest Egyptologists of this century. (A letter by Edmond Mansoor)
Driorton was appointed an Officier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
.
Legacy
AbbéAbbé
Abbé is the French word for abbot. It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France....
Drioton has been cited as an authority on Egyptian matters by a number of authors in the field of Egyptology. With the closing of the twentieth century, Dr. (Abbé) Étienne Drioton has thus emerged as one of the greatest Egyptologists of that century.