Jaroslav Černý (Egyptologist)


Jaroslav Černý was a Czech Egyptologist. From 1929 to 1946 he was a lecturer and docent at Charles University in Prague, from 1946 to 1951, the Edwards Professor of Egyptology at the University College, London. From 1951 to 1965, he was Professor of Egyptology at University of Oxford.

Early life

Jaroslav Černý was born on 22 August 1898 in Pilsen in Austro-Hungary. His family lived in Pilsen until 1913, then moved to Slaný. J. Černý continued his studies at a gymnasium in Pilsen until 1917.
He studied from 1917 till 1922 at Charles University, where he received his doctorate in 1922, and his habilitation in 1929.

Career

He took part in Bernard Bruyère's excavations at Deir el-Medina from 1925 to 1970 and the village became the focus of a lifelong study. One volume, of a planned three on the village, was published before his death with other parts published posthumously.
He was sponsored by Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk from 1927, and worked with Alan Henderson Gardiner from 1934. In the 1930s, Černý participated in epigraphic missions across Egypt—at Sinai and Abydos.
He spent the Second World War in Cairo and London, from 1942 as an employee of the Czechoslovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In 1946, he became professor for Egyptology at University College London. From 1951 until 1965 he was Professor of Egyptology at Oxford University. His specialties were hieratic script, the New Kingdom, and Late Egyptian literature. He died on 29 May 1970 in Oxford, England.

Works