by Jessica Izak
Ernesto Schiaparelli was a distinguished Italian Egyptologist known for his significant contributions to the field of Egyptology and his extensive archaeological work in Egypt. Born in Occhieppo Inferiore, Schiaparelli showed an early passion for ancient history and archaeology, which led him to continue his studies at the University of Turin and later at the Sorbonne in Paris.
From 1881 to 1894, Schiaparelli was director of the Egyptian Museum in Florence, where he reorganised the collection. In 1894, he became director of the Museo Egizio in Turin, which became one of the world’s largest museums of Egyptology thanks to the active excavations carried out during this period. To further enrich the museum’s collection, Schiaparelli founded the Missione Archeologica Italiana in Egypt, which was initially financed by King Vittorio Emmanuele III and later supported by the Royal Ministry of Public Education.
Between 1903 and 1920, Schiaparelli undertook twelve expeditions to Egypt, including Heliopolis, Giza, Deir el-Medina and Assiut. The first excavation site he chose in 1903 was Hermopolis Magna (el-Ashmunein), mainly with the aim of finding Greek papyri. Evaristo Breccia was put in charge of the fieldwork in the 1903 season and Giacomo Biondi in the 1904 season. The work was resumed in 1909 by Arturo Frova.
Bibliography:
- M. L. Bierbrier, Who Was Who in Egyptology (London 2019) 417
- E. Breccia, Evaristo, Scavi eseguiti a Ghîzeh e ad Asmunên. Relazione del dott. Evaristo Breccia al prof. E. Schiaparelli direttore della Missione Archeologica Italiana in Egitto, Rendiconti della Reale Accademia dei Lincei, cl. di sc. morali, storiche e filologiche 12 (1903), 461–467
- P. Piacentini, Italy, in: A. Bednarski – A. Dodson – S. Ikram (Hrsg.), A History of World Egyptology (Cambridge 2021) 369–396
- P. Del Vesco, Schiaparelli and Archaeology, in: J. Kahl – A. M. Sbriglio – P. Del Vesco – M. Trapani (Hrsg.), ASYUT. The Excavations of the Italian Archaeological Mission (1906–1913), Studi del Museo Egizio 1 (Modena 2019) 51–65