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Exploring Egypt Seminar: Histories and Historiographies
Le mercredi 22 janvier 2025 à 18h00 (heure du Caire), DAIK
"I shall not interfere in the matter"
British politics and the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun
Tom Hardwick
Partenaire(s) de l’Ifao : DAIK, NVIC, CAI, PCMA
Langue : anglais.
The 9th session of the seminar series 'Exploring Egypt: Histories and Historiographies', a joint initiative of the Ifao, DAIK, CAI, PCMA & NVIC, will be hosted at the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo (DAIK). This session features Tom Hardwick, and it is entitled "I shall not interfere in the matter": British politics and the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun". The lecture is open to the public in the limit of available places.
Abstract:
The discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922 by a British funded and led team is now increasingly viewed within the relationship between newly (semi-)independent Egypt and Britain, officially no longer the colonial overlord but still keen to preserve its influence. How did this environment affect the execution of archaeology where British citizens were concerned? Study of British government documents reveals the extent to which British and Egyptian politicians and civil servants held both diverging and allied aims during the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun, and the ways in which Egyptologists tried to influence official policy on the matter.
**The Lecture is available in both presence and Online
DAIK: 31 Abu el-Feda street, Zamalek


Exploring Egypt Seminar: Histories and Historiographies
A joint collaboration between the Ifao (Institut français d’archéologie orientale) & the DAIK (German Archaeological Institute in Cairo), joined in 2025 by the CAI (Centro Archeologico Italiano), PCMA (Polish Centre of Mediterranean Archaeology Cairo) & NVIC (Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo).
This seminar series aims, broadly speaking, to discuss different aspects related to the production of historical knowledge on Egypt. Speakers are invited to reflect on the different ways of writing, narrating and thinking about Egypt’s history at different periods, as well as on the actors, contexts, and power relations involved in the production of historical narratives. By adopting an interdisciplinary perspective, the seminar series seeks to bring into conversation fields which have traditionally been examined separately, such as the history of Egyptology, the study of modern Egyptian historiography, and the history of heritage and preservation.
In addition, while the seminar series seeks to shed a critical light on the formation of specific disciplinary fields and traditions, it also moves beyond an exclusive focus on professional history writing, in order to explore the various institutions, genres, and channels, through which historical narratives have been produced and disseminated. Among the themes that will be discussed, for instance, are the different “histories” of Egyptology, archaeology or Arabic and Islamic studies, academic versus “popular” representations of history, and heritage preservation as a site of production of historical narratives.
Exploring Egypt: Histories and Historiographies Seminar is organised by Fatma Keshk, Postdoctoral fellow at DAIK & Ifao and Malak Labib, scientific member of the Ifao.