Claude Rilly (born November 4, 1959) is a French linguist, Egyptologist, and archaeologist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research who primarily specializes in Meroitic and Nilo-Saharan languages. He is professor at the ÃÂcole pratique des hautes études since 2019.
He is also the Director of the French Archaeological Mission in Sedeinga, Sudan.
In 2003, he received a PhD in Egyptology and Linguistics. His doctoral advisor was Pascal Vernus.
Rilly proposed the Northern Eastern Sudanic languages in 2010.