John Romer graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1966 and began his work in Middle Eastern archaeology shortly thereafter, serving on American and German expeditions in Egyptian Thebes and acting as Field Director of the Brooklyn Museum Theban Expedition, conducting the first physical survey and conservation studies in the Valley of the Kings, and excavating the tomb of Ramesses XI.

Romer has also dedicated a great part of his time to archaeological conservation and, as an aid to raising public awareness of the importance and fragility of the past, has made many TV and radio documentaries, to international critical acclaim. Besides numerous specialist articles and reports, his books have included Valley of the Kings; Ancient Lives; and The Seven Wonders of the World (with Elizabeth Romer). His latest book is The Great Pyramid; Ancient Egypt Revisited.