Professor John D. Ray is the current Sir Herbert Thompson Professor of Egyptology at the University of Cambridge. His principal field of interest covers the Late and Hellenistic periods of Egypt, with special reference to documents in the demotic script, and he is also known for deciphering the Carian script, a writing system used by Anatolian mercenaries who fought for the late-period Egyptians. He is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London and a Fellow of the British Academy.
Ray is the author of two popular books on Egypt, Reflections of Osiris: lives from ancient Egypt (Oxford University Press, 2002, ISBN 9780195158717)[1] and The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt (Harvard University Press, 2007, ISBN 9780674024939).[2]