Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- c. 1932-1938 (Creation)
Level of description
Extent and medium
1 folder
Context area
Name of creator
Biographical history
British chemist. Born, Chorlton-upon-Medlock 1867. Died, Luxor 1945. Educated, School of Mines, London, and the Royal College of Science. Worked for the British Government as an assistant chemist, until ill health prompted a move to Egypt. There he was engaged as an assistant chemist to the Government Salt Department, 1898. He initially managed the Survey Department and Assay Office laboratories, he was then appointed Chemist for the Antiquities Service, 1923-32. Honorary Consulting Chemist, 1932-45. He was able to put his expertise in cleaning, consolidating, and conserving antiquities to good use when he was lent by the Antiquities Service to H. Carter during the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamun. He also worked at Tanis with P. M. Montet. Published many books about his work in this field.
Archival history
- Formerly in the possession of Dr L. Chalk, lecturer in Wood Structure & Properties in the then Imperial Forestry Institute (now Department of Plant Sciences), University of Oxford.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
- Donated by Ian Gourlay in July 2022.
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Tutankhamun excavation: Alfred Lucas documentation on wood from the tomb.
- Correspondence and related material on wood, including:
- 16 letters exchanged between Alfred Lucas and Laurence Chalk discussing wood specimens from the tomb of Tutankhamun;
- 3 offprints, Lucas articles:
- Lucas, A. 1932. The Occurrence of Natron in Ancient Egypt. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 18 (1/2), 62-66 (OEB 144143);
- Lucas, A. 1936. The Wood of the Third Dynasty Ply-wood Coffin from Saqqara. Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 36, 1-4 (OEB 144160);
- Lucas, A. 1924. Note on the Temperature and Humidity of Several Tombs in the Valley of the Tombs of the Kings at Thebes. Annales du Service des Antiquités de l'Égypte 24, 12-14 (OEB 144136).
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Property of the Griffith Institute. No restrictions.
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright Griffith Institute, University of Oxford.
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Archived scans in Griffith Institute.
Related units of description
Publication note
- See Hepper, F. Nigel 1990. Pharaoh's Flowers: The Botanical Treasures of Tutankhamun. London: HMSO, p. 5 (OEB 33050).