Egyptologist, Museum Director. Born the son of a Minister, Pleyte studied Theology at Utrecht University from 1855 to 1860. After having completed his studies in 1860, Pleyte was unable to find a position as a minister anywhere and instead began researching Egyptology, which was at Pleyte's time still in its infancy. Pleyte was able to teach himself the subject and was able to understand Hieratic texts by 1868. He also began publishing on the topic of Egyptology. His first publication La religion pré-Israélite; recherches sur le dieu Seth (Pre-Israelite Religion: Research on the god Seth), was heavily criticised, but while dispirited by the critique, he continued writing. In 1869, Pleyte applied for the position of Curator at the Archaeological Cabinet in Leiden (nowadays the National Museum of Antiquities), but was rejected by director Leemans, who believed his knowledge of ancient history was insufficient and preferred a candidate with a more diverse expertise. Pleyte then turned to the Minister of Internal Affairs Cornelis Fock, who was Leemans' boss, to apply for the position. Fock overruled Leemans' decision and Pleyte was appointed as Curator. However, despite his expertise being in Egyptology, he was appointed as Curator to the Classical and Dutch collection, not to the Egyptian collection. Pleyte's 1877 Nederlandse Oudheden van de vroegste tijden tot op Karel de Grote (Dutch Antiquities from the earliest times up to Charlemagne) served as the standard work for Dutch archaeology for a long time. Pleyte also remained active in Egyptology, such as studying, translating and publishing the papyri in Museo Egizio in Turin in the 1870s. After Leemans' retirement in 1891, Pleyte succeeded him as Director of the National Museum of Antiquities. He made many improvements, such as reorganising exhibition placements, creating study spaces and expanding the library. As such, Pleyte is credited with making the museum more accessible for both scientists and the public alike. Shortly after his appointment as director, Pleyte began suffering from rheumatism. He resigned in January 1903 and was succeeded as director by Holwerda. He died 2 months later. Pleyte was decorated as a Knight in the Order of the Crown of Italy in 1871 and as a Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion in 1898.