Bob Brier | Pyramids & Mummies

January 31, 2009

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Egyptology rocks! I had a great conversation with Bob Brier on the air about his book that details how the pyramid was built. Great book, and fun conversation. More about Bob Brier from Wikipedia:

Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor’s degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. From 1966 to 1970, he was on the research staff of the Institute of Parapsychology (formerly the Foundation for Research on the Nature of Man), in Durham, North Carolina, where he worked on such books as Parapsychology Today and Test Your ESP. He earned his Ph.D in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1970, and began teaching at Long Island University in 1972. He served as chairman of the philosophy department from 1981 to 1996, and has also served as the director of the National Endowment for the Humanities‘ “Egyptology Today” program. He was appointed Senior Research Fellow at C.W. Post Campus in 2004.

Brier has conducted research in mummification practices worldwide. He has investigated well-known mummies such as Tutankhamen, Ramses the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Eva Perón (more commonly known as Evita), and the Medici family.

In 1994, Brier and a colleague, Ronald Wade, director of the State Anatomy Board of Maryland, claimed to be the first people in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname “Mr. Mummy” and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name. He is also the host of several television programmes for the TLC Network including The Great Egyptians, Pyramids, Mummies and Tombs, and Mummy Detective. His research has been featured in Archaeology Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, 60 Minutes and 20/20.

In 1999, Brier gave a series of 48 specially-prepared lectures entitled “The History of Ancient Egypt” for The Teaching Company. Brier is a recipient of Long Island University’s David Newton award for Teaching Excellence^{[citation needed]}.

From March 24 to April 8, 2006 Brier, along with art historian Patricia Remler, led a group of participants on a tour of the oases of Western Egypt. This tour coincided with the March 29th solar eclipse.

In addition to his above mentioned research, Brier has also written several articles and books, including:

“Precognition and the philosophy of science: An essay on backward causation” (1974) ISBN 0-391-00325-9

“The Glory of Ancient Egypt: A Collection of Rare Engravings from the Napoleonic Expedition” (1990) ISBN 0-8115-4469-9

“Egyptomania” (June, 1992) ISBN 0-933699-26-3

“Egyptian Mummies : Unraveling the Secrets of an Ancient Art” (March 14, 1996) ISBN 0-688-14624-4

“The Encyclopedia of Mummies” (September, 1998) ISBN 0-8160-3906-2

“The Murder of Tutankhamen” (March 1, 1999) ISBN 0-425-16689-9

“The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians” (with Hoyt Hobbs) (December 30, 1999) ISBN 0-313-30313-4