Meet the Griffith Institute Team – 1
In this first blog post in a series about the Griffith Institute team, we meet Cisco, Susan, and Elizabeth.
FRANCISCO BOSCH-PUCHE
Cisco is the Coordinating Editor of the Online Egyptological Bibliography.
How did you become interested in Egyptology?
Ever since I was a little boy I have wanted to be an archaeologist and work in Egypt. All through my student years I had that in mind as my goal and, although perhaps the result is not what I initially imagined, I feel very privileged to say that I work in the field.
What brought you to Oxford and the Griffith Institute?
I first came to Oxford for three months in 2007 to use the library while I was working on my doctorate on Alexander the Great as pharaoh. I returned in 2010 after the completion of my PhD with a postdoctoral fellowship. During my fellowship, I had the opportunity to visit the Griffith Institute and carry out research in the archive. When the fellowship was coming to an end, an assistant position opened at the GI to work for the Topographical Bibliography and archive, and I was fortunate to get it. I’ve now been working here for 13 years, where I coordinate the Online Egyptological Bibliography.
What were your first impressions of the GI and how has it changed in your time here?
The GI is one of those institutions in Egyptology with a very long history (86 years!) and accumulated “prestige”, connected to important names like Bertha Porter and Rosalind Moss, Jaromír Málek, and so on. As an outsider, a place like that sounds fascinating, but at the same time also a little intimidating, intended only for those who are recognised scholars in the field. Working here has showed me that this could not be further from the truth. The main goal of the GI (with its bibliographical projects and the archive) is to assist everyone, from schoolchildren and amateur enthusiasts to Egyptology students and scholars throughout their careers.
What you like about the GI and about working here? Can you tell us a little about your work and its importance?
I love my work colleagues – there is a very nice work environment in the office. We work hard, but laugh a lot too. My main task is to coordinate the Online Egyptological Bibliography, overseeing the work of everybody involved, not only in Oxford but also in our partner institutions (most notably Munich). The OEB is one of the main resources in Egyptology, used by almost everyone in the field on a daily basis, and it is an honour to contribute to it. To have a database that gathers bibliographical information on everything ever published in Egyptology is wonderful, something seen with envy by other disciplines. Part of my time is also devoted to the archive, especially helping researchers from all over the globe with their projects, by answering online queries, or assisting them during research visits. This is particularly rewarding because it allows me to meet amazing people.
Can you give a book recommendation, Egyptological or otherwise?
I would like to recommend my favourite novel, The Physician by Noah Gordon, originally published in 1986. It is about the life of a Christian English young man in the 11th century who, disguised as a Jewish scholar, journeys across Europe in order to study medicine with Avicenna in Persia. It is probably not the most elaborate work of literature, but I like how well researched it is and also its message, namely to do whatever it is necessary to pursue a dream. I have read it several times, and I love it so much I even collect translations in different languages (22 so far).
SUSAN BIDDLE
Susan is one of our longest standing volunteers and is currently working on the correspondence group in our Alan H. Gardiner collection.
What interests you about Egyptology?
My interests in Egyptology are varied: it arose out of a general interest in the Bronze Age Mediterranean and, as I learnt more about ancient Egypt, developed in unexpected directions. I became increasingly interested in settlement archaeology rather than monuments (temples or tombs), but also discovered a love for Old Kingdom art and Middle Kingdom literature.
But I am at least as interested in the history of archaeology, particularly of the late 19th and early 20th century, when scientific rigour was developing but there was still scope for the interested and enthusiastic amateur. My work on Jenny Lane’s journals (the first project I worked on with the Griffith Institute), Flinders Petrie’s journals, Arthur Mace’s journals, and Myrtle Broome’s correspondence have all fostered this interest. I find the different perspectives each Egyptologist brings to their work interesting, am intrigued by how contemporary concerns shape our view of the past, and above all enjoy the human perspective that we get by looking at archaeology through the lens of past archaeologists.
What do you find interesting about the collection that you’re working on at the moment?
The Alan H. Gardiner Collection has an incredible range of correspondents: some famous names in Egyptology and linguistics, but so many others too, each of whom has a story to tell – and the Gardiner correspondence brings these people to life again.
The correspondence in the run-up to, and during, World War II, is particularly moving: I read letters from young men telling how they have been summoned to London for an unknown job – and find that they were posted to Bletchley Park; from people organising jobs for refugees from Nazi Germany; and letters of sympathy to people whose sons have been posted missing. I have read about long-past college politics and art exhibitions, as well as esoteric debates about speech and language. Reading a group of letters from a particular period provides insight into the society of the time, its attitudes and concerns. In times of turmoil, it is strangely encouraging to read how people “kept calm and carried on” through the much worse challenges of war.
