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21-521: Amelia and her husband, Professor Radcliffe Emerson , return to Egypt for the 1894–1895 season to excavate the ruined pyramids of Mazghunah . Emerson had planned to dig at Dahshoor , but the Director of Antiquities, Jacques de Morgan , had retained the excavation rights for himself. For the first time, the Emersons bring along their precocious young son Ramses and his cat Bastet , along with John,

42-529: A philologist . The two frequently led archaeological expeditions to Egypt, where Radcliffe was one of the first (and for a while, few) advocates of a methodological approach to archaeology. In Crocodile on the Sandbank , during a visit to the Cairo museum, the Emersons encountered Amelia Peabody and her friend, Evelyn Forbes . Radcliffe and Amelia instantly butted heads in an argument, and she considered him

63-729: A British newspaper, showing the jewels of a princess found in his pyramid. Continuing characters introduced for the first time in this novel include the Master Criminal (later known as Sethos) and Selim (youngest son of their reis Abdullah). Kirkus Reviews found this novel to have period ambience and ironic comedy, written with "a crisp sense of style that rarely flags." In Ramses' first time at an archaeological dig, he makes many unexpected statements, for one of his young age. Radcliffe Emerson Professor Radcliffe Archibald Emerson (c. 1855-?), M.A. Ox., D.C.L. (Ox.), L.L.D. (Edinburgh), F.B.A., FRS, FRGS , MAPS, Fellow of

84-415: A Russian prince, at Dahshoor. Amelia brings up the increase in trade of stolen artifacts, and the presence of a Master Criminal, a new force who has organized the groups of thieves. De Morgan does not agree about this Master Criminal. Amelia and Ramses meet a German baroness at the missionary's Sunday service, on the arm of David Cabot. The baroness has a collection of antiquities, including a mummy case, and

105-474: A face painting of a woman from Abd's shop in Cairo. The three had once fit together. Ramses finds the murdered body of Habib, son of Abd, at the site. The Protestant missionaries bury it. A note from Sister Charity lures Emerson and Amelia out of their compound to meet at midnight. They are seized by three tomb robbers and taken to the Black Pyramid in de Morgan's dig at Dashoor. The men drop them to

126-446: A false beard, though it is impossible for anyone to be fooled by them. He is intolerant of bureaucracy and an advocate of careful methods of excavation and research. His methods are presented as a great contrast to those of well-known non-fictional archaeological adventurers, who can sometimes be found as minor characters in the books. More established and careful archaeologists , including William Flinders Petrie and Howard Carter ,

147-432: A husband and wife in the later Roman era, and used Coptic papyri as waste to make the mummy case out of cartonnage . Hamid, son of Abd, shifted the identical cases to fool others. Ezekiel killed Hamid with his bare hands and burned the case to destroy the papyrus with the words that so angered him. The three missionaries return to Boston. The Russian prince gave information to the thieves. Amelia does not reveal to de Morgan

168-457: A lion cub on her dahabeah . The antiquities anger Emerson and the caged lion cub angers Ramses. The baroness gives some of the antiquities to Emerson; Ramses sneaks the lion cub to his home, aiming to train it. The mummy case from the German baroness was empty and someone has burned it after stealing it from the storeroom. A mummified body with amulets is found separately by Emerson; he had bought

189-583: A rude and patronizing boor. When Amelia visited the Emersons' dig in Amarna , however, Amelia found Radcliffe Emerson ill, and not only nursed him back to health, but also took over part of his duties. Grudgingly, he came to respect her abilities, and at the end, realized he was in love with her. In the later books Amelia refers to Emerson as "the greatest Egyptologist of this or any other age." A few years after his marriage and Ramses's birth, Emerson tried to make peace with his mother. She refused his attention, but

210-528: A sturdy footman, to watch him. While in Cairo , Amelia sees a scrap of papyrus at a shop, yet the owner Abd el Atti will not admit to it. He is found that night, murdered in his shop. The family settles in near their dig in an abandoned monastery, with a village of Copts nearby, whose priest is Father Girgis. Three American missionaries of a small Protestant church visit them: The intolerant Reverend Ezekiel Jones, his sister Charity, and handsome David Cabot of

231-548: A willingness to use violence often enough to make him feared by all the petty criminals and crooked antiques dealers in Egypt. Emerson remains charmingly oblivious to his few character flaws. He sees himself as the only rational, even-tempered person in the family; he has a boyish enthusiasm for automobiles and motorcycles, though he is mechanically inept and the recklessness of his driving terrifies his family; and he always seizes any opportunity to go about in disguise, especially with

