Bob Brier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bob Brier
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Robert Brier
December 13, 1943 The Bronx, USA
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| Fields | Egyptologist |
Robert Brier (born December 13, 1943) is an American Egyptologist. This means he is a scientist who studies ancient Egypt. He is also a specialist in paleopathology, which is the study of ancient diseases and injuries, often found in mummies.
Dr. Brier is a senior research fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post. He has spent many years studying mummies and how ancient Egyptians prepared them. You might have seen him in documentaries on channels like Discovery Civilization, TLC Network, and National Geographic. He is known as one of the world's top experts on ancient Egypt.
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Early Life and Education
Bob Brier grew up in The Bronx, New York. He earned his first degree from Hunter College, which is part of the City University of New York. Later, he received his PhD in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970.
He started teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He was the head of the philosophy department for many years, from 1981 to 1996. He also directed a special program called "Egyptology Today" for the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 2004, he became a senior research fellow at LIU Post. Besides his work at Long Island University, Dr. Brier has taught ancient Egyptian language at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute.
Exploring Ancient Secrets
Dr. Brier has traveled to many countries, exploring pyramids and tombs in 15 different places. He has studied mummification practices from all over the world. He has even investigated some very famous mummies, including those of Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, and Eva Perón (also known as Evita). He also studied the mummies of the Medici family.
The "Mr. Mummy" Experiment
In 1994, Dr. Brier and his colleague, Ronald Wade, did something amazing. They mummified a human body using the same techniques the ancient Egyptians used. This was the first time anyone had done this in 2,000 years! This special research earned Dr. Brier the fun nickname "Mr. Mummy."
This experiment was also featured in a National Geographic TV special called Mr. Mummy. This show helped make him well-known to many people.
Television and Media Appearances
Dr. Brier has hosted several television shows for the TLC Network. These include The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has also been shown in popular magazines and TV programs like Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes, and 20/20.
Lectures and Books
In 1999, Dr. Brier created a series of 48 lectures called "The History of Ancient Egypt" for The Teaching Company. He later made two more lecture series for them. One was about "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt," and the other helped people learn "Decoding the Secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphs."
He has also written many articles and books. Some of his well-known books include:
- The Glory of Ancient Egypt: A Collection of Rare Engravings from the Napoleonic Expedition (1990) ISBN: 0-8115-4469-9
- Egyptomania (June, 1992) ISBN: 0-933699-26-3
- Egyptian Mummies : Unraveling the Secrets of an Ancient Art (March 14, 1996) ISBN: 0-688-14624-4
- The Encyclopedia of Mummies (September, 1998) ISBN: 0-8160-3906-2
- The Murder of Tutankhamen (March 1, 1999) ISBN: 0-425-16689-9
- The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians (with Hoyt Hobbs) (December 30, 1999) ISBN: 0-313-30313-4
- The Secret of the Great Pyramid (with Jean-Pierre Houdin) (October 6, 2008)
- Egyptomania: Our Three Thousand Year Obsession with the Land of the Pharaohs (Nov 12, 2013) ISBN: 1137278609
- Cleopatra's Needles: The Lost Obelisks of Egypt. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Brier has received several awards for his work:
- Fulbright Fellowship to Turkey, 1985
- David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching, 1988
- Director, National Endowment for the Humanities "Egyptology Today" Program, 1992–94
- TASA Award for Lifetime of Scholarship, 2002
- Emmy Nomination for Best TV Documentary, Murder of Tutankhamen, 1997
Archaeological Tours
Bob Brier also leads special tours to Egypt for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips. You can find more about his tours on his page: Bob Brier.
See also
In Spanish: Bob Brier para niños
