Jean Vercoutter
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Jean Vercoutter (20 January 1911 – 16 July 2000) was a French
Egyptologist Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...
. One of the pioneers of archaeological research into
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
from 1953, he was Director of the
Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 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, Egypt, dedicated to the study of the archaeology, history and language ...
from 1977 to 1981.


Biography

Born in
Lambersart Lambersart () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. This commune is located in the Métropole Européenne de Lille, and is a suburb of the city of Lille, bordering it on its northwest side. Inhabitants of the town are called ...
, Nord, Vercoutter attended the
Académie Julian The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...
to learn about painting, but soon turned to
Egyptology Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious ...
. In 1939, he graduated from the IVe section of the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes with a thesis on ancient Egyptian funerary objects and was appointed resident of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology of Cairo (IFAO). He participated in excavations in
Karnak The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Construct ...
and directed an excavation in Tod. Upon his return to France, he joined
CNRS The French National Centre for Scientific Research (french: link=no, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, CNRS) is the French state research organisation and is the largest fundamental science agency in Europe. In 2016, it employed 31,637 ...
(1949–1955). During all these years, he pursued research on the relationship between Egyptians and pre-Hellenes, providing some firm conclusions on the relationship between these two great civilizations and the history of the ancient Aegean world. He was appointed professor at the
University of Lille The University of Lille (french: Université de Lille, abbreviated as ULille, UDL or univ-lille) is a French public research university based in Lille, Hauts-de-France. It has its origins in the University of Douai (1559), and resulted from the m ...
in 1960 and was one of the pioneers in archaeological research into
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
. Between 1960 and 1964, he concentrated on studying Kor and Aksha, where he had been working in part since 1953, as they were threatened by the construction of the new
Aswan Dam The Aswan Dam, or more specifically since the 1960s, the Aswan High Dam, is one of the world's largest embankment dams, which was built across the Nile in Aswan, Egypt, between 1960 and 1970. Its significance largely eclipsed the previous Aswan L ...
. He excavated structures such as the temple of
Ramesses II Ramesses II ( egy, wikt:rꜥ-ms-sw, rꜥ-ms-sw ''Rīʿa-məsī-sū'', , meaning "Ra is the one who bore him"; ), commonly known as Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Along with Thutmose III he is oft ...
, a Meroitic cemetery, as well as other small cemeteries. Vercoutter also excavated at the site of Saï. Between 1965 and 1967, together with
Elena Cassin Elena Cassin, (1909 - June 2011), was an Italian-born French Assyriologist. Biography Elena Cassin studied the history of religions at the University of Rome and obtained her doctorate in 1933. She then went to Paris and attended Charles Fossey' ...
and
Jean Bottéro Jean Bottéro (30 August 1914 – 15 December 2007) was a French historian born in Vallauris. He was a major Assyriologist and a renowned expert on the Ancient Near East. He died in Gif-sur-Yvette. Biography He participated with other colleagues c ...
, he was the editor of the three volumes of the (Fischer World History) devoted to the
Ancient East The ancient Near East was the home of early civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the modern Middle East: Mesopotamia (modern Iraq, southeast Turkey, southwest Iran and northeastern Syria), ancient Egypt, ancient Iran (Elam, Med ...
. He was Director of the
Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale 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, Egypt, dedicated to the study of the archaeology, history and language ...
from 1977 to 1981. Until his death in 2000 he was still active in the subject, publishing ''Les barrages pharaoniques. Leur raison d'être'' in 1994. He is the author of , first volume of the
collection Collection or Collections may refer to: * Cash collection, the function of an accounts receivable department * Collection (church), money donated by the congregation during a church service * Collection agency, agency to collect cash * Collectio ...
Découvertes Gallimard (, ; in United Kingdom: ''New Horizons'', in United States: ''Abrams Discoveries'') is an editorial collection of illustrated monographic books published by the Éditions Gallimard in pocket format. The books are concise introductions to pa ...
”, which was a bestseller in France, it has been translated into 22 languages and often reprinted.


