Donald P. Ryan

Last updated

Donald P. Ryan (born 1957) is an American archaeologist, Egyptologist, writer and a member of the Division of Humanities at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. His areas of research interest include Egyptian archaeology, Polynesian archaeology, the history of archaeology, the history of exploration, ancient languages and scripts, and experimental archaeology. He is best known for his research in Egypt including excavations in the Valley of the Kings where he investigated the long-neglected undecorated tombs in the royal cemetery. His work there resulted in the rediscovery of the lost and controversial tomb KV60, [1] the re-opening of the long-buried KV21 with its two female and likely royal occupants, and the re-excavation of tombs KV27, KV28, KV44, KV45, KV48, KV 49 along with work in KV 20. [2] In 2017, he rediscovered three small tombs (KV50, KV51 and KV52) in the Valley of the Kings which when first encountered in 1906 contained the mummies of animals including a dog and monkeys. [3]

Between 1995 and 2002, Ryan worked closely with the Norwegian explorer, archaeologist and writer Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002). Among their many projects, the two directed excavations at the site of the Pyramids of Güimar on Tenerife in the Canary Islands. [4] Ryan has been entrusted with continuing some of the research aspects of Heyerdahl’s legacy. [5] He was a major contributor to Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki in New Light [6] and wrote the introduction to the new Norwegian edition of Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki. [7]

Other research by Ryan includes investigations of ancient Egyptian cordage and other technologies, [8] studies of inscribed Egyptian funerary cones, [9] biographical studies of early archaeologists including Giovanni Belzoni, [10] studies of the influence of antiquity on culture and the arts, [11] and the documentation of petroglyphs on the island of Hawaii.

As a writer and researcher, Ryan is the author of numerous scientific and popular articles on archaeological subjects. His books include volumes in the popular Complete Idiot’s Guide Series (Lost Civilizations, Biblical Mysteries, Ancient Egypt and World of the Bible), A Shattered Visage Lies...Nineteenth Century Poetry Inspired By Ancient Egypt, [12] Ancient Egypt on Five Deben a Day, [13] Ancient Egypt: The Basics, [14] Ancient Egypt in Verse, [15] 24 Hours in Ancient Egypt, [16] A Year in the Life of Ancient Egypt, [17] and a memoir, Beneath the Sands of Egypt. [18] His television credits include work with the BBC, Discovery Channel, National Geographic, A&E, the Learning Channel, and others. [19]

Ryan is a Fellow of The Explorers Club and the Royal Geographical Society, a Research Associate of the Kon-Tiki Museum, a founding member of the Scientific Committee of the Foundation for Exploration and Research on Cultural Origins, a mountaineering instructor, endurance athlete, and pianist.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatshepsut</span> Egyptian queen and pharaoh, fifth ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1479/8–1458 BC)

Hatshepsut was the Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Thutmose II and the fifth Pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling first as regent, then as queen regnant from c. 1479 BC until c. 1458 BC. She was Egypt's second confirmed queen regnant, the first being Sobekneferu/Nefrusobek in the Twelfth Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saqqara</span> Burial ground in Giza Governorate, Egypt

Saqqara, also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English, is an Egyptian village in the markaz (county) of Badrashin in the Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. Saqqara contains numerous pyramids, including the Pyramid of Djoser, sometimes referred to as the Step Tomb, and a number of mastaba tombs. Located some 30 km (19 mi) south of modern-day Cairo, Saqqara covers an area of around 7 by 1.5 km.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zahi Hawass</span> Egyptian Egyptologist

Zahi Abass Hawass is an Egyptian archaeologist, Egyptologist, and former Minister of State for Antiquities Affairs, serving twice. He has also worked at archaeological sites in the Nile Delta, the Western Desert and the Upper Nile Valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV55</span> Egyptian tomb possibly of Pharoah Akhenaten

