Henri Frankfort
Encyclopedia
Henri 'Hans' Frankfort was a Dutch Egyptologist
, archaeologist
and orientalist
.
, Frankfort studied history at the University of Amsterdam and then moved to London, where in 1924, he took an MA under Sir Flinders Petrie at the University College. In 1927 he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Leiden. He married Henriette Groenwegen and later Enriqueta Harris.
Between 1925 and 1929 Frankfort was the director of the excavations of the Egypt Exploration Society
(EES) of London at El-Amarna, Abydos
and Armant. In 1929 he was invited by Henry Breasted
to become Field Director of the Oriental Institute
(OI) of Chicago expedition to Iraq. He published what Mark Chavalas considers to be perhaps his most influential scholarly achievement "Cylinder Seals: A Documentary Essay on Ihe Art and Religion of the Ancient Near East" in 1939. In a collaborative work with his wife, John A. Wilson
and Thorkild Jacobsen
he published "The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man" in 1946, an influential work on the nature of myth and reality. Frankfort published Kingship and the Gods in 1948, "a classic work" in the opinion of John Baines
. In 1948 he became director of the Warburg Institute
in London. Along with EA Wallis Budge, he was revolutionary for his time for suggesting that Egyptian civilization, culturally, religiously, and ethnically arose from an African, instead of an Asian base. He wrote 15 books and monographs and about 73 articles for journals about ancient Egypt
, archaeology and cultural anthropology, especially on the religious systems of the Ancient Near East.
Erik Hornung
in his influential work "Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, The One and the Many" acknowledged his debt to previous work done by Henri Frankfort.
He died in London
.
Egyptology
Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
, archaeologist
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...
and orientalist
Orientalism
Orientalism is a term used for the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers, designers and artists, as well as having other meanings...
.
Biography
Born in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, Frankfort studied history at the University of Amsterdam and then moved to London, where in 1924, he took an MA under Sir Flinders Petrie at the University College. In 1927 he gained a Ph.D. from the University of Leiden. He married Henriette Groenwegen and later Enriqueta Harris.
Between 1925 and 1929 Frankfort was the director of the excavations of the Egypt Exploration Society
Egypt Exploration Society
The Egypt Exploration Society is the foremost learned society in the United Kingdom promoting the field of Egyptology....
(EES) of London at El-Amarna, Abydos
Abydos, Egypt
Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
and Armant. In 1929 he was invited by Henry Breasted
James Henry Breasted
James Henry Breasted was an American archaeologist and historian. After completing his PhD at the University of Berlin in 1894, he joined the faculty of the University of Chicago. In 1901 he became director of the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago, where he continued to...
to become Field Director of the Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute
Oriental Institute may refer to a number of institutes of Oriental studies:United States* Oriental Institute, Chicago, part of the University of ChicagoEngland* Oriental Institute, Oxford, part of the University of Oxford...
(OI) of Chicago expedition to Iraq. He published what Mark Chavalas considers to be perhaps his most influential scholarly achievement "Cylinder Seals: A Documentary Essay on Ihe Art and Religion of the Ancient Near East" in 1939. In a collaborative work with his wife, John A. Wilson
John A. Wilson (Egyptologist)
John Albert Wilson was an American Egyptologist who was the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago....
and Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen
Thorkild Jacobsen was a renowned historian specializing in Assyriology and Sumerian literature.He was one of the foremost scholars on the ancient Near East.-Biography:...
he published "The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man" in 1946, an influential work on the nature of myth and reality. Frankfort published Kingship and the Gods in 1948, "a classic work" in the opinion of John Baines
John Baines
John Baines is the incumbent Professor of Egyptology at the University of Oxford and a fellow of The Queen's College. He is the author of multiple scholarly articles and publications relating to ancient Egyptian civilization....
. In 1948 he became director of the Warburg Institute
Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of the influence of classical antiquity on all aspects of European civilisation.-History:The Institute was founded by...
in London. Along with EA Wallis Budge, he was revolutionary for his time for suggesting that Egyptian civilization, culturally, religiously, and ethnically arose from an African, instead of an Asian base. He wrote 15 books and monographs and about 73 articles for journals about ancient Egypt
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...
, archaeology and cultural anthropology, especially on the religious systems of the Ancient Near East.
Erik Hornung
Erik Hornung
Erik Hornung is an Egyptologist and one of the most influential modern writers on the Ancient Egyptian religion. He is Professor Emeritus of Basle University.-Biography:...
in his influential work "Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt, The One and the Many" acknowledged his debt to previous work done by Henri Frankfort.
He died in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.