María del Carmen Pérez Díe facts for kids
María del Carmen Pérez Díe (born in 1953) is a famous Spanish Egyptologist, a person who studies ancient Egypt. She is also a curator, which means she helps manage and care for museum collections. For many years, she worked at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain.
Since 1980, she has been the head of the Egyptian and Middle Eastern collections there. She even served as the museum's director from 1991 to 1997. María del Carmen Pérez Díe is also part of several important groups, like the International Committee for Egyptology.
Becoming an Egyptologist
María del Carmen Pérez Díe was born in 1953 in Madrid, Spain. Her mother was a history professor, which might have sparked her interest in the past. Her love for ancient Egypt began when she was young. Her parents took her to visit the National Archaeological Museum of Spain, and she was fascinated by the Egyptian artifacts.
She decided to study Egyptology and learn about museums in Cairo, Egypt, and Paris, France. Later, she continued her studies at the Complutense University of Madrid. In 1990, she earned her doctorate degree in Ancient History. Her special research project was about an ancient Egyptian site called Heracleópolis, which she has been leading excavations at since 1984.
Awards and Recognition
María del Carmen Pérez Díe has received many important awards for her work. These include the National Prize from the Spanish Geographical Society. In 2009, she received the Medal of Commendation of Number of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. This is a special honor given by the Spanish government.
The next year, she was given the Gold Medal from the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt. This shows how much her work is valued in Egypt itself. From 2011 to 2014, she also helped choose the winners for the Princess of Asturias Awards in the Social Sciences category.
See also
In Spanish: María del Carmen Pérez Díe para niños
