
15
FebMembers-Only Virtual Lecture: American Minister Plenipotentiary J. Morton Howell and his Engagement with Tutankhamun’s Tomb, Egyptian Archaeology, and Egyptian Nationalists, 1922-1927: an Untold Story
Presented by Cynthia May Sheikholeslami and Mary Howell Cromer
Registration is required.
- 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM US ETARCE National
- Online: Zoom
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Lecture Information
The first American Minister Plenipotentiary to newly independent Egypt, J. Morton Howell, was appointed a few months before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. Aside from his diplomatic duties as representative of a developing world power, Howell had a passion for ancient Egypt. Howell’s friendships with Egyptian nationalists seeking further independence for their country were not appreciated by the British or US State Department officials, as well as some American archaeologists. Nevertheless, Howell successfully mediated with Egyptian authorities to support the interests of American archaeologists excavating in Egypt.
Using materials shared by Howell’s great-granddaughter and other archival research, this lecture reveals the untold story of Howell’s special visits to Tutankhamun’s tomb and his support of Howard Carter during his clash with Egyptian authorities. Some of the legends about Tutankhamun seem to have been invented by Carter during his lecture tour in the United States, arranged by Howell. Howell also aimed to promote American interest in Egypt with gifts of Egyptian antiquities to museums in his home state of Ohio and a book about its history and his tenure in Cairo.
Howell’s great-granddaughter, Mary Howell Cromer, will join the program.
Speaker Bio
Cynthia May Sheikholeslami is an Egyptologist who has lived and researched in Egypt for over 40 years. Her interests are in the social and cultural history of Egypt during the New Kingdom and 21st-25th Dynasties, especially in Thebes. She has also studied the history of Egyptology. Cynthia consulted for the Tutankhamun exhibit that toured the United States in honor of America’s bicentennial in 1976, lecturing widely about the tomb and its contents.