Summer Retreats, Travel, and Family in the Life of František Lexa (1876–1960), The First Czechoslovak Egyptologist

Abstract

The study will explore the family and the family milieu of the first Czechoslovak Egyptologist František Lexa, founder and first director of the Czechoslovak Institute of Egyptology, expert on Egyptian philology, especially demotic languages, and mentor of two important Egyptologists, Jaroslav Černý, professor at Oxford University, and Zbyněk Žába, professor at Charles University, Prague. The study will analyse the social status of Lexa’s family and the importance of his marriage in shaping his scientific life and consider the everyday routines of this scientist’s household, including the claims demanded by the requirements of bringing up three children. As a specific focus, we will try to introduce the everyday life of a travelling scientist, particularly during holidays spent with family abroad, and illuminate the significance of summer retreats in shaping a scientists’ familial travel experience.