KV55 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered by Edward R. Ayrton in 1907 while he was working in the Valley for Theodore M. Davis. It has long been speculated, as well as much disputed, that the body found in this tomb was that of the famous king, Akhenaten, who moved the capital to Akhetaten. The results of genetic and other scientific tests published in February 2010 have confirmed that the person buried there was both the son of Amenhotep III and the father of Tutankhamun. Furthermore, the study established that the age of this person at the time of his death was consistent with that of Akhenaten, thereby making it almost certain that it is Akhenaten's body. However, a growing body of work soon began to appear to dispute the assessment of the age of the mummy and the identification of KV55 as Akhenaten.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV60</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Tomb KV60 is an ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Egypt. It was discovered by Howard Carter in 1903, and re-excavated by Donald P. Ryan in 1989. It is one of the more perplexing tombs of the Theban Necropolis, due to the uncertainty over the identity of one female mummy found there (KV60A). She is identified by some, such as Egyptologist Elizabeth Thomas, to be that of the Eighteenth Dynasty pharaoh Hatshepsut; this identification is advocated for by Zahi Hawass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El-Assasif</span> Ancient necropolis in Egypt

El-Assasif is a necropolis near Luxor on the West Bank at Thebes, Egypt, Upper Egypt. It is located in the dry bay that leads up to Deir el-Bahari and south of the necropolis of Dra' Abu el-Naga'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV20</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings

KV20 is a tomb in the Valley of the Kings (Egypt). It was probably the first royal tomb to be constructed in the valley. KV20 was the original burial place of Thutmose I and later was adapted by his daughter Hatshepsut to accommodate her and her father. The tomb was known to Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition in 1799 and had been visited by several explorers between 1799 and 1903. A full clearance of the tomb was undertaken by Howard Carter in 1903–1904. KV20 is distinguishable from other tombs in the valley, both in its general layout and because of the atypical clockwise curvature of its corridors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuya</span> Ancient Egyptian high priest

Yuya was a powerful ancient Egyptian courtier during the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt. He was married to Thuya, an Egyptian noblewoman associated with the royal family, who held high offices in the governmental and religious hierarchies. Their daughter, Tiye, became the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III. Yuya and Thuya are known to have had a son named Anen, who carried the titles "Chancellor of Lower Egypt", "Second Prophet of Amun", "Sm-priest of Heliopolis", and "Divine Father".

Below are notable events in archaeology that occurred in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration of the Valley of the Kings</span>

The area of the Valley of the Kings, in Luxor, Egypt, has been a major area of modern Egyptological exploration for the last two centuries. Before this, the area was a site for tourism in antiquity. This area illustrates the changes in the study of ancient Egypt, beginning as antiquity hunting and ending with the scientific excavation of the whole Theban Necropolis. Despite the exploration and investigation noted below, only eleven of the tombs have actually been completely recorded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV21</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Tomb KV21 is an ancient Egyptian tomb located in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt. It was discovered in 1817 by Giovanni Belzoni and later re-excavated by Donald P. Ryan in 1989. It contains the mummies of two women, thought to be Eighteenth Dynasty queens. In 2010, a team headed by Zahi Hawass used DNA evidence to tentatively identify one mummy, KV21A, as the biological mother of the two fetuses preserved in the tomb of King Tutankhamun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitre In</span>

The ancient Egyptian noble Sitre In was buried in the Valley of the Kings, in tomb KV60. She has been identified as the nurse of Hatshepsut. A life-sized statue of her holding Hatshepsut is inscribed with her charge, which is repeated on an ostrakon now in Vienna. Although not a member of the royal family, she received the honour of a burial in the royal necropolis. Her coffin has the inscription wr šdt nfrw nswt In, identifying her as the Great Royal Wet Nurse In.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley of the Kings</span> Necropolis in ancient Egypt

The Valley of the Kings, also known as the Valley of the Gates of the Kings, is an area in Egypt where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the Eighteenth Dynasty to the Twentieth Dynasty, rock-cut tombs were excavated for pharaohs and powerful nobles under the New Kingdom of ancient Egypt.

