From the Pyramids to Tutankhamun: Memoirs of an Egyptologist

by I.E.S. Edwards

Although Edwards is perhaps not a name familiar to many of us, he was a major figure in Egyptology and the work of the British Museum both in Britain and overseas, from the 1940s onwards. His book Pyramids of Egypt was reprinted time and again, a fact that reflects the importance and popularity of his work. This autobiography describes his early life and childhood, his developing interest and schooling in Egyptology and his career at the British Museum. Among his major achievements whilst working for the BM was obtaining permission from the Egyptian government to bring the Tutankhamun exhibition to Britain. His travels throughout Egypt and the rest of Africa, his experiences in the Near East during the war, the expeditions he joined as part of the Egyptian Exploration Society and the encounters he had with influential archaeologists and political figures, are all recounted from memory. His readable style and attention to detail, often recounting conversations word-for-word, make this a highly entertaining read.

360 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2000

About the author

Iorwerth Eiddon Stephen Edwards CBE, FBA— known as I. E. S. Edwards— was an English Egyptologist considered to be a leading expert on the pyramids.

Edwards attended Merchant Taylors' School where he studied Hebrew and later at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Cambridge University, gaining a 'First' in Oriental Languages. He was awarded the William Wright studentship in Arabic and received his doctorate in 1933.

In 1934 he joined the British Museum as Assistant Keeper in the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities. He published Hieroglyphic Texts for Egyptian Stellae. in 1939. During World War II he was sent to Egypt on military duty. In 1946 he wrote The Pyramids of Egypt, which was published by Pelican Books in 1947. In 1955 he was appointed the Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities at the British Museum and organized the Tutankhamun exhibition in 1972. He remained there until his retirement in 1974.

On leaving the British Museum he worked with UNESCO during the rescue of the temple complex at Philae. He was also Vice-President of the Egypt Exploration Society, a Fellow of the British Academy (1962) and was awarded the CBE in 1968 for his services to the British Museum.