Jiro Kondo, Egyptologist

Back in 2012, I had to crank out an article for the Japan Times on an exhibition of ancient Egyptian artefacts that was touring the nation. This brought me into contact with Professor Jiro Kondo, a director of the Institute of Egyptology at Waseda University who was curating the exhibition. An exchange of emails followed creating the following interview. The point was to get a rather pedantic and "dry" academic to say something interesting for the article, after which he could be suitably quoted out of context.

Liddell: Why is this exhibition being held now? Does it follow on from the exhibition held at the British Museum in Autumn 2011?

Kondo: This exhibition is following on from the special exhibition titled “Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead” held at the British Museum, from 4 November, 2010 to 6 March 2011. This exhibition will tour to Fukuoka.

Liddell: What changes have been made for the exhibition in Japan? Why?

Kondo: The collection is exclusively from the British Museum. The papyrus of Ani and other eminent papyrus collections are not coming for the consideration of the conservation. On the other hand we are including other items such as jewellery and mummies and so on.

Liddell: Does the exhibition present the results of new research?

Kondo: No.

Liddell: Egypt is an extremely remote civilization for modern people, but it remains one of the most popular. How do you explain this popularity with modern audiences?

Kondo: Death is a permanent theme that human beings face. It seems that images and ideas related to the afterlife of the Egyptian people attract modern audiences with their uniqueness, beauty, and details; the modern audience can also find ideas and features familiar to them in the funerary philosophy of this remote civilization.

Liddell: Why did death feature so prominently in their culture? Was there an element of morbidness?

Kondo: It is far from being morbid. On the surface, the Egyptian Civilization is a culture of death, but if we look into their thought deeply, it reflects their strong desire for life, and it is full of energy.

Liddell: Some theories state that the ancient Egyptian attitude to Death was influenced by the sharp contrasts between the desert and the fertile river, and also the regularity of the rise and fall of the Nile, with its symbolism of a cycle of life and death. How important was the environment in influencing ancient Egyptian culture and customs?

Kondo: The fact that our culture is influenced by our environment is universal, and it is not limited to Egypt.

Liddell: The other key point about the customs connected to The Book of the Dead and the rituals dealing with death is that they are very elaborate. Such elaborate rituals, it seems to me, are much more likely to develop in a society that is isolated and which develops slowly. Once Egypt became connected to the wider world through the Ptolemies and the Roman Empire, these customs faded and disappeared. How important was Egypt’s relative isolation and conservatism is creating these very elaborate customs?

Kondo: In the long history of Egypt, Egyptian civilization had always been influenced by outer cultures such as Mesopotamia, Syria, Anatolia and so on.

Liddell: How does this exhibition compare with previous exhibitions on ancient Egypt in Japan?

Kondo: This is the first time the Book of the Dead is the main theme of exhibition. Also, this is the first time that the theme is very much focused on one single book.

Liddell: The exhibition is notable for featuring the 37-meter-long Greenfield Papyrus. What light does this item throw on our understanding of ancient Egypt?

Kondo: The Greenfield Papyrus is one complete papyrus that illustrates the funerary beliefs of the Egyptian; it also shows the scale of the Book of the Dead. It includes various scenes of the underworld through which a deceased has to go in order to attain eternal life.

Liddell: The exhibition also includes many amulets. Ancient Egyptians seemed to believe greatly in the importance of amulets. What do these tell us about the mindset of the average people in those days?

Kondo: The idea of amulet also universal.  It is natural for Japanese people to get amulets when we visit temples or shrines. Amulets were daily items for the Egyptians.

Liddell: What is the significance of ancient Egypt? What does their civilization teach modern people?

Kondo: Its eternity.  No modern buildings have exceeded the strength and duration of the pyramids which have stood in the land of Egypt for 5000 years.

Liddell: In your view, what differences and similarities are there between the ancient Egyptians and the modern Egyptians? Has there been any significant continuation from the period of the pharaohs and the periodof the Arab Spring

Kondo: Except for the religious concept, I do not see great differences. Modern Egyptians have the same roots as ancient Egyptians. They were farmers in the fertile lands by　the Nile, and, though they may have had difficulties, their life may have been richer materially and spiritually than it is now.