Henry Sidney "Harry" Smith, (born 14 June 1928) is a British Egyptologist and academic, specialising in

epigraphy Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

and Egyptian archaeology. He held the Edwards Chair of Egyptology at University College London from 1970 to 1986. He had previously been a lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Cambridge, where he was also Budge Fellow in Egyptology at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

Early life and education

Smith was born on 14 June 1928 to Sidney Smith, FBA, an Assyriologist and curator, and his wife Mary (nee Parker), an artist. He was educated at

Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Small things grow in harmony , established = , closed = , coordinates = , pushpin_map = , type = Independent day school , religion = Church o ...

, an all-boys

independent school An independent school is independent in its finances and governance. Also known as private schools, non-governmental, privately funded, or non-state schools, they are not administered by local, state or national governments. In British Eng ...

. He went on to study classics and Egyptology at

, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1953: as per tradition, his BA was later promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) degree. He then studied Demotic, a late Ancient Egyptian script, under

Stephen Glanville Stephen Ranulph Kingdon Glanville, (26 April 1900 – 26 April 1956) was an English historian and egyptologist. He was Edwards Professor of Egyptology at University College London from 1935 to 1946. He was then Sir Herbert Thompson Professor o ...

. He was awarded a Doctor of Letters (DLit) degree by the University of London in 1987.

Academic career

From 1953 to 1953, Smith worked as an epigraphist on the

Theban tombs The Theban Necropolis is located on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor, in Egypt. As well as the more famous royal tombs located in the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, there are numerous other tombs, more commonly referred ...

, and was an assistant to W. B. Emery at his archaeological excavation at Saqqara. He was appointed a lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Cambridge in 1954, and was elected Budge Fellow in Egyptology at

the following year. He continued to assist at excavations in Egypt and Nubia, working at the Buhen fortress and

Qasr Ibrim Qasr Ibrim ( ar, قصر ابريم; Meroitic: ''Pedeme''; Old Nubian: ''Silimi''; Coptic: ⲡⲣⲓⲙ ''Prim''; Latin: ''Primis'') is an archaeological site in Lower Nubia, located in the modern country of Egypt. The site has a long history o ...

from 1959. In 1961, he directed the Egypt Exploration Society's archaeological survey of Egyptian Nubia. In 1963, he moved to University College, London (UCL), where he had been appointed Reader in Egyptian Archaeology. He was additionally appointed an honorary curator of the

Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology in London is part of University College London Museums and Collections. The museum contains over 80,000 objects and ranks among some of the world's leading collections of Egyptian and Sudanese material ...

, a position he held between 1963 and 1970. From 1964 to 1965, he once more directed the EES's Egyptian Nubian Survey. He was field director of the excavations at Saqqara's Sacred Animal Necropolis between 1964 and 1976. In 1970, he was appointed to the Edwards Chair of Egyptology and head of UCL's Department of Egyptology. He directed excavations at Saqqara and Memphis between 1970 and 1988. He stepped down from the chair in 1986 and as head of department in 1988. He was made Professor Emeritus of Egyptology by UCL in 1993, upon his retirement.

Personal life

In 1961, Smith married Hazel Flory Leeper. His wife predeceased him, dying in 1991.

Honours

In 1985, Smith was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

(FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Harry 1928 births Living people British Egyptologists Epigraphers British archaeologists Fellows of the British Academy Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge Academics of University College London People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of London