Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology

History of the Institute

The city of Memphis, Tennessee has always had a special interest in connection with its ancient namesake, Memphis, Egypt. The American city was founded in 1819 by General (later President) Andrew Jackson, General James Winchester and Judge John Overton. Based on its strategic position at the head of the Delta of the Mississippi River (sometimes called the "American Nile"), the city was named after the ancient capital of Egypt which was located at the head of the Nile River Delta.

The citizens of Memphis have maintained their connection with ancient Egypt through the years. In 1917 Robert Galloway, chairman of the Memphis Park Commission, presented two large quartzite blocks to the city of Memphis. These blocks, originally part of a palace in ancient Memphis, are decorated with figures and inscriptions of the 26th Dynasty (ca. 550 B.C.E.) Pharaoh Amasis. More recently, the city of Memphis built its own pyramid, a huge structure of steel and glass that dominates the downtown skyline.

In the 1970s, a generous donation from Mr. E.H. Little, a prominent Memphis businessman, made possible the acquisition of forty-four Egyptian artifacts, ranging in date from 3600 B.C.E. to the seventh century C.E., selected by University of Memphis faculty from the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. These antiquities became the core of the University's permanent collection of Egyptian artifacts. This was followed nearly a decade later by the city of Memphis's highly successful exhibition, Ramesses the Great, and the founding of the University's Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology.

Established in 1984 with a pledge of significant financial support from the Memphis Business Community under the leadership of Union Planters Bank (now Regions Bank), the Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology, (IEAA), was designated a Tennessee Center of Excellence in 1985. The IEAA is a component of the Department of Art, a unit of the College of Communication and Fine Arts of the University of Memphis.


Timeline for the Institute of Egyptian Art & Archaeology