Samuel Birch

author

Samuel Birch

1813–1885

Drawn to ancient languages and artifacts from an early age, this pioneering Egyptologist helped turn the British Museum into a major center for the study of ancient Egypt. His books and catalogues opened Egyptian history to both scholars and curious general readers.

2 Audiobooks

History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)

History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 2 (of 2)

by Samuel Birch, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp) Walters

History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 1 (of 2)

History of Ancient Pottery: Greek, Etruscan, and Roman. Volume 1 (of 2)

by Samuel Birch, H. B. (Henry Beauchamp) Walters

About the author

Born in London on November 3, 1813, he became one of the leading British Egyptologists of the 19th century. After a short period working at the Record Office, he joined the British Museum in 1836 and built a long career there studying Egyptian and Assyrian antiquities.

He is especially remembered for helping organize, describe, and interpret the museum’s growing collections, and for publishing influential works on Egyptian language, history, and art. His writing helped make a still-young field more accessible at a time when interest in ancient Egypt was rapidly growing.

By the end of his career, he had become a widely respected scholar and served as Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum. He died on December 27, 1885, leaving behind a body of work that helped shape Egyptology in Britain.