Geology, natural theology, and the revision of an Egyptological classic: from Biblical Deluge to ice age theory

In 1837, John Gardner Wilkinson, an English antiquary who is credited by many as having laid the foundations of British Egyptology (Thompson Citation1992; Thompson Citation2004; Bierbrier Citation2019), began his landmark work, Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians, by assuring his readers that “the oldest and most authentic record of the primeval state of the world is unquestionably the Scripture history” (Citation1837, vol. 1: 1). Wilkinson's Manners and Customs has been renowned for focusing on the daily life, customs, and material culture of Pharaonic Egypt, and for drawing upon both classical and newly available indigenous Egyptian sources. Previously, scholars interested in Egyptian archeology had tended to draw on classical sources, so in many ways, Wilkinson's book was a new departure. This was recognised by his contemporaries, and Wilkinson was awarded a knighthood for his work. [Opening paragraph]