Wikipedia's first sentence called it “english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology”. Today it says “english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts”.
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The opening as it read in 2005
Flinders Petrie ( 3 June 1853 – 28 July 1942 ) was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology.1The grandson of Captain Matthew Flinders , explorer of the coasts of Australia , Petrie was born in Charlton , England . He was educated at home by his parents. Petrie's father, a surveyor, taught his son how to survey accurately, so laying the foundation for his career. After surveying British prehistoric monuments, including Stonehenge , Petrie travelled to Egypt in 1880 to survey the Great Pyramid at Giza .2His interest in Egypt piqued, Petrie went on to excavate at many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt such as Abydos and Amarna .3Having accomplished such impressive work at Giza, Petrie was recommended to the Egypt Exploration Fund (now the Egypt Exploration Society ), who needed an archaeologist in Egypt to succeed Edouard Naville . Petrie accepted the position and was given the sum of £250 per month to cover the excavation’s expenses. In November 1884 , Petrie arrived in Egypt to begin his excavations. Petrie's painstaking recording and study of artefacts set new standards in archaeology. By linking styles of pottery with periods, he developed seriation , a revolutionary method for establishing the chronology of a site. From 1892 to 1933 Petrie was the first Edwards Professor of Egyptian Archaeology and Philology at University College , London . This chair had been funded by Amelia Edwards , who was a strong supporter of Petrie. He continued to excavate in Egypt after taking up the professorship, training many of the best archaeologists of the day. In 1913 Petrie sold his large collection of Egyptian antiquities to University College, London , where it is now housed in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology . 1923 saw Petrie knighted for services to British archaeology and Egyptology. Petrie left Egypt for Palestine in 1926. Here he excavated a series of frontier sites between Egypt and Canaan , including Tell el-Hesi which he considered (mistakenly, as it turned out) to be site of ancient Lachish . Sir Flinders Petrie died in Jerusalem in 1939 and is buried in the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion .4
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The opening as it stood in 2010 16 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Professor Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS (3 June 1853 – 28 July 1942), known as Flinders Petrie , was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology.He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom, and excavated at many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt, such as Naukratis , Tanis , Abydos and Amarna .Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele , an opinion with which Petrie himself concurred.
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The opening as it stood in 2015
Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie , FRS (3 June 1853 – 28 July 1942), commonly known as Flinders Petrie , was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and preservation of artefacts.He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom, and excavated many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt in conjunction with his wife, Hilda Petrie . Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele , an opinion with which Petrie himself concurred. Petrie developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings.Attention: This template ( ) is deprecated.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667637398.
The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
English egyptologist Flinders Petrie by Philip Alexius de Laszlo, 1934 (detail) The distinctive black-topped Egyptian pottery of the PreDynastic period associated with Flinders Petrie's Sequence Dating System, Petrie Museum Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie , FRS , FBA (3 June 1853 – 28 July 1942), commonly known as Flinders Petrie , was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom, and excavated many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt in conjunction with his wife, Hilda Petrie . Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele , an opinion with which Petrie himself concurred. Petrie developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963949804.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
British Egyptologist (1853–1942) Flinders Petrie by Philip Alexius de Laszlo , 1934 (detail) The distinctive black-topped Egyptian pottery of the PreDynastic period associated with Flinders Petrie's Sequence dating system, Petrie Museum Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS FBA ( ( 1853-06-03 ) 3 June 1853 – ( 1942-07-28 ) 28 July 1942), commonly known as simply Sir Flinders Petrie , was a British Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom , and excavated many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt in conjunction with his wife, Hilda Urlin . Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele , an opinion with which Petrie himself concurred. Undoubtedly at least as important is his 1905 discovery and correct identification of the character of the Proto-Sinaitic script , the ancestor of almost all alphabetic scripts. Petrie developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings. He remains controversial for his pro- eugenics views; he was a dedicated believer in the superiority of the Northern peoples over the Latinate and Southern peoples .He has been referred to as the "father of Egyptian archaeology".S2CID 161308901 . : CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI ( link ) Hirst, K.
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The opening as it stood in 2025
British Egyptologist (1853–1942) Flinders Petrie by Philip Alexius de Laszlo , 1934 (detail) The distinctive black-topped Egyptian pottery of the Predynastic period associated with Flinders Petrie's Sequence dating system, Petrie Museum Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie FRS FBA ( ( 1853-06-03 ) 3 June 1853 – ( 1942-07-28 ) 28 July 1942), commonly known as simply Sir Flinders Petrie , was an English Egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts. He held the first chair of Egyptology in the United Kingdom , and excavated many of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt in conjunction with his Irish-born wife, Hilda Urlin . Some consider his most famous discovery to be that of the Merneptah Stele , an opinion with which Petrie himself concurred. Undoubtedly at least as important is his 1905 discovery and correct identification of the character of the Proto-Sinaitic script , the ancestor of almost all alphabetic scripts. Petrie developed the system of dating layers based on pottery and ceramic findings. Petrie has been denounced for his pro- eugenics views; he was a dedicated believer in the superiority of the Northern peoples over the Latinate and Southern peoples . He has been referred to as the "father of Egyptian archaeology". S2CID 161308901 . : CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI ( link ) Hirst, K.
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Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology”. Today it says “english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts”. Read the current article and compare.
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What Wikipedia says this is
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Then
english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology
Now
english egyptologist and a pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and the preservation of artefacts
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