January 2008 Issue

Ohioan - Dr James Harrell, Geologist + Egyptologist

AGE: 59

 

HOMETOWN: Toledo.

OCCUPATION: A professor of geology at the University of Toledo, he’s a leading expert on ancient Egyptian mines.

 

HOW HE GOT HIS START: A fossil and coin collector, Harrell came across his first Roman coin at age 12, “beginning a love affair with ancient history.”

 

ONE OF MANY CLAIMS TO FAME: Harrell discovered the world’s oldest paved road, dated between 2600 and 2200 B.C., in a basalt quarry outside Cairo.

 

COMMON REQUEST: “Is this real or a forgery?” Harrell is often asked to look at objects, including “a beautifully carved Egyptian granite head of King Tutankhamun,” which turned out to be a fake.

 

DANGERS OF THE JOB: Canvassing the desert for artifacts is a bit more dangerous than his day job, Harrell recognizes. He once took a walk after dinner, got lost and found himself surrounded by wild dogs. On another occasion, he  spent a cold, rainy night perched at the top of a tower after stumbling upon an old Egyptian military bunker.

 

LOOKING FORWARD TO: More ancient discoveries and eventually funding a no-kill animal shelter to satisfy the pet lover in him.

 

— Jill A. Duling