Eine allzu lange 2. Zwischenzeit?

Abstract

Summary In the 1830s, Ch. C. J. von Bunsen began to establish “Egypt’s place in universal history”. Initially he collaborated with C. R. Lepsius until by the earlier 1840s both men recognised insurmountable difficulties concerning chronology. Regardless, Lepsius praised Bunsen’s publication though he took exception to some details – in particular, rejecting Bunsen’s attribution of 900 years to the Hyksos Period. Shortly thereafter, a recently discovered history of Egypt by the Greek author Uranios was offered to the Berlin Academy. Initially Lepsius favoured its acquisition, but later he helped prove the text was a forgery, pointing specifically to the duration of the Hyksos-era, paralleling Bunsen’s publication which was among the possessions of K. Simonides, the suspected forger. The article discusses the respective legacies of Bunsen and Lepsius in Egyptological historiography.