G. (Gaston) Maspero

Born in 1846, Gaston Maspero became one of the leading Egyptologists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He taught Egyptian philology and archaeology at the Collège de France from 1874 until his death and was elected to the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres in 1883.

Maspero served as director of Egypt’s Antiquities Service and helped organize archaeological work, museums, and the preservation of ancient sites. His interests ranged widely, from Egyptian grammar and religious texts to architecture, mythology, and popular literature; he was also a major editor of the Pyramid Texts and directed important scholarly publications.

Among his best-known books are The Dawn of Civilization, History of the Ancient Peoples of the East, Egyptian Archaeology, and Popular Stories of Ancient Egypt. He died in Paris on June 30, 1916, leaving behind a body of work that helped make ancient Egypt accessible to both specialists and general readers.