Sir Alan H. Gardiner

British Egyptologist. He was born in Eltham, 29 March 1879, son of Henry John G., wealthy businessman, and Clara Honey. He was educated at Charterhouse, where he became interested in Egyptology, and then studied Classics, Hebrew and Arabic at The Queen's College, Oxford. He worked with Jean P. A. Erman (1854–1937) on the preparation of material for the Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache and was sub-editor 1906–1908. From 1906 until 1912 he held the Laycock Studentship at Worcester College, Oxford.

He edited many Egyptological publications, including the Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, and published extensively in the field of Egyptology. He was Honorary Secretary of the Egypt Exploration Society, 1917–1920, Vice President, and then President, 1959–1963, and was awarded many distinctions during his career.

He specialised in hieratic texts on papyri and ostraca. In 1927 he published the 1st edition of his Egyptian Grammar, which is still one of the essential learning aids for Middle Egyptian.

He was also a member of the Tutankhamun excavation team, recording inscriptions from objects found in the tomb during the first few seasons.
He died in Oxford, 19 December 1963.