Egypt Exploration Society
British non-profit supporting Egyptian cultural heritage since 1882.
via Wikipedia: Egypt Exploration Society · see source
The Egypt Exploration Society (EES) is a British charity and non-profit, established in 1882 to protect and advance Egyptian cultural heritage. Its founders were novelist and travel writer Amelia Edwards, with help from Reginald Stuart Poole, who worked as a Curator of Coins and Medals. The organisation maintains offices in both London and Cairo. Over its history, the EES has conducted excavations at numerous sites in the northern Nile valley and delta, such as Deir el-Bahri, Tanis, Abydos, and Amarna. The findings from this work have been published in over 350 scientific volumes, and objects recovered from its digs are now displayed in museums across the globe.
Quick Facts
- Abbreviation
- EES
- Established
- 1882
- Founders
- Amelia Edwards and Reginald Stuart Poole
- Purpose
- To support and promote Egyptian cultural heritage
- Headquarters
- Doughty Mews
- Leader
- Prof Doris Behrens Abouseif
- Staff
- 6
- Former name
- The Egypt Exploration Fund (1882–1919)
Facts from the source article.
History
In 1873, English writer Amelia Edwards traveled to Egypt to escape Britain's cold, rainy climate. She and friends journeyed up the Nile from Cairo to Abu Simbel. After returning in 1876, Edwards published A Thousand Miles Up the Nile, which became a best seller for its descriptions of 19th-century Egypt and un-excavated antiquities. The book's success led Edwards to continue studying ancient Egypt. In 1882, she collaborated with Reginald Stuart Poole of the British Museum's Department of Coins and Medals to create the Egypt Exploration Fund, intended to raise money for excavations in the Nile Delta, an area rarely visited by European archaeologists. Edwards announced the Fund in The Times, gaining support from the Archbishop of Canterbury, poet Robert Browning, and Sir Erasmus Wilson, who after meeting Edwards pledged £500 in starter funds. The Fund's first excavator was Swiss Egyptologist and Biblical scholar Édouard Naville. He was granted permission to survey Tell el-Maskhuta for signs of the Biblical Exodus to generate publicity. Naville set out in January 1883; his expedition was a success, attracting British public and donor attention. At the first general meeting on July 3, 1883, it was decided to publish and distribute Naville's findings to subscribers. The society kept only two artifacts from that expedition: a naophorous statue of the official Ankhkherednefer and a falcon sculpture, both donated to the British Museum, where they remain on display.
Repatriation effort
Before the 1980s, Egyptian archaeologists working with the Society had little control over which finds left the country. This led to many artifacts, then considered unimportant by Egyptian officials, being taken to England. The Society now works to find and return those objects. In 2024, it opened a Cairo Museum trail featuring 12 artifacts from its digs. The Society promises all future discoveries will stay in Egypt.
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