Flinders Petrie

Flinders Petrie was a British archaeologist whose excavations, recording methods, and teaching helped establish a more systematic study of ancient Egypt. Egyptian Tales First Series gathers stories associated with the Fourth through Twelfth Dynasties, while Egyptian Tales Second Series continues with material from the Eighteenth through Nineteenth Dynasties. Petrie edited the collections and framed the translated papyrus narratives for general readers, arranging them chronologically and adding historical notes. Tristram Ellis illustrated both series. Petrie became the first Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College London and assembled the teaching collection that developed into the Petrie Museum. His work across sites in Egypt and Palestine combined close attention to objects with an interest in reconstructing everyday life, an approach that also informs the explanatory setting around these tales.