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252-606: Is the husband of Amelia Peabody , Egyptologist and self-proclaimed detective, and they are the parents of Walter ( "Ramses" ) Emerson. Very little of Emerson's life story is revealed until He Shall Thunder in the Sky . His mother was Lady Isabel Courtenay, daughter of the Earl of Radcliffe (one possible reason he hates his first name). His father, Thomas Emerson, was a good-hearted but easygoing man who failed to satisfy his cold-hearted, ambitious wife. Their marriage had become loveless by

273-608: The pectoral belonging to a princess that Ramses found. They tie up the thugs. At the place of Ezekiel Jones, they find him ready to kill John and disarm him. Ezekiel Jones asserts that he is the prophet, the messiah, mentioned in the Bible. Ezekiel was enraged by the Coptic script on the papyrus at Abd's shop, so he strangled and hanged Abd el Atti. The manuscript is a copy of a lost gospel written by Didymus Thomas that appeared heretical to Ezekiel. There were two identical mummy cases for

294-652: The Boston Cabots. The missionaries are converting Copts, already a minority in Egypt, and learned of the Emersons from M de Morgan, head of the Department of Antiquities. The workmen, Egyptian Moslems under Abdullah, reis to Emerson, make their camp in Abizeh. Abdullah's youngest son Selim, 14 years old, becomes friends with much younger Ramses, and takes over the job of supervising Ramses. Emerson, Amelia, Ramses and Selim visit de Morgan and his helper Kalinescheff,

315-799: The Royal Society, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society , Member of the American Philosophical Society, is one of the main characters in the Amelia Peabody historical mystery series by author Elizabeth Peters . He is an Egyptologist who is typically addressed as Professor, although he hates his first name and prefers to be called "Emerson." For his explosive temper and dynamic use of language, his Egyptian friends and employees have nicknamed him Abu Shitaim , "Father of Curses". Emerson

336-561: The dimple in his chin (which he calls a cleft), but Amelia, who hates the beard and adores the dimple, makes him shave it at the earliest possible opportunity. In Crocodile , Amelia also describes him as having a "very hairy" chest and body, but this reference is never made again. Emerson is presented as a dynamic man of action, but one with great tenderness toward his family and friends. He is known to be short-tempered and irascible, but his family and friends hardly ever take notice, knowing he means no harm. However, he has shown genuine anger and

357-653: The discoverer and primary excavator of the tomb of Tutankhamun , are presented more positively. The Emerson family adventures, to date, are set in Great Britain, Egypt and Palestine during the British Imperial period, beginning in approximately 1890 and extending through the 1920s. List of Amelia Peabody characters The Amelia Peabody series of historical mystery novels is written by Elizabeth Peters , set in Victorian Egypt among

378-663: The item found by Ramses in the Black Pyramid, wanted by the Master Criminal. Ramses, holding the box with the pectoral in it, then speaks alone with de Morgan, making a deal. The family leaves Egypt in March, having dug out the substructure of their pyramid. In England they greet their newest nephew, and the lion cub is accepted at Chalfont. De Morgan's photo was in The Illustrated London News ,

399-443: The time Radcliffe was born, and after his father died, his mother did her best to "shape" Radcliffe into her ideal of a man, which he vehemently resisted. A small inheritance from a distant relative enabled him to escape his mother's control, and the aristocratic marriage she had arranged for him, and pursue his studies as an Egyptologist. His mother disowned him. Radcliffe became an Egyptologist, while his younger brother Walter became

420-410: The wet bottom, 16 feet below the next level. Shortly after they assess their situation, their son Ramses is dropped in next to them. The three escape home to find Abdullah drugged and the place occupied by the thieves, whose leader is Father Girgis, or rather an Englishman playing the role of a Coptic priest. Ramses is attacked by a thug, spurring Amelia into furious action against them. The leader seeks

441-457: Was unable to prevent him from inheriting his grandfather's estate when she died. When he first appears in Crocodile on the Sandbank , Emerson is described (by Amelia, thus romantically) as tall, well-muscled, with "sapphirine" eyes and dark, wavy black hair. In The Mummy Case , he is described as having Titian highlights in his hair. He prefers to wear a beard, as he is self-conscious about

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