Francis Llewellyn Griffith 

From a Brighton family and with a brother who was an Alderman and a solicitor, Francis Llewellyn Griffith's heart was in Egyptology, particularly in the study of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. He was torn between pursuing his love and the more pragmatic choice of interning with his brother's law firm. Through Petrie's persistence, funding was eventually found from Willett and Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.

Griffith was appreciative of the support given by the museum. He ensured it received objects spanning his entire field career, from his first work with Petrie and with the Egypt Exploration Fund to his own expeditions for the University of Oxford. In turn, the museum demonstrated a long-term commitment to supporting expeditions to Egypt, sponsoring not only the work of Petrie but also of the British School of Archaeology, an institute Petrie set up when he became professor of Egyptology at UCL.

Both Petrie and Griffith are recognised today as leading figures in the history of Egyptology. Griffith went on to endow what is now the internationally recognised Griffith Institute of Egyptology archives at the University of Oxford. The Institute has become a major repository for Egyptological archives, including Griffith's own.

By drawing on the Petrie Museum and Griffith Institute of Egyptology, we can re-unite original documentation with the excavated artefacts now on display in the Ancient Egypt galleries.

Back to top