Vladimir Golenishchev
Encyclopedia
Vladimir Semyonovich Golenishchev was one of the first and most accomplished Russia
n Egyptologists.
Golenishchev came from an old noble family, of which Field Marshal Kutuzov
was also a member, and was educated at the Saint Petersburg University. In 1884–85 he organized and financed excavations in Wadi Hammamat
, followed by the research at Tell el-Maskhuta in 1888–89. In the course of the following two decades he travelled to Egypt
more than sixty times and brought back an enormous collection of more than 6,000 ancient Egyptian antiquities, including such priceless relics as the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus
, the Story of Wenamun
, and various Fayum portraits. He also published the so-called Hermitage papyri, including the Prophecy of Neferti
, now stored in the Hermitage Museum
.
Having sold his collection to the Pushkin Museum
in 1909, Golenishchev settled in Egypt. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917
, he never returned to Russia, residing in Nice
and Cairo
. In Egypt, he established and held the chair in Egyptology
at the University of Cairo from 1924 to 1929. He was also employed by the Egyptian Museum
in Cairo, where he cataloged hieratic
papyri
. Golenishchev died in Nice
aged 90. Some of his papers are in the Griffith Institute
, Oxford
.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Egyptologists.
Golenishchev came from an old noble family, of which Field Marshal Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov
Mikhail Illarionovich Golenishchev-Kutuzov was a Field Marshal of the Russian Empire. He served as one of the finest military officers and diplomats of Russia under the reign of three Romanov Tsars: Catherine II, Paul I and Alexander I...
was also a member, and was educated at the Saint Petersburg University. In 1884–85 he organized and financed excavations in Wadi Hammamat
Wadi Hammamat
' is a dry river bed in Egypt's Eastern Desert, about halfway between Qusier and Qena. It was a major mining region and trade route east from the Nile Valley in ancient times, and three thousand years of rock carvings and graffiti make it a major scientific and tourist site today.-Trade...
, followed by the research at Tell el-Maskhuta in 1888–89. In the course of the following two decades he travelled to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
more than sixty times and brought back an enormous collection of more than 6,000 ancient Egyptian antiquities, including such priceless relics as the Moscow Mathematical Papyrus
Moscow Mathematical Papyrus
The Moscow Mathematical Papyrus is an ancient Egyptian mathematical papyrus, also called the Golenishchev Mathematical Papyrus, after its first owner, Egyptologist Vladimir Golenishchev. Golenishchev bought the papyrus in 1892 or 1893 in Thebes...
, the Story of Wenamun
Story of Wenamun
The Story of Wenamun is a literary text written in hieratic in the Late Egyptian language...
, and various Fayum portraits. He also published the so-called Hermitage papyri, including the Prophecy of Neferti
Prophecy of Neferti
The Prophecy of Neferti is an Ancient Egyptian discourse text set in the reign of the 4th dynasty Old Kingdom king Snofru , but was actually written during the early 12th dynasty . The text is a pseudo-prophecy, i.e. one written after the event...
, now stored in the Hermitage Museum
Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. One of the largest and oldest museums of the world, it was founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great and has been opened to the public since 1852. Its collections, of which only a small part is on permanent display,...
.
Having sold his collection to the Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
in 1909, Golenishchev settled in Egypt. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, he never returned to Russia, residing in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and 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...
. In Egypt, he established and held the chair in Egyptology
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”...
at the University of Cairo from 1924 to 1929. He was also employed by 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....
in Cairo, where he cataloged hieratic
Hieratic
Hieratic refers to a cursive writing system that was used in the provenance of the pharaohs in Egypt and Nubia that developed alongside the hieroglyphic system, to which it is intimately related...
papyri
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
. Golenishchev died in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
aged 90. Some of his papers are in the Griffith Institute
Griffith Institute
The 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...
, 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...
.
See also
- Egyptian Collection of the Hermitage MuseumEgyptian Collection of the Hermitage MuseumThe Egyptian Collection of the Hermitage Museum dates back to 1852 and includes items from the Predynastic Period to the 12th century AD. It belongs to the Oriental Art section of the museum. The Egyptian exposition is hosted in a single large hall on the ground floor on the eastern side of the...
- Oscar Eduardovich LemmOscar Eduardovich LemmOscar Eduardovich Lemm , Egyptologist and Coptologist, one of the best Russian researchers of Coptic writings.-Life:Lemm had studied at the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum and the University of Leipzig ....
- Boris TurayevBoris TurayevBoris Alexandrovich Turayev was a Russian scholar who studied the Ancient Near East . He was admitted into the Russian Academy of Sciences in 1918....