Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
Encyclopedia
The Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (or IFAO) , also known as the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo is a French research institute based in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, dedicated to the study of the archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
and languages of the various periods of Egypt's civilisation.
The IFAO is under the authority of the French Ministry for National Education, Advanced Instruction, and Research
Minister of National Education (France)
The Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sport , or simply "Minister of National Education," as the title has changed no small number of times in the course of the Fifth Republic) is the French government cabinet member charged with running France's public educational system and with the...
.
The Institute conducts archaeological excavations and also publishes a number of books and journals.
History
The IFAO was created on 28 December 1880 by a signed decree of the French Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Jules FerryJules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...
, which created a permanent Mission in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, intended as a counterpart in Egypt of the French Schools of Athens (Ecole française d'Athènes) and of Rome (Ecole française de Rome), under the name of the "French School of Cairo" (École française du Caire).
The School adopted its current name of "Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale" in 1898.
Directors
- 1880-1881 Gaston Maspero
- 1881-1883 Eugène Lefébure
- 1883-1886 Émile Grébaut
- 1886-1898 Urbain Bouriant
- 1898-1912 Émile Chassinat
- 1912 Mgr Louis Duchesne
- 1912-1914 Pierre Lacau
- 1914-1928 Georges Foucart
- 1928-1940 Pierre Jouguet
- 1940-1953 Charles Kuentz
- 1953-1959 Jean Sainte-Fare Garnot
- 1959-1969 François Daumas
- 1969–1976: Serge SauneronSerge SauneronSerge Sauneron was a French Egyptologist. He was Director of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale from 1969 to 1976. Notable publications include his work on the Priests of Ancient Egypt, entitled, Les prêtres de l'ancienne Égypte and Les songes et leur interprétation, published in 2...
- 1977–1981: Jean VercoutterJean VercoutterJean Vercoutter was a French Egyptologist. One of the pioneers of archaeological research into Sudan from 1953, he was Director of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale from 1977 to 1981....
- 1981–1989: Paule Posener-Kriéger
- 1989–1999: Nicolas GrimalNicolas GrimalNicolas Grimal is a French Egyptologist.- Biography :Nicolas Grimal was born to Pierre Grimal in 1948. After his Agrégation in Classics in 1971, he obtained a PhD in 1984. He has been a professor at the Sorbonne since 1988.From 1989 to 1999, he headed the French Institute of Oriental Archeology in...
- 1999–2005: Bernard Mathieu
- since 30 May 2005: Laure Pantalacci
Recent IFAO archaeological excavations
- This section originally from French Wikipedia article: Fouille archéologique en Égypte
- Abu Roash, directed by Michel Baud
-
- 25 March - 28 April 2004 (10th expedition)
- Adaima
- 1 November - 15 December 2003 (15th expedition)
- 'Ayn-Manawir (Kharga OasisKharga OasisEl-Kharga , also known as Al-Kharijah, is the southernmost of Egypt's five western oases. It is located in the Libyan Desert, about 200 km to the west of the Nile valley, and is some 150 km long. It is located in and is the capital of New Valley Governorate...
)
- 'Ayn-Manawir (Kharga Oasis
- 4 October - 28 December 2003
- 7 October 2005 - 7 January 2006
- 'Ayn Soukhna, in collaboration with the Egyptian Supreme Council of AntiquitiesSupreme Council of AntiquitiesThe Supreme Council of Antiquities is the branch of the Egyptian Ministry of Culture responsible for the conservation, protection and regulation of all antiquities and archaeological excavations in Egypt...
- 'Ayn Soukhna, in collaboration with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities
- 4 January - 8 February 2004
- Bahariya OasisBahariya OasisEl-Wahat el-Bahariya or el-Bahariya is a depression in Egypt. It is approximately 360 km away from Cairo. Located in Giza Governorate, the main economic sectors are agriculture, iron ore mining, and tourism...
, directed by Frederic Hake
- Bahariya Oasis
- 27 March - 18 May 2004
- Balat ('Ayn-Asil, Dakhla OasisDakhla, EgyptDakhla Oasis , also spelt Dakhleh and known colloquially as the inner oasis, is one of the seven oases of Egypt's Western Desert . Dakhla Oasis lies in the New Valley Governorate, 350 km from the Nile and between the oases of Farafra and Kharga...
)
- Balat ('Ayn-Asil, Dakhla Oasis
- 20 December 2003 - 4 May 2004
- Baouit
- 11 September - 29 September 2003
- CairoCairoCairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, on the AyyoubideAyyubid dynastyThe Ayyubid dynasty was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin, founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt. The dynasty ruled much of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. The Ayyubid family, under the brothers Ayyub and Shirkuh, originally served as soldiers for the Zengids until they...
