Expert investigators: Uncovering unacknowledged Egyptian contributions to archaeology in 19th century archives

Abstract

• Narratives about early Egyptology have typically been framed in terms of the heroic efforts of adventurous collectors and brilliant scholars, few of whom acknowledged the debt owed to the Egyptians upon whose local knowledge and labour they relied. However, the innovative Scottish archaeologist Alexander Henry Rhind (1833–1863), in summarizing the history of Egyptology in 1862, gave some acknowledgement to the importance of Egyptian contributions, in particular describing the Qurnawi of the Theban West Bank as ‘experienced and expert investigators’. From the Napoleonic expedition onwards, Western collectors had flocked to Thebes as the prime source for the most aesthetically pleasing and readily available antiquities, whether monumental or mummified. Accordingly, the Qurnawi became specialists, not only in terms of their labour and excavation skills, but also their understanding of sites and objects. Already by the 1820s, they had attained a significant level of knowledge and professionalism, as Giovanni D’Athanasi described: ‘they understand antiquities as well as a European antiquary’. Because of colonialist structures and prejudices though, Western archaeologists and collectors often obscured Egyptian contributions. Over time, the Qurnawi were increasingly discredited and vilified as ‘tomb robbers’. Focusing on Rhind’s accounts and archives as a case study, but also drawing on other sources, this paper will demonstrate the potential for revealing unacknowledged Egyptian contributions to early archaeology, including reconstructing generations of excavators from Qurnawi families and determining their involvement in knowledge production. Understanding the relationship between these uneasy collaborators is vital for considering its impact on the archaeological record and development of Egyptology.