Evaristo Breccia’s Biography
Dr. Shereen Kamal Mohamed Ezzeldin, PhD in Egyptian Archaeology from the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University.
30 April 2025
01:00 PM
Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center, Meeting Room (C)
The Antiquities Museum affiliated to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Cultural Outreach Sector organizes a lecture entitled "Evaristo Breccia’s Biography", on Wednesday, 30 April 2025; 1:00 pm at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Conference Center, Meeting Room (C). The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Shereen Kamal Mohamed Ezzeldin, PhD in Egyptian Archaeology from the Faculty of Arts, Alexandria University.
Evaristo Breccia is considered one of the most prominent Italian archaeologists, with a significant impact on the field of Graeco-Roman archaeology both in Italy and Egypt. He was one of the key pioneers of Italian archaeology during the early decades of the 20th century. The speaker will highlight the full biography of Evaristo Breccia, beginning with his birth in Offagna, Italy, and his graduation from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Rome. She will trace his journey to Egypt, where he became a member of the Italian archaeological mission under the supervision of Italian archaeologist Ernesto Schiaparelli in 1903, which excavated in Hermopolis Magna. Breccia later became the Director of the Graeco-Roman Museum from 1904 to 1931, initiating what came to be known as the "Golden Age" of the museum, marked by numerous archaeological discoveries in Chatby, the Serapeum, Hadra, and Anfushi. He was also the first to expand the geographical scope of excavations beyond Alexandria, discovering one of the museum's most important artifacts: the Crocodile Temple in the city of Theadelphia in Fayoum.
Evaristo Breccia passed away in 1967 after a life rich in scientific and academic achievements in both Italy and Egypt, leaving behind a lasting legacy that continues to serve as a vital scholarly reference. After his death, his wife, Paulina Saluzzi Breccia, donated his entire archive to the University of Pisa in Italy, where it is still preserved. The researcher will also showcase a collection of rare documents, manuscripts, and photographs from this archive for the first time, including pencil drawings of the gates of the Crocodile Temple upon its discovery, numerous valuable documents, and previously unpublished photographs of archaeological missions he led in Cyrene from 1935 to 1936, as well as his donation of a papyrus collection to the Florence Museum, and his 1928 journey to Siwa Oasis with King Fuad, during which they visited the Temple of Amun in Siwa.