Flinders Petrie
Portrait of Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942), British archaeologist and Egyptologist. From 1881 he began excavations in Egypt, first at the Great Pyramids of Giza, followed by many important archaeological sites in Egypt. From 1881 he began excavations in Egypt, first at the Great Pyramids of Giza, followed by many of the important archaeological sites in Egypt. He made valuable contributions to the techniques and methods of field excavation and invented a sequence dating method that He made valuable contributions to the techniques and methods of field excavation and invented a sequence dating method that made possible the reconstruction of history from the remains of ancient cultures. He discovered the earliest known Egyptian reference to Israel on the stele (a stone slab monument) of Merneptah, king of Egypt. In 1894 he founded the British School of Archaeology in Egypt. He discovered the earliest known Egyptian reference to Israel on the stele (a stone slab monument) of Merneptah, king of ancient Egypt from 1213 to 1204 BCE. He quickly appreciated the advantages of x-rays revealing information of bony structures, He quickly appreciated the advantages of x-rays revealing information of bony structures, publishing a picture of an ancient Egyptian mummy (1898) within 3 years of the discovery by Röntgen.