STARS OF EGYPTOLOGY
Distinguished University Professor of Egyptology at the University of Cairo. (https://www.aucegypt.edu/fac/salimaikram)
Simply the Queen of Egyptology, Professor Salima Ikram has been teaching and appearing in documentaries for decades. Her beautiful speaking voice and flawless diction are trademarked. Despite her busy schedule Professor Ikram managed to find time to give and interview.
When did you first develop an interest in ancient Egypt?
On my 8th birthday I got the Time Life book on ancient Egypt, and when I was 9.5 I visited Cairo with my family, and fell in love with the Grand Gallery of the Great Pyramid. Then, we visited the Cairo Museum, where I saw Rahotep and Nofret’s statue, turned around and thought they were real, and decided that I had found ‘my’ people and decided to become an Egyptologist.
How did you develop it into a profession?
In school I did lots of history, learnt French, visited museums, and visited sites. In College, I double majored in history and classical and near eastern archaeology at Bryn Mawr College, and took classes in Egyptology and Indus Valley archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania. I did a year abroad at the American University in Cairo, volunteered in the Egyptian Museum, worked on an excavation, and then went on to Grad School at Cambridge (UK). Then, after my PhD I moved to Egypt as my husband had a fellowship there. I worked on excavations, and started teaching part time and then full time at the American University in Cairo (and doing lots of other odd jobs to make money). I was lucky!
What is your main area of expertise?
I work in a variety of sites. I direct the Amenmesse KV10-KV63 project in the Valley of the Kings, clearing a tomb that has never been completely excavated or explored. We are hoping to learn more about the use of the tomb and the people who were buried there. I also direct the North Kharga Darb Ain Amur Survey, where we document unexplored parts of the oasis. We have found several new prehistoric sites with rock art (one of my foci), pharaonic sites with inscriptions, as well as trade routes. I also get to work with lots of different teams throughout Egypt because I come as a specialist and work on funerary archaeology as well animal bones, so I work with human and animal mummies quite a lot.
What is your most recent book? Project?
We just finished working on the publication for the Dog Catacombs at Saqqara, and I am working on my book on ancient Egyptian food; as well as publishing on rock art from Kharga. I continue to work on the material from KV10/KV63
How did you manage to appear on so many top documentaries in Egypt?
Luck, I guess.
You were recently involved in a documentary about Tutankhamun in which you spent some time at the GEM. Could you explain a bit about it? Is there any new evidence about him that has come to light recently?
We are learning more and more about the Egypt of Tutankhamun by examining his belongings as these tell us about the sacred and secular life of an Egyptian king, the technologies known to the ancient Egyptians and the materials that the Egyptians had access (and thus trade routes). Looking at the king’s footwear and sticks helps us establish whether he limped and dragged his foot or not (so far there is no evidence that he did), we can ‘watch’ him grow by looking at the changing sizes of his clothes and furniture.
Where do you teach?
American University in Cairo.
What courses do you teach?
Basically lots of Egyptology and archaeology, but not language.
What advice would you give a young person wishing to become an archaeologist/Egyptologist?
For people interested in Egyptology, they should study history, languages and computers as well. If they have an aptitude for photography or drawing, that is also useful. Chemistry is also an important tool, especially if one wants to go into conservation. If you are interested in archaeology, then biology is a must! One should read all kinds of books having to do with archaeology and history. Some of the magazines that deal with the subject are available online, such as KMT, or journals like the Journal of Archaeological Science, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology and the Journal of the American Research Centre in Egypt. Visit museums, visit historical sites, be a sponge and absorb everything!
