The politics of error: Flinders Petrie at Diaspolis Parva

The author reflects on why Petrie's excavation of the rich Predynastic site at Abadiya and Hu in the Upper Egyptian Diospolis Parva region are so poorly published. An examination of the history of Petrie's work reveals that a scholarly error made some years earlier meant that he needed a publication vehicle to present results arising from previous work at Naqada. Diospolis Parva offered him precisely the opportunity to re-write history and rectify what must have been a severe scholarly embarrassment. In this the excavation work of De Morgan at Predynastic sites played an important part. (OEB)