Smithsonian Journeys Experts

After receiving his PhD in Egyptology at the University of Chicago, Peter began a varied career as a curator in the Department of Egyptian Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art at the time of the blockbuster Tutankhamun show and the reinstallation of the Met’s extensive Egyptian galleries. He was then offered a faculty position at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations of the University of Chicago to assume the position of field director of the Epigraphic Survey, a research expedition situated in Luxor for six months every year and dedicated to the precise documentation of ancient temple reliefs and inscriptions. In later years he returned to Chicago on a permanent basis to teach the language, history, and culture of ancient Egypt. Subsequently he served as the president of the American University of Beirut.

Author or editor of numerous publications on the history, archaeology, and epigraphy of the New Kingdom period, Peter’s interests have lain in the intersection of language, art, and material culture. He is perhaps best known for his research on the reign of Hatshepsut, the private tombs of western Thebes, and the Amarna period.