Elizabeth Mary Thomas was an American Egyptologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KV64</span> Ancient Egyptian tomb discovered in 2011

KV64 is the tomb of an unknown Eighteenth Dynasty individual in the Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt that was re-used in the Twenty-second Dynasty for the burial of the priestess Nehmes Bastet, who held the office of "chantress" at the temple of Karnak. The tomb is located on the pathway to KV34 in the main Valley of the Kings. KV64 was discovered in 2011 and excavated in 2012 by Susanne Bickel and Elina Paulin-Grothe of the University of Basel.

KV65 is a tomb commencement in the Western Valley of the Kings, near Luxor, Egypt. It was discovered in 2018 by a team led by the Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and announced in 2019. The tomb consists of a sloping rectangular pit of similar proportions to the entrances of royal tombs from the Eighteenth Dynasty. It contained a variety of items consisting of construction tools, pieces of rope, animal bones, leather, pottery, and food remains. It may represent a cache where the remains of a funerary feast and embalming material was buried, similar to the embalming cache of Tutankhamun, KV54.

<i>Chasing Mummies</i> American TV series or program

Chasing Mummies: The Amazing Adventures of Zahi Hawass is a reality television series that aired on The History Channel in the United States. Produced by Boutique TV, the series depicted the adventures of archaeologist and Egyptologist Dr. Zahi Hawass and his discoveries in Egypt as he is followed by young archeological fellows and a camera crew. The series ran Wednesdays on the History Channel from July 14, 2010 until its end on September 15, 2010. The shows illustrates the complexities in the almost never-ending quest to preserve and discover artifacts from ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mask of Tutankhamun</span> Gold mask of Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun

The mask of Tutankhamun is a gold funerary mask of the 18th-dynasty ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. After being buried for over 3,000 years, it was excavated by Howard Carter in 1925 from tomb KV62 in the Valley of the Kings. It was displayed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo from 1925 to 2019 and is now in the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The death mask is one of the best-known works of art in the world and a prominent symbol of ancient Egypt.

The archaeology of Ancient Egypt is the study of the archaeology of Egypt, stretching from prehistory through three millennia of documented history. Egyptian archaeology is one of the branches of Egyptology.

