The American Research Center in Egypt has commenced its 75th Anniversary celebration which will include a series of events throughout the next year.
ARCE was formally established in Boston on May 14, 1948, at a meeting presided over by Edward W. Forbes and Archaeological Institute of America President Sterling Dow. This meeting was prompted by a growing sense, in the years immediately following World War II, of a great need to establish an official “presence” for North American scholars in Egypt.
The other founders included: James Henry Breasted, George Andrew Reisner, Joseph Lindon Smith, Dows Dunham, and Corinna Smith. Corinna Smith spent the years after her husband’s death ensuring membership and funding security for ARCE. Learn more about the founders here!
Also, since 2022, ARCE has introduced much-needed restoration at the Shrine of Ikhwat Yusuf (‘Brothers of Joseph’).
Nestled in Mokattam’s hillside, this rare Fatimid period survival is comprised of various beautiful elements such as a triple mihrab (prayer niche) as well as carved stucco decoration, historic graffiti, and Kufic inscriptions. Due to decades of deterioration, many of the shrine’s notable architectural elements were at risk.
Under the supervision of ARCE, the shrine has been photogrammetrically documented, cleared of debris, and has undergone careful restoration. In 2024 a final season of work at the shrine will focus on fine conservation. Find out more here!
Finally, ARCE is proud to announce the completion of another Antiquities Endowment Fund project at the hands of the Djedkare Project (DJP) mission of the Charles University, at the south Saqqara site.
In 2018, the mission discovered a large burial ground above the south part of the funerary temple of Djedkare’s queen, and inscriptions with her name, Setibhor, were found here revealing that she was the king’s wife. Accordingly, the project undertook cleaning and documentation of the current state of the inner rooms of Setibhor’s pyramid using traditional archaeological methods as well as 3D scanning. It was then followed up by consolidation and reconstruction works focused on the entire substructure of the pyramid.
DJP also saw the continuation of the work in the tomb Khuwy. The team completed the reconstruction of the eastern façade of the mastaba and installed a modern door to protect the chapel and offering chamber with remains of its decoration! Learn more here!
