The American Research Center in Egypt is a scholarly institution dedicated to supporting the conservation of Egyptian antiquities and research in Egyptology, Coptology, and all periods of Egyptian history. The center is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.
History
ARCE was founded in 1948 in Boston by Edward W. Forbes, then the director of the Fogg Museum at Harvard, and Sterling Dow, then president of the Archaeological Institute of America, with the intention of creating a research center in Egypt on the model of similar institutions in Greece and Rome. The center's Egyptian headquarters opened in 1951 in an office at the Office of U.S. Information and Educational Exchange in the American Embassy in Cairo. Throughout its early years, the center received substantial funding from the United States Department of State. In 1962, the first edition of the Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt was published. All American staff were evacuated from Egypt during the Six-Day War, but returned after the cessation of hostilities, even though the United States and Egypt would not resume normal diplomatic relations until 1974. In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in 1992, ARCE was chosen by USAID to administer an American-funded initiative to restore damage done to Egypt's tangible cultural heritage. This work, which resulted in the completion of more than fifty conservation projects throughout Egypt, was directed by Robert K. Vincent, Jr. until his death in 2007.
Present activities
ARCE currently maintains its headquarters in the Garden City neighborhood of Cairo with a second branch in Luxor. The United States headquarters are currently in Alexandria, Virginia. The Cairo Center features a specialist research library and conference facilities and is intended as a base for academics from the United States and elsewhere when conducting research in Egypt. ARCE also runs a summer language program for university students studying Arabic and awards fellowships for research in Egypt and works with the Supreme Council of Antiquities and its institutional members in conserving and excavating sites around Egypt, with notable current projects including El Kab, the Precinct of Mut, the Red Monastery, the Temple of Khonsu, the Temple complex at Luxor, and the temple of Ramses II at Abydos. In addition to JARCE, the Center publishes scholarly monographs on subjects related to Egyptian culture and history. Within the United States, local chapters of ARCE aim to increase interest and understanding of Egyptian history and culture amongst the general public.
Affiliate institutions
ARCE is partially funded by its research supporting members and cooperates with them in large scale projects in Egypt. Affiliate institutions include:
