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REGINALD (REX) ENGELBACH was born on July 9, 1888, at Moreton Hampstead in
Devonshire (England) of a family of French (Alsatian) origin. After the death of
his father, a doctor, he came for the first time to Egypt with his stepfather in
the winter 1909-10. Deeply impressed by the monuments and the history of Ancient
Egypt he took up the study of Egyptian and Coptic and soon added the knowledge
of colloquial Arabic. He soon became an important person in the world of
Egyptology. As Chief Keeper of the Cairo Museum Rex Engelbach constituted a
focus for all archaeologists visiting the country. He maintained good relations
with excavators of all nationalities. His name appears several times in the
private diaries of Howard Carter before and during the opening of the tomb of
Tut-ench-Amun in 1923. His personal contribution to Egyptology had been
recognized by different official decorations. Since 1935 he had also been Hon.
Member of the French Institute in Paris.
The death of Reginald Engelbach on February 26, 1946, was the premature end of a
full and fruitful scientific career.
