By Anthony T. Browder
JA Guest Writer
I have spent 47 years studying Egyptology and have found it to be the only academic discipline with its name as a descriptor. There is no Europology or Greekology or Americanology.
What is it about this ancient civilization that has fascinated the world for 5,000 years?
Educators know Egypt captures the imagination of students. Sociologists know Egypt was the first nation-state with civil servants and a middle class. Historians know Egyptian civilization lasted 3000 years and produced more documents than any nation on Earth.
Archaeologists jump at the opportunity to dig up the past in Egypt and contribute to our understanding of this ancient culture.
While I have traveled to Egypt 68 times, written textbooks on the subject and have taken thousands to Egypt, I am proudest of the archaeological achievements of the ASA Restoration Project. I established the ASA Restoration Project in 2008 to fund the excavation and restoration of three 25th dynasty tombs on the West Bank of Luxor, Egypt, partnering with Egyptologist Dr. Elena Pischikova who had discovered the 2700-year-old tombs of Kushite priests in 2006.
We have discovered more than 40 tombs built for priests of Amun and their families. Each tomb we discovered helped us reconstruct the history of the 25th dynasty which was ruled by Africans from Kush (modern Sudan). The Kings of the 25th dynasty drove foreign invaders out of Egypt and restored their ancestral homeland. Their ancestors were the pyramid builders of the 4th dynasty and temple builders of the 18th dynasty who lived thousands of years earlier.
Taharka was the greatest king of the 25th dynasty and is the only king of Egypt mentioned by name in the Old Testament (2 Kings 19:19 and Isaiah 37:8-9). The most important tomb we’ve excavated and restored was built for a priest named Karakhamun whom we believe was the son of Shabaka – the brother of Taharka and the third king of the 25th dynasty.
Karakhamun’s tomb is four times larger than the tomb of King Tutankhamun. It was adorned with life-like carvings of people and animals, and its pillars and walls were covered with sacred texts that are more than 4000 years old.
Among the 425 foreign missions excavating in Egypt, the ASA Restoration Project is the only archaeological site in Egyptian history funded by African Americans. The Project honors Dr. Asa G. Hilliard, III a globally acclaimed educational psychologist and Egyptian scholar and one of the path-breaking leaders of the National Association of Black Psychologists and the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations.
Dr. Hilliard’s wife Patsy Jo (former mayor of East Point, GA) their daughter, son, and granddaughter were the honored guests as we celebrated the 16th anniversary of the ASA Restoration Project with events in Washington, DC last month. Author and Egyptologist, Dr. Charles Finch was our featured speaker at the Thurgood Marshall Center on September 21st. The following day we had a gala reception and toured 1000 replicas of artifacts discovered in Tutankhamun’s tomb, currently exhibited at the Rhode Island Center in Northeast, DC.
The weekend’s events attracted participants who traveled from as far away as San Francisco, Cleveland and Toronto. Both events featured book signings where Dr. Finch signed copies of his latest book, Nile Valley Civilization: A 10,000 Year History, and I discussed my latest publication, Finding Karakhamun: The Collaborative Rediscovery of a Lost Tomb, which details the accomplishments of the ASA Restoration Project.
After 47 years of studying Nile Valley history (which included travel to Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya) and 15 years excavating in Egypt, I can say with confidence that the history of ancient Egypt has yet to be fully told. Egypt is in Africa, and the history of ancient Egypt is connected to all the nations in the Nile Valley. My contribution to this unique historical narrative is documented in my publications, lectures, Egypt on the Potomac Field Trips and study tours of Egypt.
As I expand my horizons, I will lead a study tour to London and Paris in 2025 and visit the Egyptian Collections in the British Museum and Louvre, then interact with diaspora communities in both cities. I also look forward to taking groups to visit the tomb of Karakhamun when it opens in Egypt and celebrate the success of the ASA Restoration Project with our many supporters.
These are additional stops along an incredible journey to enlightenment.
Details on Browder’s lectures, tours and publications can be found at www.ikg-info.com. He can also be heard Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00 PM on “The Browder File” which airs on WPFW (89.3FM).
