Donald Bruce Redford (born September 2, 1934) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
Egyptologist
Egyptology (from ''Egypt'' and Greek , '' -logia''; ar, علم المصريات) is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, architecture and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religiou ...
and
archaeologist, currently Professor of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at
Pennsylvania State University. He is married to Susan Redford, who is also an Egyptologist currently teaching classes at the university. Professor Redford has directed a number of important excavations in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
, notably at
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...
and
Mendes
Mendes ( grc-gre, Μένδης, '' gen''.: ), the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ( ar, تل ا ...
.
Biography
Redford received his B.A., M.A. and Ph.D from
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...
and the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
, and was an Assistant/Associate Professor (1962–1969) and full Professor (1969–1998) at the latter. He moved to
Pennsylvania State University in 1998.
Redford was the winner of the 1993 "''Best Scholarly Book in Archaeology''" awarded by the
Biblical Archaeology Society
The Biblical Archaeology Society was established in 1974 by American lawyer Hershel Shanks, as a non-sectarian organisation that supports and promotes biblical archaeology. Its current publications include the ''Biblical Archaeology Review'', whil ...
for his work ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times''. In the book he argues that the experiences of the
Hyksos
Hyksos (; Egyptian '' ḥqꜣ(w)- ḫꜣswt'', Egyptological pronunciation: ''hekau khasut'', "ruler(s) of foreign lands") is a term which, in modern Egyptology, designates the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt (fl. c. 1650–1550 BC).
T ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
became a central foundation of
myths in
Canaan
Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...
ite culture, leading to the story of
Moses. He further argues that almost all the toponymic details in the
Exodus story reflect conditions in Egypt not earlier than the
Twenty-sixth Dynasty, the
Saite
The Twenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt (notated Dynasty XXVI, alternatively 26th Dynasty or Dynasty 26) dynasty was the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before the Persian conquest in 525 BC (although others followed). The dynasty's reign (664–525 ...
period, namely the 7th century BC. Whoever, Redford argues, provided the author of Exodus with these details had no access to Egyptian material earlier than that date. This view was expounded upon in ''
The Bible Unearthed
''The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts'', a book published in 2001, discusses the archaeology of Israel and its relationship to the origins and content of the Hebrew Bible. The author ...
'' by
Israel Finkelstein and
Neil Silberman.
Redford's work in editing ''The
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'', edited by Donald B. Redford and published in three volumes by Oxford University Press in 2001, contains 600 articles that cover the 4,000 years of the history of Ancient Egypt, from the predynastic ...
'', published in 2001, earned the American Library Association's
Dartmouth Medal
The Dartmouth Medal of the American Library Association is awarded annually to a reference work of outstanding quality and significance, published during the previous calendar year.
History
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a priv ...
for a reference work of outstanding quality and significance. Since 2006 he is also in the editorial board of ''RIHAO''.
His work in uncovering the foundation of one Akhenaten's temples was the subject of a one-hour 1980
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
documentary, ''The Lost Pharaoh: The Search for Akhenaten''.
Akhenaten Temple Project
The Akhenaten Temple Project is a project encompassing four archaeological expeditions to Egypt and north-east Africa. It has been in operation since 1972. The project is directed by Donald and Susan Redford and is part of
Pennsylvania State University.
It has excavated at
Mendes
Mendes ( grc-gre, Μένδης, '' gen''.: ), the Greek name of the ancient Egyptian city of Djedet, also known in ancient Egypt as Per-Banebdjedet ("The Domain of the Ram Lord of Djedet") and Anpet, is known today as Tell El-Ruba ( ar, تل ا ...
(in the
Nile Delta),
Karnak
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak (, which was originally derived from ar, خورنق ''Khurnaq'' "fortified village"), comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings near Luxor, Egypt. Constr ...
,
Tel Kedwa (in North
Sinai) and in the
Theban necropolis (mainly investigating the tomb of
Parennefer).
Along with his wife Susan Redford, he is the director of the Akhenaten Temple Project.
Publications
* ''History and Chronology of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt: Seven Studies''. Toronto University Press, 1967.
* ''A Study of the Biblical Story of Joseph (Gen 37-50)''. Leiden: Brill, 1970.
* ''
Akhenaten
Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth D ...
: the Heretic King''. Princeton University Press, 1984.
* ''Pharaonic King-Lists, Annals, and Day-Books: a Contribution to the Study of the Egyptian Sense of History''. (SSEA Publication IV) Mississauga, Ontario: Benben Publications, 1986.
* ''Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times''. Princeton University Press, 1992.
* ''The
Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt
''The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'', edited by Donald B. Redford and published in three volumes by Oxford University Press in 2001, contains 600 articles that cover the 4,000 years of the history of Ancient Egypt, from the predynastic ...
'' (editor). Oxford University Press, 2001.
* ''The Wars in Syria and Palestine of Thutmose III''. (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East 16) Leiden: Brill, 2003.
* ''Slave to Pharaoh: the Black Experience of Ancient Egypt''.
Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004.
* ''City of the Ram-Man: the Story of Ancient Mendes''. Princeton University Press, 2010.
*''The Oxford Guide: Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology'' (editor), Berkley, 2003,
References
External links
Professor Donald B. Redford- Penn State University department page
Home page of the Akhenaten Temple Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redford, Donald B.
1934 births
Living people
Canadian Egyptologists
University of Toronto alumni
University of Toronto faculty
Pennsylvania State University faculty
Canadian expatriate academics in the United States