Wall (mediaeval)
- Cairo
- 12 April - 12 June 2003
- 7 October - 22 November 2003
- 26 April - 15 June 2004
- Deir el-BahriDeir el-BahriDeir el-Bahari or Deir el-Bahri is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the city of Luxor, Egypt....
, with Nathalie Beaux-Grimal - Deir el-Medina
- DenderaDenderaDendera is a small town in Egypt situated on the west bank of the Nile, about 5 km south of Qena, on the opposite side of the river.-History:...
, conducted by Sylvie Cauville
- Deir el-Bahri
- 27 September - 25 October 2003
- Ermant (temple of MontuMõntuMõntu is a village in Torgu Parish, Saare County in western Estonia....
), by Christophe Tiers
- Ermant (temple of Montu
- 12 December - 15 December 2003
- KarnakKarnakThe Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II . Sacred Lake is part of the site as well. It is located near Luxor, some...
-North (Treasury of Thutmose IThutmose IThutmose I was the third Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty of Egypt. He was given the throne after the death of the previous king Amenhotep I. During his reign, he campaigned deep into the Levant and Nubia, pushing the borders of Egypt further than ever before...
)
- Karnak
- November 2003 - February 2004
- Qal' At Al-Guindi
- 17 February-6 March 2004
- the temple of Qasr Al-Aguz
- April 2001, carried out by Pr Claude Traunecker (1st expedition)
- 10 April 2004 - 29 April 2004 (4th expedition)
- SaqqaraSaqqaraSaqqara is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt, serving as the necropolis for the Ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara features numerous pyramids, including the world famous Step pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb due to its rectangular base, as well as a number of...
-South, directed by Vassil Dobrev
- Saqqara
- 8 October 2003 - 30 December 2003
- TebtunisTebtunisTebtunis is an Ancient Egyptian city. Its modern site is the village of Tell Umm el-Baragat in the Al Fayyum Governorate. It was also known as Theodosiopolis during the Greco-Roman period.-History:...
(in the Fayum), joint mission with the University of MilanUniversity of MilanThe University of Milan is a higher education institution in Milan, Italy. It is one of the largest universities in Europe, with about 62,801 students, a teaching and research staff of 2,455 and a non-teaching staff of 2,200....
- Tebtunis
- 1994 (1st expedition)
- 25 August - 30 October 2003
- in the area of Aïn Soukhna, joint with the University Paris IV-Sorbonne
- TanisTanis, EgyptTanis , the Greek name of ancient Djanet , is a city in the north-eastern Nile delta of Egypt. It is located on the Tanitic branch of the Nile which has long since silted up.-History:...
- Tinnîs, in collaboration with the BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
expedition of the University of CambridgeUniversity of CambridgeThe University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
- 5 April - 17 April 2004
- El Tôd, carried out by Christophe Thiers (6th expedition)
- 15 November - 11 December 2003
- Tuna el-GebelTuna el-GebelTuna el-Gebel was the necropolis of Khmun . It is located in Al Minya Governorate in Middle Egypt.-Boundary Stelae:The oldest monument in the area is one of the Boundary Stelae of Akhenaten, up in the cliffs, protected by a glass 'booth'...
(Tomb of Petosiris), by Jean-Pierre Corteggiani
- Tuna el-Gebel
- 25 March - 28 April 2004 (10th expedition)
Publications
History of Ancient Egypt
The History of Ancient Egypt spans the period from the early predynastic settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the Roman conquest in 30 BC...
and papyrological
Papyrology
Papyrology is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome...
matters, while the second studies the Coptic
Aegyptus (Roman province)
The Roman province of Egypt was established in 30 BC after Octavian defeated his rival Mark Antony, deposed his lover Queen Cleopatra VII and annexed the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt to the Roman Empire. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai Peninsula...
and Islamic periods.
Journals and book series of the IFAO include:
- Annales islamologiques (AnIsl)
- Bibliothèque d'études
- Bulletin critique des Annales islamologiques (BCAI)
- Bulletin de la céramique égyptienne (BCE)
- Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale (BIFAO)
- Cahiers des Annales islamologiques (CAI)
- Cahiers de la céramique égyptienne (CCE)
- Documents de fouilles de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (DFIFAO)
- Études alexandrines
- Études urbaines
- Fouilles de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (FIFAO)
- Mémoires publiés par les membres de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale (MIFAO)
- Mémoires publiés par les membres de la Mission archéologique française du Caire (MMAF)
- Paléographie hiéroglyphique
- Publications du Service des antiquités de l'Égypte et de l'Ifao (PIFAO)
- Recherches d'archéologie, de philologie et d'histoire (RAPH)
- Répertoire chronologique d'épigraphie arabe (RCEA)
- Textes arabes et études islamiques
- Temples ptolémaïques
- Textes et traductions d'auteurs orientaux (TTA)
- Voyageurs occidentaux en Égypte
External links
- IFAO homepage
- MacScribe (IFAO's hieroglyphic text processing software)