Rudolf Anthes Egyptian Section records

Rudolf Anthes, born in Hamburg, Germany in 1896, was a famed Egyptologist and Philologist who initially studied theology and oriental languages in his college and early graduate school programs. After serving in the German army in WWI, Anthes completed his Ph.D. in Egyptology and Philology at the University of Berlin. He studied under distinguished Professor Adolf Ermen, a scholar who adopted a comprehensive approach to the subject of Egypt.

Following the completion of his Ph.D,, Anthes spent several years as an assistant on the staff of the Berlin Director of Ancient Egypt. His first experience of Egyptiasn culture occurred during his next position as assistant to the German Archaeological Institute in Cairo from 1927 to 1929. He gained field experience on the excavation of Medinet Habu with director, Uvo Holscher for the University of Chicago.

Anthes was serving as Acting Director of the Berlin Museum when the Nazis came to power in Germany. He was ousted from his position in 1939, accused and fined, but permitted to stay on at the musuem. Later that year Anthes was compelled to serve as a low-level customs agent in Czechoslovakia for the remainder of the the war. After the collapse of the Nazis, Anthes was held prisoner by the Russian forces for six months then restored to the Berlin Museum, this time as Director.

Anthes was not happy with the policies of the new German Democratic Republic and the Penn Museum came to his rescue. Froelich Rainey and Ephraim Speiser asked Anthes to rejoin the staff as the Curator of the Egyptian section.

Anthes maintained his position at the museum until his retirement in 1963. Among his many accomplishments were the expedition to the ancient royal city of Memphis and the publication of the two-volume book on the excavation of Mit Rahineh (Memphis). Anthes is perhaps best known for his contribution to , edited by Samuel Noah Kramer.

Rudolf Anthes, born in Hamburg, Germany in 1896, was a famed Egyptologist and Philologist who initially studied theology and oriental languages in his college and early graduate school programs. After serving in the German army in WWI, Anthes completed his Ph.D. in Egyptology and Philology at the University of Berlin.

After WWII, Anthes was working as the Director of the Berlin Museum. However he was not happy with the policies of the new German Democratic Republic and the Penn Museum came to his rescue. Froelich Rainey and Ephraim Speiser asked Anthes to rejoin the staff as the Curator of the Egyptian section.

The Rudolf Anthes Egyptian section records consist of one and one-half archival boxes of correspondence and administrative records. His direct correspondence, almost exclusively in German, spans 1949 to 1962. The curatorial correspondence was handled by Anthes' assistants; Henry G. Fischer, Carroll R. Young and Kenneth D. Matthews.

The administrative series contains three folders of budget related information, internal memos and miscellaneous materials.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 6/1/2016

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Form(s)/Genre(s)

• Correspondence

Geographic Name(s)

• Egypt

Personal Name(s)

• Anthes, Rudolf, 1896-1985
• Fischer, Henry G.
• Matthews, Kenneth D.
• Shadwell, Gilbert C.
• Young, Carroll R.