Publications

* With
Cyril Aldred Cyril Aldred (19 February 1914 – 23 June 1991) was an English Egyptologist, art historian, and author. Early life Cyril Aldred was born in Fulham, London, the son of Frederick Aldred and Lilian Ethel Underwood, and the sixth of seven child ...
, J.L. Cenival, F. Debono,
Christiane Desroches Noblecourt Christiane Desroches Noblecourt (; 17 November 1913 – 23 June 2011) was a French Egyptologist. She was the author of many books on Egyptian art and history and was also known for her role in the International Campaign to Save the Monument ...
,
Jean-Philippe Lauer Jean-Philippe Lauer (7 May 1902 – 15 May 2001), was a French architect and Egyptologist. He was considered to be the foremost expert on pyramid construction techniques and methods. Biography Arrival in Egypt He was born in the 8th arrondi ...
et
Jean Leclant Jean Leclant (8 August 1920 – 16 September 2011) was a renowned Egyptologist who was an Honorary Professor at the College of France, Permanent Secretary of the Academy of Inscriptions and Letters of the Institut de France, and Honorary Se ...
, ''Le temps des pyramides'', L'univers des formes, Gallimard, Paris, 1978. * With Ch. Desroches Noblecourt, ''Un siècle de fouilles françaises en Égypte 1880-1980'', à l'occasion du centenaire de l'école du Caire (IFAO), musée du Louvre, musée d'art et d'essai, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 21 mai / 15 octobre 1981, IFAO, Le Caire, 1981. * ''Essai sur les relations entre Égyptiens et pré-hellènes'', n°6, L'orient ancien illustré, A. Maisonneuve, Paris, 1954. * ''L'Égypte et le monde égéen pré-hellénique, étude critique des sources Égyptiennes du début de la Dynastie égyptienne XVIIIe à la fin de la XIXe dynastie égyptienne'', n° 22, BdE, IFAO, Le Caire, 1956. * ''L'Égypte ancienne'', Que sais-je ?, n° 247, PUF, Paris, 1960, 1982. * ''Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Livre du Centenaire (1880-1980)'', n° 104, MIFAO, Le Caire, 1980. * ''Les Affamés d'Ounas et le changement climatique de la fin de l'Ancien Empire'', MGEM, IFAO, Le Caire, 1985. * ''À la recherche de l'Égypte oubliée'', collection «
Découvertes Gallimard (, ; in United Kingdom: ''New Horizons'', in United States: ''Abrams Discoveries'') is an editorial collection of illustrated monographic books published by the Éditions Gallimard in pocket format. The books are concise introductions to pa ...
» (nº 1), série Archéologie. Paris : Éditions Gallimard, 1986 (reprinted 1988, 1991, 1998, 2000 and new edition in 2007; translated into 22 languages with a total of 25 national editions). ** Translated into English by
Ruth Sharman Ruth (or its variants) may refer to: Places France * Château de Ruthie, castle in the commune of Aussurucq in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département of France Switzerland * Ruth, a hamlet in Cologny United States * Ruth, Alabama * Ruth, Ar ...
, US edition – '' The Search for Ancient Egypt'', “
Abrams Discoveries Abrams may refer to: * Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname * '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war * M1 Abrams, main battle tank * Abrams, Wi ...
” series. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1992. ** UK edition – ''The Search for Ancient Egypt'', ‘
New Horizons ''New Horizons'' is an Interplanetary spaceflight, interplanetary space probe that was launched as a part of NASA's New Frontiers program. Engineered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and the Southwest Research ...
’ series. London: Thames & Hudson, 1992. * ''L'Égypte à la chambre noire : Francis Frith, photographe de l'Égypte retrouvée'', coll. « Découvertes Gallimard Albums », Paris : Éditions Gallimard, 1992. * ''L'Égypte et la vallée du Nil, des origines à la fin de l'ancien empire 12000-2000 Av. J.-C.'', Nouvelle Clio, PUF, Paris, 1992. **Translated into Russian by Nina Zhivlova (Н.Ю. Живлова) and Ivan Bogdanov (И.В. Богданов) – Египет и долина Нила, с древнейших времен до конца Древнего царства. 12000-2000 гг. до н.э. СПб.: Нестор-История, 2015. * ''Le déchiffrement des hiéroglyphes égyptiens 1680-1840'', pp. 579–586, The Intellectual Heritage of Egypt, Budapest, 1992. * ''La fin de l'Ancien Empire : un nouvel examen, Vol. 2,'' pp. 557–562, Atti del VI Congresso Internazionale di Egittologia, Turin, 1993. * ''Les barrages pharaoniques. Leur raison d'être'', pp. 315–326, Les problèmes institutionnels de l'eau en Égypte ancienne et dans l'Antiquité méditerranéenne, IFAO, Le Caire, 1994. * ''Étude des techniques de construction dans l'Égypte ancienne, 3, la décoration des parois, son principe et les dangers d'équivoques qu'elle peut entraîner en ce qui concerne la datation des édifices'', MGEM, IFAO, Le Caire, 1985.Longitude Books
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vercoutter, Jean 1911 births 2000 deaths People from Lambersart French Egyptologists French archaeologists Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres Members of the Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale Académie Julian alumni School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences alumni University of Lille Nord de France faculty 20th-century archaeologists