Egyptologist
Dr. Bob Brier is recognized as one of the world’s foremost experts on mummies. As Senior Research Fellow at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville, New York, he conducts pioneering research in mummification practices and has investigated some of the world’s most famous mummies, including King Tut, Vladimir Lenin, Ramses the Great, Eva Peron (Evita), Marquise Tai (Chinese noblewoman), and the Medici family of Renaissance Italy.
Affectionately known as Mr. Mummy, Dr. Brier was the first person in 2,000 years to mummify a human cadaver using the exact techniques of the ancient Egyptians. In 1996, his research and subsequent book, The Murder of Tutankhamen, presented his theory that King Tut, the boy king, was murdered in 1336 B.C. by his Vizier named Aye.
He has conducted research in pyramids and tombs in 15 countries and was the host of several award-winning television specials for TLC, including the blockbuster series “Pyramids, Mummies & Tombs” and “Mummy Detective.” In 2010 National Geographic TV presented his documentary called “Secret of the Great Pyramid” discussing a new theory of how the Great Pyramid of Giza was built.
He is the author of several scholarly and popular books, including The Daily Life of The Ancient Egyptians, The Murder of Tutankhamen, Egyptian Mummies: Unraveling the Secrets of an Ancient Art, Ancient Egyptian Magic, Encyclopedia of Mummies, and Secret of the Great Pyramid with Jean-Pierre Houdin, and Egyptomania: Our Three Thousand Year Obsession with the Land of the Pharaohs.
His most recent book is: Cleopatra’s Needles: The Lost Obelisks of Egypt. (Bloomsbury 2016)
Dr. Brier’s research has been featured in such media venues as CNN, 60 Minutes, The New York Times, and Archaeology Magazine.
The March 1, 2011 NY Times ran a feature article about his extensive collection of Egyptomania that fills three apartments. This collection formed the basis of a major exhibition, “Egyptomania,” at Long Island University’s Hillwood Art Museum in 1992.
Dr. Brier earned his bachelor’s degree from Hunter College of the City University of New York and his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He taught Philosophy and Egyptology at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University for 33 years before being appointed Senior Research Fellow in 2004.
