Rudolf Dvořák (1860–1920) – patron vzniku české egyptologie

Rudolf Dvořák (1860–1920), the first professor of oriental languages at the Faculty of Arts of the Czech Carlo-Ferdinand University in Prague, showed a certain interest in Egyptology as well. During his study stay in Leipzig (1882/1883), he attended courses of ancient Egyptian given by Georg Ebers. When František Lexa, a grammar school teacher who started to learn ancient Egyptian as an autodidact, published in 1905 and 1906 his first translations of ancient Egyptian texts, Dvořák convinced him to become an Egyptologist. Until his death, he helped Lexa to build an academic career in Egyptology.