George Steindorff

Friedrich von Bissing's Dramatic Attack of Hitler's Nazi Egyptology

Nazi Egyptology is a complex subject. As Professor Thomas Schneider said, there is no uniform 'Nazi Egyptology' discipline. Instead there are a number of German Egyptologists who were thrown into the academic hole of the Third Reich - who each reacted to it in their own way.

An interesting story that I didn’t put into the article The Real Story of Nazi Egyptology, for brevity reasons, is that of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing. Bissing was a professor at Munich. He is perhaps most noted for his work at Abu Ghurab, done at the turn of the century, where he excavated the sun temple of King Niuserre. 

Professor Schneider writes that Bissing was a deeply religious man who was “torn between his faith and National Socialism, concerned about the increasing number of repressive actions exerted by the Nazis.”

The Real Story of Nazi Egyptology

Thomas Schneider is exploring a subject that has never been studied before. The University of British Columbia professor is examining the history of German Egyptology during the Nazi era. The period that lasted from when Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 - until he committed suicide in his bunker in 1945.

The research is a work in progress and Professor Schneider continues to receive new archival documents and information. He plans to turn his work into a book length manuscript.

While popular fiction, such as the Indiana Jones trilogy, depicts action packed films about this topic, the real story is far more complex.

Professor Schneider generously took the time to talk about his research with me. He also provided me with detailed written notes, that outline his research, to help me write this story.

Hitler Comes to Power

Highlighted Quote: 
"Germany had basically sacrificed, through the NS regime, its academic standing."
About The AuthorOwen Jarus
Owen Jarus is a freelance writer based in Toronto ,Canada. He has written articles on archaeology for a variety of media outlets including The Canadian Press newswire (CP), U of T Magazine, The Mississauga News and The Guelph Mercury. Education: BA from the University of Toronto in History, Geography and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations.
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