References

  1. ↑ The mummy found within KV60 was identified as that of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut by Zahi Hawass and his Egyptian team in 2007: Zahi Hawass, 2006, "Quest for the Mummy of Hatshepsut." KMT 17(2):40-43; Zahi Hawass, 2007, "The Scientific Search for Hatshepsut’s Mummy," KMT 18(3):24; 2009, Chip Brown, 2009, "The King Herself." National Geographic (April) pp.88-111; Zahi Hawass, "Die Entdeckung der Mumie von Königen Hatschepsut." In, Michael Höveler-Müller, ed., 2015, Das Hatschepsut-Puzzle. Nünnerich-Asmus; Zahi Hawass and Sahar Saleem, 2016, Scanning the Pharaohs, American University in Cairo. Hawass’ search for Hatshepsut was also the subject of a Discovery Channel television program, Secrets of Egypt’s Lost Queen (2007). There has been much skepticism regarding the methods of identification, e.g., J. L. Thimes, 2008, "A dental observation." KMT 19(3):6-7, and Erhart Graefe 2011, "Der angebliche Zahn der angeblich krebskranken Diabetikerin Königin Hatschepsut oder: Die Mumie der Hatschepsut bleibt unbekannt." Göttinger Miszellen 231:41-43. Ryan's comments on the subject can be found in: 1991, "Who is buried in KV 60?"KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 1(1):34-39, 58-59, 63; "KV 60: Ein rätselhaftes Grab in Tal der Könige." In, Michael Höveler-Müller, ed., 2015, Das Hatschepsut-Puzzle. Nünnerich-Asmus
  2. ↑ Work in these various tombs is described in the following by Donald P. Ryan: 2019 "The Valley of the Kings revisited." Current World Archaeology 94:16-21.1990; 1991, "Who is buried in KV 60?" KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 1(1):34-39, 58-59, 63; 1991 "Return to Wadi Biban el Moluk: The Second Field Season of the Valley of the Kings Project." KMT 2(1):26-31; 1992, "The Valley Again." KMT 3(1):44-47, 69; 1992, "Some observations concerning uninscribed tombs in the Valley of the Kings." In, After Tutankhamun,ed. by C.N. Reeves. Kegan Paul, pp.21-27; 1995 "Further observations concerning the Valley of the Kings."In,Valley of the Sun Kings: New Explorations in the Tombs of the Pharaohs. ed. by R. Wilkinson, U. of Arizona Press, pp.134-156; 1995, "Tentative tomb protection priorities, Valley of the Kings, Egypt." (with John Rutherford) In, Valley of the Sun Kings: new explorations in the tombs of the Pharaohs, ed. by R. Wilkinson, U. of Arizona Press, pp.134-156; 1995, "Dental remains from the Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt." (with D. Swindler and B. Rothschild) In, Aspects of Dental Biology:Paleontology, Anthropology and Evolution. ed. by J. Moggo-Cecchi. International Institute for the Study of Man; 2000, "Pottery from the Valley of the Kings: Tombs KV 21, 27, 28, 44, 45, and 60."(with Barbara and David Aston) Cahiers de la Ceramique Égyptienne 6:11-26; 2007, "The Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Project: Work conducted during the 2005 Field Season." Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 81:345-356-361; 2007, "The Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Project: Work conducted during the 2006 Field Season." Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 81:357-361; 2010, "Five Field Seasons in the Royal Necropolis: The Second Phase of the Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Project." KMT: A Modern Journal of Egyptology 21(4); 2010, "The Pacific Lutheran University Valley of the Kings Project: Work conducted during the 2007 Field Season." Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 84:383-388. A popular narrative of much of the work can be found in: Donald P. Ryan, 2010, Beneath the Sands of Egypt, Harper/Collins.
  3. ↑ 2018, "Monkey Business in the Valley of the Kings: Three Unusual Tombs Revisited." KMT: A Modern Journal of Egyptology 29(2):42-49.
  4. ↑ Donald P. Ryan, "Pyramids in the Atlantic." In, 2010, Beneath the Sands of Egypt, HarperCollins, pp.230-255.
  5. ↑ e.g. Donald P. Ryan: 1997, "Thor Heyerdahl et l'Expedition Kon-Tiki: Mythe et Réalité." Bulletin de la Société des Etudes Océaniennes 275:22-35; 1997, "Thor Heyerdahl: the life and legacy of an explorer, scholar and world citizen." The Explorers Journal 75(1):14-16; 1998, "American Indians in the Pacific: A 50 year retrospective of the Kon-Tiki Expedition." In, Proceedings of the 4th International Congress on Easter Island and East Polynesia. ed. by C. Stevenson et al. Pp.379-385; 2001, "Historical perspectives of prehistoric seafaring in the Pacific." No Barriers Seminar Papers, Kon-Tiki Museum, Vol. 3: 27-30; 2003 "Mapping the Poike Ditch." (with R. Reanier). In, Easter Island: Scientific Exploration into the World's Environmental Problems in Microcosm.ed. by J. Loret and J. Tanacredi. Kluwer Academic. pp. 207-221.
