Archaeology and Photography in Alexandria, Egypt: A Journey Through Time and Technology
Thomas Faucher Centre d’Études Alexandrines (CNRS/Ifao)
Είσοδος ελέυθερη | Free admission | Entrée libre
Αναζητώντας την Ανατολή | (Re)searching the Orient | En-quête d Orient
About the lecture
The history of archaeological photography in Egypt reflects both scientific progress and the country’s rich cultural layers. This presentation traces its development, starting with the pioneering glass plates of Alexandria’s Graeco-Roman Museum, which documented early excavations and museum displays-offering a window into the birth of modern archaeology.
Digitization has since revolutionized heritage preservation across Egypt. High-resolution imaging and digital archives now safeguard fragile artifacts and sites, ensuring broader access to the past. Meanwhile, contemporary techniques have expanded the field’s possibilities: satellite imagery monitors landscapes and sites with near-daily precision, while infrared, ultraviolet, and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) reveal lost colors on frescoes, hidden inscriptions, and microscopic details on small objects. Macroscopic photography and tomography further push boundaries, exposing the interior structures of ceramics, statuettes, and even mummified remains still enclosed in their original wrappings or molds.
From Alexandria’s early experiments to nationwide digital advancements, archaeological photography continues to redefine how Egypt’s heritage is studied, preserved, and shared-bridging history and innovation.
About Thomas Faucher
Thomas Faucher is a French archaeologist and numismatist, and the current Director of the Centre d’Études Alexandrines (CEAlex) in Alexandria, Egypt. His research focuses on the economic and monetary history of ancient Egypt, with a particular focus on the production and circulation of coinage, as well as the archaeology of mining.
After earning his PhD in archaeology from the University of Paris-Sorbonne in 2006, Dr. Faucher has held several key positions. He was a scientific fellow at the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology (IFAO) in Cairo, where he supervised the “Egyptian Gold” project and co-directed excavations in the Eastern Desert. In 2013, he became a research fellow at IRAMAT (Institute for Research on Archaeomaterials)at the CNRS.
In addition to his research, he hold responsibilities, notably heading the French archaeological mission in the Eastern Desert (MAFDO) between 2018 and 2022. He joined CEAlex in September 2021 and was appointed Director in January 2023, where he now oversees the institution’s research on the history of Alexandria.
He is the author of numerous publications. Among his works are his monograph Frapper monnaie : la fabrication des monnaies de bronze à Alexandrie sous les Ptolémées (Études Alexandrines 27, 2013) and his co-editorship of the collective volume Egyptian Hoards I: The Ptolemaic Period (IFAO, 2017), two significant contributions to Egyptian numismatics.