Robert Brier (/ˈbraɪ.ər/; born December 13, 1943) is an American Egyptologist specializing in paleopathology. A senior research fellow at Long Island University/LIU Post, he has researched and published on mummies and the mummification process and has appeared in many Discovery Civilization, TLC Network, and National Geographic documentaries, primarily on ancient Egypt.
Bob Brier | |
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| Born | Robert Brier December 13, 1943 The Bronx, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Egyptologist |
Born and raised in The Bronx, New York, Brier earned his bachelor's degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York. He earned his PhD 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 LIU Post in 2004. In addition to his career at Long Island University, Brier has taught ancient Egyptian at The New School and Egyptology at Webb Institute for many years.
Brier has worked in pyramids and tombs in 15 countries and 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, mummified a human cadaver using ancient Egyptian techniques which they noted was the first known effort in 2,000 years. This research earned Brier the affectionate nickname "Mr. Mummy" and was also the subject of the National Geographic television special of the same name, which made him a household name. He is also the host of several television programs 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. He later did two more series of lectures for them. One focused on "Great Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt" and the other "Decoding the Secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphs".
In addition to his above mentioned research, Brier has also written several articles and books, including:
Brier has also written magazine articles for KMT, Archaeology, and others.
Bob Brier leads Egyptology tours for Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural trips
