Griffith Institute

The Griffith Institute was established in 1939 following the death of Francis Llewellyn Griffith, a pioneering Egyptologist and the first professor of Egyptology at Oxford. Griffith's will left his library, papers, and a substantial endowment to the university, with the explicit purpose of promoting Egyptological research. The institute was initially housed in the Sackler Library, later moving to its current premises on St John Street. Its first director was Griffith's widow, Nora Griffith, who oversaw the transfer of his collections and the early development of the institute's archival holdings.

The institute's archives are its most celebrated asset, containing the complete records of Howard Carter's excavation of Tutankhamun's tomb (1922–1932), including over 3,000 photographs, diaries, and object cards. These records are invaluable for scholars studying the tomb's contents and their provenance. Beyond Carter, the institute holds the papers of many other prominent Egyptologists, such as Alan Gardiner, Jaroslav Černý, and Battiscombe Gunn, as well as a significant collection of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern artefacts, though the institute itself is primarily an archival and research facility rather than a public museum.

The Griffith Institute supports a wide range of research projects, from philological studies of ancient texts to archaeological fieldwork. It publishes the journal Journal of Egyptian Archaeology in collaboration with the Egypt Exploration Society, and has produced major reference works such as the Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts (the "Porter-Moss"). The institute also hosts visiting scholars and offers a Master's degree in Egyptology, contributing to the training of the next generation of researchers.¹

Beyond its famous Tutankhamun archive, the institute holds the papers of the early explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni, including his original drawings and notes. It also houses the correspondence of Amelia Edwards, a novelist and co-founder of the Egypt Exploration Fund, offering insight into the social networks of 19th-century Egyptology. The institute's library contains a rare collection of early printed books on Egypt, including works from the 17th century. In 2011, the institute launched an online digitisation project, making many of its archives freely accessible to the public, a pioneering move in the field.

Egyptology

The study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art.

Ancient Near Eastern studies

An interdisciplinary field covering the civilisations of the ancient Near East, including Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia.

Howard Carter

British archaeologist who discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.

Topographical Bibliography

A comprehensive reference work listing all known ancient Egyptian monuments and their publications.