  6. ↑ "Kon-Tiki Museum Occasional Papers 14.
  7. ↑ 2012, Gyldendahl Norsk Forlag.
  8. ↑ 1985, "The misidentification of ancient Egyptian plant fibers." Varia Aegyptiaca 1(3):143-149; 1987, "A study of Ancient Egyptian cordage from the British Museum." (with David H. Hansen) Occasional Papers of the British Museum 62; 1988, "The archaeological analysis of inscribed Egyptian funerary cones." Varia Aegyptiaca 4(2):165-170; 1988, "Papyrus." Biblical Archaeologist 51 (Sept.):132-140; 1989, "Belzoni's rope from the tomb of Sethos I." Studien zur Altaegyptische Kultur, Beihefte 2:137-142; 1993, "Old rope: who cares about the ancient Egyptian technology?" KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 4(2):72-80; 1997, "Ancient Egyptian Basketry." In, Macmillan Encyclopedia of Art (now Grove Encyclopedia of Art); 2001, "Basketry, matting and cordage." In, Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt 1:164-166.,
  9. ↑ 1986, Book Review of: H.M. Stewart (1986), "Mummy cases and inscribed funerary cones in the Petrie collection." Varia Aegyptiaca 2(3):225-228; 1988, "The archaeological analysis of inscribed Egyptian funerary cones." Varia Aegyptiaca 4(2):165-170; 2005 "Cone Conundrum." KMT 15(4):59-66; 1987, "Inscribed Egyptian funerary cones in-situ: An early observation by Henry Salt." (`with C.N. Reeves) Varia Aegyptiaca 3(1):47-49; 1991, “Egyptian Antiquities in South Texas. Part 1: Funerary Cones” (with C. Van Siclen), Varia Aegyptiaca 7:41-52.
  10. ↑ 1986, "Giovanni Battista Belzoni."Biblical Archaeologist 49(3):133-138; 1995 "David George Hogarth at Asyut, Egypt: 1906-1907: the history of a "lost" excavation." Bulletin of the History of Archaeology 5(2):3-16; 1996, "David George Hogarth: A somewhat reluctant Egyptologist." KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 7(2):77-81.2004, "The Great Temple revealed: Giovanni Battista Belzoni at Abu Simbel." KMT 15(2):68-82; 2016 "The very brief Theban excavation of H.S. Whitaker." In, Jacobus Van Dijk, ed., A Mouthful of Dust: Egyptological Studies in Honor of Geoffrey Thorndike Martin''. Peeters: Leuven, 2022 "Howard Carter Before and After Tutankhamun." KMT 33(1):45-54.
  11. ↑ e.g. 2005, "The Pharaoh and the Poet." KMT 16(4):76-83; 2006; "Ibsen and Egypt. (with Claudia Berguson) KMT 17(3):74-82; 2007; "Cleopatra Had a Jazz Band: Egypt in Early 20th century sheet music." KMT 18(1):72-80; 2007, "Ancient Egypt on Stage: A brief introduction to two splendid operas." KMT 18(3):75-85; 2007, A shattered visage lies ...": Nineteenth Century Poetry Inspired by Ancient Egypt. Rutherford Press; 2009 "'Aikupika Kahiko A Me Ka 'Olelo Hawai'i: Ancient Egypt and the Hawaiian Language." KMT: 20(1):74-82; 2016, "The Poetic World of Giovanni Battista Belzoni." Journal of the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities 42:47-67; 2016, Ancient Egypt in Verse: An Anthology of Nineteenth-Century Poetry. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press
  12. ↑ 2007, Rutherford Press.
  13. ↑ 2010, Thames & Hudson.
  14. ↑ 2016, Routledge
  15. ↑ 2016, American University in Cairo Press.
  16. ↑ 2018, O'Mara Books
  17. ↑ 2022, O'Mara Books
  18. ↑ 2010, HarperCollins. Published in German under the title, Im Band der Pharaonen (2011, Theiss). In her review of this book, acclaimed Egyptologist and mystery writer, Barbara Mertz (a.k.a. "Elizabeth Peters"), wrote: "Don Ryan is a rare bird - a field archaeologist who can write with verve and immediacy."
  19. ↑ Programs include: "The Face of Tutankhamun" (BBC-Television/A&E), Donald P. Ryan, 1994, "Filming The Face of Tutankamun." KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 5(3):77-84, Donald P. Ryan,2010, "Adventures in Television Land." In, Beneath the Sands of Egypt, Harper/Collins, pp.206-229; "Biography: Howard Carter" (A&E), "Great Builders of Egypt" (A&E), "Missing Mummies" (Learning Channel), "Ancient Mysteries of the World: Easter Island" (PAX Network),"Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen" (Discovery Channel), Nordisk Film,"På jakt etter paradiset." (advisor), "Terra X: Thor Heyerdahl (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen), "Unearthed: Tut's Buried Secrets." (Science Channel),"Lost Treasures of Egypt" (National Geographic Channel)


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.