John D. Ray
Encyclopedia
Professor John D. Ray is the current Sir Herbert Thompson Professor of Egyptology
at the University of Cambridge. His principal field of interest covers the Late
and Hellenistic periods of Egypt, with special reference to documents in the demotic script
, and he is also known for deciphering the Carian script
, a writing system used by Anatolia
n mercenaries who fought for the late-period Egyptians. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
and a Fellow of the British Academy
.
Ray is the author of two popular books on Egypt, Reflections of Osiris: lives from ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 9780195158717) and The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt (Harvard University Press, 2007, ISBN 9780674024939).
Sir Herbert Thompson Professor of Egyptology
The Sir Herbert Thompson Professor of Egyptology represents the chair of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge, England.*Stephen Glanville, 1946–1956*Jack Plumley, 1957–1977*John Ray, 1977–present...
at the University of Cambridge. His principal field of interest covers the Late
Late Period of Ancient Egypt
The Late Period of Ancient Egypt refers to the last flowering of native Egyptian rulers after the Third Intermediate Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty into Persian conquests and ended with the death of Alexander the Great...
and Hellenistic periods of Egypt, with special reference to documents in the demotic script
Demotic (Egyptian)
Demotic refers to either the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used in the Delta, or the stage of the Egyptian language following Late Egyptian and preceding Coptic. The term was first used by the Greek historian Herodotus to distinguish it from hieratic and...
, and he is also known for deciphering the Carian script
Carian script
The Carian alphabets are a number of regional scripts used to write the Carian language of western Anatolia. They consisted of some 30 alphabetic letters, with several geographic variants in Caria and a homogeneous variant attested from the Nile delta, where Carian mercenaries fought for the...
, a writing system used by Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n mercenaries who fought for the late-period Egyptians. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
and a Fellow of the British Academy
British Academy
The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national body for the humanities and the social sciences. Its purpose is to inspire, recognise and support excellence in the humanities and social sciences, throughout the UK and internationally, and to champion their role and value.It receives an annual...
.
Ray is the author of two popular books on Egypt, Reflections of Osiris: lives from ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 9780195158717) and The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt (Harvard University Press, 2007, ISBN 9780674024939).