(1821-88). Starting his career in the Louvre, Mariette spent most of his life in Egypt, where he became head of the new Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1858. He excavated many of the most important sites of ancient Egypt, and although his excavations were carried out according to the unsystematic and destructive methods usual in the 19th century he has many achievements to his credit. As well as understanding and demonstrating the importance of the ancient sites of Egypt, he was responsible for the establishment of the National Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied