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Barry Kemp (Egyptologist)

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Barry J. Kemp
CBE FBA
Born(1940-05-14)14 May 1940
Birmingham, England
Died15 May 2024(2024-05-15) (aged 84)
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Liverpool
Academic work
DisciplineEgyptologist
Sub-discipline
Institutions

Barry John Kemp, CBE, FBA (14 May 1940 – 15 May 2024) was an English archaeologist and Egyptologist. He was Professor of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge and directed excavations at Amarna in Egypt. His book Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation is a core text of Egyptology and many Ancient History courses.[1]

Life and education

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Kemp was born on 14 May 1940 in Birmingham.[2][3] He studied Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1962.[3][4] He died on 15 May 2024, a day after his 84th birthday.[5][6]

Academic career

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In 1962, Kemp joined the University of Cambridge as an assistant lecturer.[7] He was promoted to lecturer in 1969, Reader in Egyptology in 1990, and made Professor of Egyptology in 2005.[3][8] He was also a Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge from 1990 to 2007.[3][9] He retired from full-time academia in 2007, and was made professor emeritus.[3] Beginning in 2008, he was a senior fellow of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge.[3][10]

From 1977 until 2008, he was the director of excavation and archaeological survey at Amarna for the Egypt Exploration Society.[11] He continued his research of the Amarna Period of ancient Egypt as director of the Amarna Project and secretary of the Amarna Trust.[12] He also contributed to many highly regarded and widely used Egyptology texts, including Civilisations of the Ancient Near East, edited by Jack Sasson. He was a co-author of Bruce Trigger's Ancient Egypt: A Social History, which incorporates the work of many leading Egyptologists and addresses recent trends in the subject.[13] Kemp stated he was interested in developing a holistic picture of Ancient Egyptian society rather than focussing on the elite culture that dominates the archaeological record: "This holistic approach involves explaining the present appearance of the site in terms of all the agencies at work..."[14]

Honours

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Kemp was elected Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 1992.[7] He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours for services to archaeology, education and international relations in Egypt.[15]

Publications

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  • Barry Kemp (2018). Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation (3rd ed.). Routledge. ISBN 9781351166485.
  • Barry Kemp. Amarna Reports, parts 1–5. Egypt Exploration Society.
  • Barry Kemp (2015). Ancient Egypt: All that matters. Quercus. ISBN 978-1-44418620-8.
  • Barry Kemp (2012). The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Armana and Its People. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-29120-7.
  • Barry Kemp (2007). The Egyptian Book of the Dead. Granta Books. ISBN 978-1-86207-913-7.
  • Barry Kemp (2005). Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation (2nd ed.). Routledge. ISBN 0-415-23550-2.
  • Barry Kemp (2005). 100 Hieroglyphs: Think Like an Egyptian. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-658-8.
  • Barry Kemp (2000). Bricks and metaphor. Cambridge Archaeological Journal 10, 335–46. A comparative essay on the theme 'Were cities built as images?'.
  • Barry Kemp (1998). More of Amarna's city plan. Egyptian Archaeology 13, 17–18.
  • Barry Kemp (1992). Amarna from the air. Egyptian Archaeology 2, 15–17.
  • Barry Kemp (1989). Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation (1st ed.).
  • Barry Kemp (1986). Tell el-Amarna, 4000 word entry in the Lexikon der Ägyptologie, ed. W. Helck and W. Westendorf, Band VI. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 309–19.
  • Barry Kemp (1983). Tell el-'Amarna. In H.S. Smith and R.M. Hall, ed., Ancient Centres of Egyptian Civilization, pp. 57–72. London: Egyptian Education Bureau.
  • Barry Kemp (1981). The character of the South Suburb at Tell el-'Amarna. Mitteilungen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft zu Berlin 113, 81–97.
  • Barry Kemp (1977). The city of el-Amarna as a source for the study of urban society in ancient Egypt in World Archaeology 9, 123–39.

References

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  1. ^ "Our Scholars". Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Trips Inc. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  2. ^ Risen, Clay (29 May 2024). "Barry Kemp, Who Unearthed Insights About Ancient Egypt, Dies at 84". Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Kemp, Prof. Barry John, (born 14 May 1940), Professor of Egyptology, 2005–07, now Emeritus, and Fellow, McDonald Institute of Archaeological Research, since 2008, University of Cambridge; Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, 1990–2007, now Emeritus". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Professor Barry Kemp FBA". The British Academy. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  5. ^ "In memory of Barry Kemp". Museo Egizio. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Barry Kemp, Egyptologist who dispelled myths about the 'Christ-like' pharaoh Akhenaten – obituary". The Telegraph. 20 May 2024. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Professor Barry Kemp". British Academy Fellows. British Academy. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  8. ^ "September 16th 2013 – Barry Kemp". Egyptian Study Society. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  9. ^ "Professor Barry Kemp". Wolfson College, Cambridge. Archived from the original on 23 September 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2014.
  10. ^ Jarman, Emma (26 February 2020). "Prof Barry Kemp". Department of Archaeology. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Barry Kemp honoured". Egypt Exploration Society. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Contact". Armarna Project. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  13. ^ Bruce Trigger, B.J. Kemp, D. O'Connor, and A.B. Lloyd Ancient Egypt: A Social History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983.
  14. ^ "Amarna Report 3 – Introduction" (PDF). Amarna Project, with permission by the Egyptian Study Society. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  15. ^ "No. 59647". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2010. p. 24.
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