Alexander Henry Rhind (; 26 July 1833 – 3 July 1863) was a Scottish

antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic si ...

and

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

Biography

Born on 26 July 1833 in

Wick Wick most often refers to: * Capillary action ("wicking") ** Candle wick, the cord used in a candle or oil lamp ** Solder wick, a copper-braided wire used to desolder electronic contacts Wick or WICK may also refer to: Places and placenames ...

in the Scottish Highlands, Rhind studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

. He has often been erroneously referred to as a lawyer, but he never actually studied law. Rhind excavated and published a number of prehistoric sites in northern Scotland in the early 1850s, and donated the finds to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (now in National Museums Scotland). Suffering from pulmonary disease, he travelled to Egypt in the winters of 1855–1857 with the intention of excavating and collecting for the newly formed National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland. He collected material for his book entitled ''Thebes, its Tombs and their Tenants'', which was published in 1862. He was a prolific writer with a methodical research style, despite continuing to battle ill health. Among the items that he collected was the

Rhind Papyrus The Rhind Mathematical Papyrus (RMP; also designated as papyrus British Museum 10057, pBM 10058, and Brooklyn Museum 37.1784Ea-b) is one of the best known examples of ancient Egyptian mathematics. It is one of two well-known mathematical papyr ...

, also known as the

Ahmes Ahmes ( “, a common Egyptian name also transliterated Ahmose (disambiguation), Ahmose) was an ancient Egyptian scribe who lived towards the end of the 15th Dynasty, Fifteenth Dynasty (and of the Second Intermediate Period) and the beginning of t ...

Papyrus after its Egyptian scribe. Rhind acquired it around 1858, and following his death shortly afterwards, it was sold to the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

, along with the similar

Egyptian Mathematical Leather Roll The Egyptian Mathematical Leather Roll (EMLR) is a 10 × 17 in (25 × 43 cm) leather roll purchased by Alexander Henry Rhind in 1858. It was sent to the British Museum in 1864, along with the Rhind Mathematical Papy ...

. Both are mathematical treatises and both were purchased in the

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

market, and may have previously been stolen from the

Ramesseum The Ramesseum is the Temples of a Million years, memorial temple (or mortuary temple) of Pharaoh Ramesses II ("Ramesses the Great", also spelled "Ramses" and "Rameses"). It is located in the Theban Necropolis in Upper Egypt, on the west of the Ni ...

. When chemically softened and decoded years afterward, they show the Egyptians had computed the value of π as 3.1605, a margin of error of less than one percent. He has been described as a "young hero", the only "bright shining light of archaeological method and conscience" in the mid-nineteenth century, who plotted the exact location of artefacts and their relationships, the first to do so."Signs and Wonders Upon Pharaoh: A History of American Egyptology", p50-51, John A. Wilson, University of Chicago Press, 1964 Rhind died in his sleep at the age of 29, on 3 July 1863 in Cadenabbia. Along with his 1600-volume library he left a bequest to the

Society of Antiquaries of Scotland The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usu ...

to fund a lectureship, and the prestigious Rhind Lectures currently hosted by the Society commemorates his name. Rhind directed that a sum from his estate at Sibster,

Caithness Caithness (; ; ) is a Shires of Scotland, historic county, registration county and Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Scotland. There are two towns, being Wick, Caithness, Wick, which was the county town, and Thurso. The count ...

, be used for this purpose, once the interests of living parties was extinguished; this eventuated in 1874, 11 years after his death.

Publications

*''British Archæology, its progress and demands'' *''Facsimiles of two papyri found in a tomb at Thebes with a translation by Samuel Birch and an account of their discovery'' *
Law of treasure-trove: how can it be best adapted to accomplish useful results?
' *'' Thebes: its tombs and their tenants, ancient and present''

Notes

References

''Memoir of the late Alexander Henry Rhind, of Sibster'' (1864)
by John Stuart. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rhind, Alexander Henry 1833 births 1863 deaths Scottish antiquarians Scottish Egyptologists Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from Wick, Caithness 19th-century Scottish people