I particularly enjoy the “detective work” involved in identifying the correspondents – for each, I try to find their full name and dates of birth and death. For well-known Egyptologists this is easy, but for others it can be a challenge… but there are only a few who have so far defeated me.
What is the most unexpected thing you have discovered in your work at the Griffith Institute?
There have been two things. Firstly, how much reading a single letter can bring the correspondent vividly to life. And also how incredibly helpful archivists and others are in answering questions and providing information which help me to identify Alan Gardiner’s correspondents.
Can you give a book recommendation, Egyptological or otherwise?
Olivia Manning’s The Balkan and the Levant Trilogies: wonderful accounts of life immediately before and during World War II in Bucharest, then Athens, and finally Egypt and Palestine, from a range of perspectives and with a wonderful cast of eccentric characters – all based on Manning’s own experiences and marriage. I was introduced to it by an excellent BBC adaptation (1987) with a very young Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson who played the young husband and wife protagonists (and themselves fell in love in the course of filming). It’s also an account of a marriage, a group of disparate expatriates, Jewish and other refugees, and army life from the perspective of a young soldier.
ELIZABETH FLEMING
Elizabeth is the Coordinating Editor of the Topographical Bibliography.
What do you like about the Griffith Institute and about working here?
The Griffith Institute is a special place to work; there’s simply nowhere else quite like it. It has been a privilege to contribute to the Institute’s projects, which are internationally well-known in Egyptology. The Archive is unique, and it’s an honour to share the responsibility for caring for and communicating the Tutankhamun Archive, and I have had the pleasure of meeting many archive users from all over the world. Ultimately, it has been the opportunity to work with a succession of brilliant and fantastic people. In my experience, the Griffith Institute has been fortunate in attracting dedicated people who genuinely care about the GI and everything it stands for. The team has always been small, and it is remarkable how much has been achieved with relatively few resources.
Why is the work of the Griffith Institute important?
The Griffith Institute fosters the ideal environment for its projects and ongoing research, along with the most significant Egyptological archive outside Egypt, all supported by a world-class Egyptological Library. The Institute always aimed to share as many of its resources as possible. Whether it be a request from an academic wanting further information from the Topographical Bibliography (TopBib) records or answering a young person’s questions about Tutankhamun for a school project, every request is weighed equally. The former Editor of the Topographical Bibliography and Keeper of the Archive, Dr Jaromír Málek, was an ardent advocate of this approach, and something which is firmly instilled in me.
Can you tell us a little more about how you came to the Griffith Institute?
My employment at the GI was by accident rather than design. Following a failed application submitted to the former Ashmolean Library, I received a “cold” call inviting me to an interview for another vacancy within the same building. I was interviewed by Dr Málek and his assistants, Diana Magee and Kathleen Lorimer. I had yet to learn about where or what I was being interviewed for. I remember being given a TopBib volume to look at and thinking, “There’s a lot of words, but no pictures.” Being a naive 17-year-old, I was less daunted than I perhaps should have been!
Can you tell us more about why the TopBib matters?
The TopBib is an essential and fantastic resource for Egyptologists. The project’s scope is vast and the workload is challenging, but no other discipline can boast such a resource. Most are unaware of the extent of the data underpinning the print volumes. Gathering data for all eight volumes is relentless, with new material and bibliographic information continually being added to the existing documentation collected over the past 120+ years.
The TopBib is also an unparalleled tool for communicating the wealth of unpublished documentation in the Griffith Institute’s Archive. Everything from 19th century travel journals, watercolours, drawings, paper squeezes and rubbings, complete excavation records, including Howard Carter’s records for Tutankhamun, and recent born-digital accessions, all have a place within the project’s framework alongside reference material from publications.
It’s been a joy to work on the TopBib. It is a never-ending yet satisfying task of finding, chasing and capturing data, which in turn, offers up vital information for others. Dr Málek told me on more than one occasion that the TopBib is sometimes not appreciated as much as it should be, but Egyptology should try to imagine what the discipline would be without it. Fortunately, I have witnessed the great respect and admiration the TopBib project has amongst its users, especially colleagues in Egypt who rely on “Porter & Moss”. That is what makes the work all worthwhile.
Can you give a book recommendation, Egyptological or otherwise?
I’m an ardent fan of Haruki Murakami’s books, which I discovered around the same time I was introduced to meditation. His observations of the seemingly mundane feel like Zen poetry and resonate deeply with me. It’s challenging to choose a favourite, but I would settle on the first Murakami book I read, which is also one of the few fiction paperbacks I keep on my bookshelf at home: Kafka on the Shore. This story follows two men, one young and one old, as they embark on a journey together. Along the way, they encounter many magical and bizarre situations, complete with unexpected plot twists. Additionally, the older man has a unique ability to communicate with cats, which is particularly appealing to me!