The Future of Egyptology

When ancient Egypt is mentioned, images often come to mind of tombs covered in hieroglyphs being opened by Victorian-era explorers, revealing "wonderful things"—as Howard Carter famously described upon first glimpsing the treasures of Tutankhamun. But how did Egyptology become the preserve of wealthy Europeans? And what can be done today to restore agency and rightful ownership to the country where this field was born?

Dr. Monica Hanna is the founding Dean of the Archaeology and Cultural Heritage College at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport in Aswan. In the wake of the
Arab Spring, she set up Egypt's Heritage Taskforce and was recognized in 2014 by SAFE (Saving Antiquities for Everyone).
In 2020, she was part of a group opposing the Egyptian authorities' relocation of sphinxes to Tahrir Square and Menkaure's pyramid casing project. More recently, she has continued to speak out against the inherent colonialism in Egyptology by calling for the restitution of several objects to Egypt, such as the Rosetta Stone and the Bust of Nefertiti. She lives in Cairo.