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Janet May Buchanan

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Janet May Buchanan
Born1866
Glasgow
Died8 August 1912(1912-08-08) (aged 45–46)
OccupationEgyptologist

Janet May Buchanan (1866 – 8 August 1912) was a Scottish Egyptologist, whose collection efforts comprise approximately one quarter of the Egyptian artefacts in the Glasgow Museums' collections.[1]

Life

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Janet May Buchanan was born in Glasgow in 1866, the daughter of George Buchanan and Janet Shaw (née Blair).[2] Buchanan was educated at a private school in Cheltenham. On her father's death in 1906, she inherited a substantial sum, enabling the pursuit of her own interests. Among these was Egyptology.[1]

Buchanan was the founder of two organisations for the purpose of supporting excavations: Egypt Research Students Association[3] (with branches in both Glasgow and Edinburgh), and the Glasgow Egypt Society.[4] In 1912, she curated Glasgow's first exhibition of Egyptian material, held at the Kelvingrove Museum.[4] Although Buchanan was killed in a car accident just three weeks after the exhibition's opening, it continued for six months and welcomed 10,000 visitors a week.[1]

Death

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Janet May Buchanan died on 8 December 1912.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Janet May Buchanan Scotland's forgotten heroine of Egyptology | Artefacts of Excavation". egyptartefacts.griffith.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  2. ^ "Scotland Births & Baptisms 1564-1950". www.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Glasgow, Glasgow Egypt Society | Artefacts of Excavation". 163.1.185.95. Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  4. ^ a b Stevenson, Alice (2019). Scattered Finds: Archaeology, Egyptology and Museums (PDF). UCL Press.
  5. ^ "England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019". www.findmypast.co.uk. Retrieved 10 September 2020.