John Coleman Darnell Explained

John Darnell
Birth Name:John Coleman Darnell
Birth Place:Prattville, Alabama, U.S.
Discipline:Egyptologist
Sub Discipline:Desert caravan routes
Education:Johns Hopkins University (BA, MA)
University of Chicago (PhD)
Workplaces:Yale University

John Coleman Darnell (born August 1962)[1] is an American Egyptologist.

Biography

Darnell attributes his interest in archaeology to his mother, who also had a lifelong interest in archaeology. She grew up in south Alabama and had a particular interest in the Mississippian Mound Builders. Darnell tells a story of her reading him archaeology books as a child, hoping he would take a nap, but he was fascinated and did not nap.[2] [3] [4]

Darnell got his BA (1984) and MA (1985) at Johns Hopkins University and his PhD (1995) at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. He joined the Yale Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations as Assistant Professor in 1998; he became Associate Professor in 2004, and Professor of Egyptology in 2005.[5]

He was the director of the Theban Desert Road Survey, which has used remote sensing to detect transportation networks between settlements in the Western Desert of Egypt that has focused on the connections between Thebes and such settlements as the Kharga Oasis.[6]

In December 2006 a student of his created a Facebook group titled, "John C. Darnell...Man, Myth or Legend?" due to eccentricities such as wearing a monocle, and one time when "Darnell accidentally took a chunk out of a classroom chair with an ancient sword".[2] [7]

In January 2013, scandal broke out when it was discovered that John Darnell had engaged in a long-running affair with his student-turned-coworker Colleen Manassa. Within the small Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations (NELC) department, they were the only two faculty members in the even-smaller Egyptology program. "Four individuals with close ties to the department" claimed the relationship was common knowledge within the department,[8] and Assyriology professor Benjamin Foster reported "the basic situation has been known for a very long time." In divorce documents filed by Darnell's wife Deborah Darnell on November 5, 2012, she asserted that the affair began in 2000 when Manassa was an undergraduate student under Darnell's supervision.[9] On January 8, 2013, John Darnell admitted to the affair and accepted a one-year suspension without pay.[10] [11] [12] Darnell also admitted to "participating in the review" of Manassa's hiring and attempting to cover up his multiple policy violations.[13] In August the university prohibited Darnell from holding an administrative position until 2023, and Manassa until 2018.[14] [15]

Eventually John was invited back to teach, but Colleen left Yale in 2015.[16]

Now married, the pair are residents of Durham, Connecticut, dress in 1920s-era vintage clothing, both in their professional life and on an every-day basis. Their book Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth was released in November 2022.[17]

In 2007 he had a dog Antef, named after King Antef II.[2] In 2020 he and Colleen have two Basenji dogs, Narmer (after Narmer) and Kemi (from the root meaning "black").

Books

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Radaris . John C Darnell .
  2. News: Yale Daily News. Catherine. Killingsworth. Dec 7, 2007. Profile – Man, Myth, or Legend?. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170929044040/https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2007/12/07/profile-man-myth-or-legend/. September 29, 2017.
  3. Darnell. John. Marilyn Wilkes. Egyptology. MacMillan Report. Yale. YouTube. Nov 13, 2022.
  4. Web site: Antiques and the Arts Weekly. Q&A: Dr John Coleman Darnell & Dr Colleen Darnell. Z.G.. Burnett. Oct 25, 2022. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221027130123/https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/qa-dr-john-coleman-darnell-dr-colleen-darnell/. October 27, 2022.
  5. Web site: John Coleman Darnell. Yale University, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221026035713/https://nelc.yale.edu/people/john-coleman-darnell. October 26, 2022.
  6. News: Wilford . John Noble . John Noble Wilford . September 6, 2010 . Desert Roads Lead to Discovery in Egypt . . subscription . November 13, 2022 . The explorations of the Theban Desert Road Survey, a Yale University project co-directed by the Darnells, called attention to the previously underappreciated significance of caravan routes and oasis settlements in Egyptian antiquity..
  7. Web site: John C. Darnell...Man, Myth or Legend?. Ashley. Young. December 16, 2006. Facebook. https://web.archive.org/web/20221114063654/https://www.facebook.com/groups/2225261614/. November 14, 2022.
  8. News: Yale Daily News. Nicole. Narea. Julia. Zorthian. Jan 14, 2013. Darnell suspended following affair with fellow professor, former student. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130425115646/http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/01/14/darnell-suspended-following-affair-with-fellow-professor-former-student/. April 25, 2013.
  9. News: Yale Alumni Magazine. Carole. Bass. January 17, 2013. New details in Darnell suspension. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221111221832/https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1319-new-details-in-darnell-suspension. November 11, 2022.
  10. News: Yale Alumni Magazine. Mark Alden. Branch. February 1, 2013. Yale staffer reported Darnell relationship. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221111221145/https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1335-yale-staffer-reported-darnell-relationship. November 11, 2022.
  11. News: Yale Daily News. Nikita. Lalwani. Julia. Zorthian. Jan 10, 2013. Darnell resigns as dept chair following relationship with student. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20130113003051/https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/01/10/darnell-resigns-as-dept-chair-following-relationship-with-student/. January 13, 2013.
  12. Web site: Academic Sexual Misconduct Database. John Coleman Darnell. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20220205193428/https://academic-sexual-misconduct-database.org/person/john-coleman-darnell. February 5, 2022.
  13. News: Yale Alumni Magazine. Carole. Bass. March–April 2013. Professor suspended over affair with student. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221113081928/https://yalealumnimagazine.org/articles/3656-professor-suspended-over-affair-with-student. November 13, 2022.
  14. News: Yale Alumni Magazine. Carole. Bass. August 28, 2013. Scandal brings new punishments for Egyptology program. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221111221645/https://yalealumnimagazine.org/blog_posts/1550-scandal-brings-new-punishments-br-for-egyptology-program. November 11, 2022.
  15. News: Yale Daily News. Julia. Zorthian. Aug 28, 2013. Egyptology program in hot water. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170710000216/https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2013/08/28/egyptology-program-in-hot-water/. July 10, 2017.
  16. News: New York Post. Raquel. Laneri. Nov 12, 2022. Meet the sexy Egyptology scholars who dress like Indiana Jones characters. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20221112153652/https://nypost.com/2022/11/12/meet-the-sexy-egyptology-scholars-who-dress-like-indiana-jones/. November 12, 2022.
  17. News: Craven . TinaMarie . October 20, 2022 . Clad in vintage 1920s fashion, CT Egyptologist couple explores ancient world . CTInsider.com . November 13, 2022 . Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten and Nefertiti Were Gods on Earth will be published Nov. 1 by the professorial pair of John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Darnell, who live in Durham.... Both John and Colleen prefer to wear vintage fashion in every part of their life and together they run an Instagram account that focuses on vintage styles and ancient Egypt..

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