From the Hudson to the Nile: Dows Dunham and the Archaeology of Egypt and Sudan celebrates the remarkable career of Dows Dunham (1890–1984), a Hudson Valley–born archaeologist whose pioneering fieldwork in Egypt and Sudan and dedicated scholarship as a curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston transformed the field and continue to shape the study and preservation of ancient civilizations today.
Born in Irvington, New York, Dunham developed an early fascination with the ancient world that led him to study under renowned Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner. Joining the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Expedition upon graduating college, Dunham played a key role in excavations at Giza, Gebel Barkal, and Nuri—sites that yielded extraordinary discoveries including the “secret tomb” of Queen Hetepheres, mother of the builder of the Great Pyramid, and the treasures of the kings and queens of ancient Nubia. During the latter part of his career, Dunham dedicated himself to advancing scholarship through cataloguing and publications, museum education, and professional organizations, including founding the American Research Center in Egypt, which continues to sponsor research and conservation today.
From the Hudson to the Nile features select antiquities uncovered during the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Expedition, publications authored by Dunham, field tools and instruments, photographs, and archival materials drawn primarily from the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Brooklyn Museum, as well as from the Dunham family. In addition, new reproductions of the Boston Museum of Science’s pyramid model and a Nubian funeral bed of fine wood craftsmanship offer visitors a striking sense of material and scale, bridging the distance between the discoveries of Dunham’s era and the enduring fascination with ancient Egypt and Nubia today.
The exhibition is guest curated by Dr. Peter Lacovara, Director of The Ancient Egypt Heritage and Archaeology Fund and a leading scholar of Egyptian and Nubian archaeology.
