Overview

Despite major movements for change, in practice archaeologists still pursue the past to the exclusion of the present inhabitants of archaeological landscapes. Archaeological archives hold a key to the formation of archaeology as a separate study, but they may be overlooked in current debates on ethics in archaeology and anthropology. This study focuses on the great archive that records the work of Flinders Petrie in Egypt, first in 1880-1882 under a nationalist government, and then during the English military occupation that lasted from 1882 until after his death in 1942. The archive brings to life the main Egyptian supervisors who enabled Petrie to function as an archaeologist, while payroll lists record the names of hundreds more men and children on the full labour force. None of these Egyptians have received recognition as an archaeologist in history-writing, foreign or Egyptian. This archival ground offers a new open resource to those within Egypt and elsewhere opposed to the neo-colonial regime of the disciplines.

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9780715639047

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Reviews

Hidden Hands provokes much thought for the future of archaeology. TLS 'This is a densely-argued text, which will prove a source for future investigation, not only by archaeologists, but also by students of social history.' Ancient Egypt 'From any point of view, this book is a detailed and fascinating insight into the Petrie Museum archives, and the social context of Petrie's excavations.' Egyptian Archaeology

'This is a densely-argued text, which will prove a source for future investigation, not only by archaeologists, but also by students of social history.' Ancient Egypt 'From any point of view, this book is a detailed and fascinating insight into the Petrie Museum archives, and the social context of Petrie's excavations.' Egyptian Archaeology Hidden Hands provokes much thought for the future of archaeology. TLS

Curator of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Quirke (Egyptian archaeology, U. College London) explains how the work of prominent British archaeologist Flinders Petrie was part of and made possible by the British military occupation of Egypt, and how the imperialist relationship has been the foundation of all subsequent archaeology in Egypt, even by Egyptians. He applies the archaeological stratigraphical method to illuminate the history of the expeditions. His topics include labor and name in the Petrie publications, acts of excision, discovery names and object biographies, faces and names, and parallel lives in the archaeology of Egypt.

Hidden Hands provokes much thought for the future of archaeology. * TLS * ‘From any point of view, this book is a detailed and fascinating insight into the Petrie Museum archives, and the social context of Petrie's excavations.' * Egyptian Archaeology * ‘This is a densely-argued text, which will prove a source for future investigation, not only by archaeologists, but also by students of social history.' * Ancient Egypt *

Author Information

Stephen Quirke is Curator of the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and Professor of Egyptian Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

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