Birch, Samuel (British, 1813–1885)

Samuel Birch was an English Egyptologist, antiquary, and linguist who served as the Keeper of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum from 1861 until his death. Originally trained in Chinese philology, he managed the systemization of hieroglyphic decipherment in Britain and published studies on ancient Egyptian grammar, translations of the Book of the Dead, and a history of ancient pottery. In 1870, he co-founded and served as the first president of the Society of Biblical Archaeology. He was the father of Japanologist Charlotte Maria Salwey (British, 1847–1928).