Lunds Universitet Historiska Institutionen HISS33 Examiner: Yvonne Maria Werner Supervisor: David Larsson Heidenblad Seminary: 2019-09-27, kl. 13.15–15.00, LUX:B429 Egyptology in the Periphery Valdemar Schmidt and the making of Egyptology in Denmark 1872–1925 Andreas Alm Abstract Egyptology in the 19th and early 20th centuries developed simultaneously with increased imperial presence in Egypt by the European imperial powers, which would have influence on how the discipline was practised. The history of Egyptology has for this reason primarily focused on the big four – Great Britain, France, Germany and USA – and on Egypt itself. The aim of this study is to examine how Egyptology was established and practised in a non- imperial Scandinavian country – Denmark. Through the agency of Valdemar Schmidt, the initiator of the Egyptology at the University of Copenhagen, I ask the following 3 questions; (1) How did Valdemar Schmidt practise Egyptology? (2) What was his working relation to Egypt and the rest of Europe? (3) Are there any changes over time, and if so, what were they? Several results can be shown. First, I argue that Schmidt, as the first academic Egyptologist in Denmark, was profoundly influenced by prehistoric archaeology and comparative linguistics, both with Danish roots in the first half of the 19th century. This affected his scientific views in that he believed in using a quantity of sources, even those which many would regard as trivial in order to reconstruct the past. This focus on the small and trivial has previously been attributed to William Matthew Flinders Petrie at least 15 years after Schmidt, and it has been proposed he had done so as for practical purposes as it was easier to take smaller objects out of Egypt and distribute between the subscribers. I argue, in the case of Schmidt, that the way he practised Egyptology was in many ways unpractical and costly, indicating he was more shaped by the scientific ideals of the national context he worked in. I show how most of the primary and secondary sources needed for his practise were not found in Denmark but were spread in several collections and libraries all over the world. Schmidt spent a large part of his career travelling to museums and studying museum objects to acquire knowledge which he later would communicate to a Danish audience through his many public lectures. I also argue his museum studies should be regarded as fieldwork as he was on a time constrain and tried to make the most of the time he had by, for example, travel at night and never eating anything during the museums opening hours. In the case of Egyptology, I show how Denmark could be considered belonging to a European periphery. It was hard to get access to books and materials needed. Much of Schmidt´s practise therefore aimed to upheave this sense of periphery and create a milieu in Denmark where Egyptology could be studied. I also argue that Schmidt initially did not consider Egypt itself central to his practise compared to several European museums. This would eventually change as he got involved in the antiquities trade around 1890. The outbreak of the World War I affected his practise inasmuch he was cut off from access to the European museums and libraries that he needed for his studies. From this I argue Danish Egyptology relied on access to Europe to be able to function. World War I also broke down the ideals of scientific universalism in the warring countries, but as an Egyptologist from a neutral country, Schmidt still regarded international cooperation crucial and expected everything to turn back to normal as soon as the war was over. Finally, I show how Egyptology in Denmark was not a financially rewarding career. Even with state support, Schmidt had to spend much of his own money on the acquisition of source material and publishing. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of Study ..................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Research Questions ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Theoretical framework – The practise of Egyptology ............................................................................... 3 1.4 Method and sources ............................................................................................................................... 6 1.4.1 Translation ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Disposition and demarcation .................................................................................................................. 9 1.6 State of the field ................................................................................................................................... 10 1.7 History of Egyptology ............................................................................................................................ 16 1.7.2 Short introduction to Valdemar Schmidt ........................................................................................ 19 2.1 The Foundations of Danish Egyptology (1872 – 1882) ............................................................................... 20 2.2 Trivial objects and comparative archaeology ......................................................................................... 21 2.3 Museum studies, publishing and International cooperation ................................................................... 28 2.4 The universal historian .......................................................................................................................... 35 2.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 38 3.1 The Golden Age (1882 – 1914) .................................................................................................................. 40 3.2 The manifold educator .......................................................................................................................... 40 3.2.1 Unwrapping the mummy ............................................................................................................... 42 3.3 Fieldwork in the museums..................................................................................................................... 47 3.4 The scholar and the Museum – Involvement with Glyptoteket ............................................................... 56 3.5 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 61 4.1 Egyptology disrupted (1914 – 1925) ......................................................................................................... 63 4.2 Magnum Opus ...................................................................................................................................... 63 4.3 The War and its aftermath .................................................................................................................... 69 4.4 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 80 5.1 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 81 5.1.1 Further research ........................................................................................................................... 84 6.1 References................................................................................................................................................ 85 6.1.1 Books and articles by Valdemar Schmidt ............................................................................................ 85 6.1.2 Letters ............................................................................................................................................... 85 6.1.3 Newspaper articles ............................................................................................................................ 87 6.1.4 Secondary Literature .......................................................................................................................... 88 6.1.5 Front cover ........................................................................................................................................ 92 1. Introduction Today most people have some sort of concept of ancient Egypt. Thinking of it might bring images of pyramids, mummies, and sphinxes to mind. Yet this has not always been the case. The study of ancient Egypt through the scholarly discipline of Egyptology has a history in and of itself, and the interest in the results achieved by Egyptologists took off in the second half of the 19th century. Ancient Egypt and Egyptians got tied into all kinds of discussions about race, science, history and religion in the 19th and 20th centuries in a way which perhaps many modern historians have not always fully appreciated. As historian David Gange pointed out “almost every major figure of the second half of the nineteenth century, from Gladstone to Darwin,