Ann and Jim Rothenberg Fund for Humanities Research Grant
Nov. 2016: awarded $5,000
Project: “Harvard and Egyptian Archaeology: The Lost Ashton Sanborn Papers” Part 2
Peter Der Manuelian, NELC/Anthropology, Harvard Semitic Museum
Abstract: Recent discovery of the dig letters of HU–MFA Expedition staff member Ashton Sanborn in the Schlesinger Library has provided a treasure trove of archaeological data unknown to the scholarly world. Great progress has been made over the past six months, thanks to a spring 2016 Rothenberg grant, in scanning and transcribing much of this archive and relating it to material in collections all over the world. This new grant proposal has two parts: 1) It seeks to finish, with the help of research assistants, the Schlesinger transcription work. 2) It also seeks support to organize, scan, and prepare for transcribing hundreds of additional letters and photographs loaned to me by surviving family descendants. Once these are scanned and shared back with the family digitally, I hope to convince these grandchildren to donate the documents permanently to Harvard University.
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Provostial Fund
Nov. 2016 awarded: $5,000
Peter Der Manuelian
Project: "Egypt 1930: Newly Discovered Archaeological Movie Footage"
Study of previously unknown archaeological letters in the Schlesinger Library has led to the discovery in a private collection of unseen 1930 movie footage from Egypt; digitization and editing will make nearly five hours of footage (some even in color), showing Cairo, village life, pyramids, temples, tombs, and Nile travel, accessible for the first time.