Guillemette Andreu facts for kids
Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë, born in Paris on August 3, 1948, is a famous French Egyptologist and archaeologist. This means she is an expert who studies ancient Egypt and digs up old things to learn about the past. She used to work for the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. Since May 2007, she has been a top leader at the Louvre Museum in Paris, in charge of all the amazing Egyptian artifacts.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë first studied history. Then, she decided to focus on Egyptology. This special field involves learning about ancient Egypt, including its writing systems like hieroglyphs and hieratic, and the Coptic language.
In 1978, she completed a major research paper, called a thesis, at the Sorbonne. Her thesis was about how law and order worked in ancient Egypt. After her studies, she became a researcher at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo from 1978 to 1982.
Archaeological Digs
For four years, Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë took part in many exciting archaeological digs. These digs were organized by the institute in different parts of Egypt:
- In the Nile Valley, she worked at a famous site called Deir el-Medina. This was a village where the people who built the royal tombs lived.
- She also explored oases in the Western Desert. These included Balat in the Dakhla Oasis and the Nécropole de Douch near Kharga.
- She even worked at a Christian monastery site in the Nile Delta called the Kellia.
While digging, she also continued her research on ancient Egypt. She studied how daily life was organized and what rules people followed during the time of the pharaohs.
Working at the Louvre
In 1982, Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë started working at the Louvre Museum in Paris, helping out in the Egyptian department. She returned to the Louvre in 1991 as a planning expert. By 1997, she became a curator, which means she was in charge of looking after and organizing museum collections. She also worked at the Musée national du Moyen Age-Thermes de Cluny in Paris.
In 1998, she was the curator for an exhibition called "Egyptology, fantasy and science" in Paris.
Exhibitions and Success
Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë organized several very popular exhibitions:
- In 2001, she curated a major exhibition at the Louvre about Deir el-Medina and the Valley of the Kings. This show ran from April to August 2002. It then traveled to Brussels and Turin. The exhibition was a huge success, with 450,000 visitors in Paris alone!
- In 2005, she curated another exhibition that traveled to Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Tokyo in Japan. This show also attracted many Japanese visitors.
Leading Digs and Departments
From 1993 to 2001, she helped with excavations at Saqqara, led by another famous Egyptologist, Christiane Ziegler. Then, from 2003 to 2005, Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë herself led the archaeological digs at Deir el-Medina.
In May 2007, she was given a very important role: Director of the Department of Egyptian Antiquities at the Louvre Museum. This means she is in charge of all the Egyptian treasures at one of the world's most famous museums.
She was also the main curator for the "Meroe" exhibit, which was shown at the Louvre from March to September 2010.
Other Important Roles
Guillemette Andreu is part of many important groups that study ancient Egypt. She is on the Scientific Council and Board of Directors of the IFAO. She is also part of a special French-Egyptian team that studies Karnak, a huge ancient temple complex. She helps advise the Egyptology Museum of Turin and a future museum in Qena, near Dendera. She also helps review articles for the "Revue des Musées de France," a museum magazine.
Awards and Honors
For her important work, Guillemette Andreu-Lanoë has received special awards:
- She was named a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres in 2002.
- She became a Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 2006.
