James Henry Breasted (1865–1935) was the founder of the Oriental Institute, now the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, and a formative figure in the development of Egyptology and ancient Near Eastern studies in the United States. After studying Semitic languages at Yale, he trained in Egyptology under Adolf Erman at the University of Berlin, earning his doctorate in 1894. He subsequently joined the University of Chicago and became the nation’s first professor of Egyptology.

Breasted emphasized the precise documentation and study of ancient inscriptions. His expeditions to Egypt, Nubia, and Sudan helped establish rigorous methods of epigraphic recording, including the "Chicago Method," which combined photographs with careful field collation. His scholarship included extensive editions and translations of Egyptian texts, influential studies of ancient religion, and widely read histories that introduced generations of students to the ancient world. He is also credited with popularizing the term "Fertile Crescent."

With support from John D. Rockefeller Jr., Breasted founded the Oriental Institute in 1919 as an interdisciplinary center devoted to recovering and interpreting the history of early civilizations. Under his leadership, it became a major center for archaeological excavation, textual research, and cultural documentation. His commitment to sustained fieldwork also led to the establishment of the Epigraphic Survey and Chicago House in Luxor, institutions that continue his scholarly legacy today.