An ‘Antiquity-Dealing-Business on a Large Scale’: The Business of Egyptian Archaeology and Capital, 1880s–1930s

Potter, Daniel

An ‘Antiquity-Dealing-Business on a Large Scale’: The Business of Egyptian Archaeology and Capital, 1880s–1930s

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Journal article

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Potter, Daniel

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April 9, 2025

Abstract

This article explores the entanglement of archaeology and the antiquities trade in Egypt and Sudan during the antiquities rush of the British colonial period. I argue that the buying and selling of archaeological objects played a central role in the business of archaeology, which relied on the cyclical extraction and transfer of financial and archaeological capital. This cycle operated through distinct production stages of funding, acquisition, export, and distribution, each essential to sustaining the business. Archival evidence highlighted here demonstrates that archaeology in Egypt and Sudan was shaped by the economy of supply and demand, and the monetisation of archaeological objects. The article focuses on the roles and transactions of three excavator-suppliers who were involved in British-led excavations: Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, John Garstang and Charles Trick Currelly.