A World Beneath the Sands

Starred review from August 3, 2020
Historian Wilkinson (The Nile) revisits the whirlwind of archaeological discoveries made in the Nile Valley between the 1822 decoding of the Rosetta Stone and the 1922 unearthing of King Tutankhamun’s tomb, in this meticulous and vibrant account. He sketches how Napoleon’s 1798 expedition into Egypt inaugurated an “intense Anglo-French rivalry” over the country and its artifacts, and documents the competition between British polymath Thomas Young and French scholar Jean-François Champollion to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Champollion won out, though the Rosetta Stone ended up in British hands—a foreshadowing of the British takeover of the French-built Suez Canal, and the country itself, in the 1880s. In between, Wilkinson highlights the achievements of Prussian explorer Karl Richard Lepsius, who made the first “systematic exploration” of the Great Pyramid of Giza, and Auguste Mariette, who discovered the Serapeum at Saqqara in 1851, among other Egyptologists. He also notes the devastating impact of “treasure-hunting,” “slapdash excavation,” and Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali’s modernization efforts on archaeological sites, and details novelist Amelia Blandford Edwards’s campaign to “save Egypt’s patrimony for future generations.” Wilkinson marshals a wealth of detail into a cohesive and entertaining narrative. The result is an essential portrait of how the rediscovery of “ ancient past paved the way for its modern rebirth.” Agent: Jon Wood, RCW Literary.

September 1, 2020
A history of the relatively short period during which Egyptology "emerged from its antiquarian origins to emerge as a proper scientific discipline." More compressed than Jason Thompson's recent multivolume history on the subject, Wilkinson's latest spotlights the great French, English, and German scientists and adventurers who managed to crack many of the mysteries of ancient Egypt--notably, Jean-Fran�ois Champollion's "decipherment" of hieroglyphics in 1822. His achievement, writes the author, "allowed ancient Egyptian culture to emerge out of the fog of Classical myth and esoteric legend into the spotlight of serious scientific enquiry." After Napoleon's campaign in Egypt (1798-1801) and the ensuing era of Muhammad Ali's brutal modernization of the country (until 1848), an "orgy of destruction" followed, as treasure seekers and some archaeologists were driven by "a desire to record and preserve Egypt's ancient patrimony before it was lost forever." In the 1830s, Prussian archaeologist Karl Richard Lepsius "took Egyptian philology to the next level, enabling, for the first time, the translation of running hieroglyphic texts as opposed to mere names and epithets." In 1850, French scholar Auguste Mariette discovered the Serapeum monument under the sands of Saqqara, the most celebrated discovery since the Rosetta Stone; in 1858, Mariette was appointed director of the newly formed Egyptian Department of Antiquities. The momentous early 1880s, writes Wilkinson, saw the convergence of European discovery of Egypt and "Egypt's discovery of itself." Earlier, in 1874, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York "acquired its first Egyptian objects." When Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon started their excavation of the Valley of the Kings, ancient Egypt had assumed the status of "a complex and vibrant civilization." Refreshingly, Wilkinson dedicates a chapter to two women: Lucie Duff Gordon and Amelia Edwards, whose A Thousand Miles Up the Nile (1877) was published to great acclaim. The author also includes images, maps, and a timeline. A lively survey by an eminence in the field.

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December 4, 2020

Wilkinson (The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt) explores the founding and development of Egyptology as a science during the century between the 1822 deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics by Jean-Fran�ois Champollion and the 1922 discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter. Those two crucial events mark the rise and subsequent decline of European domination of Egyptian political, economic, and cultural spheres. The resulting rivalries of the great powers, particularly Britain, France, and Prussia (Germany after unification in 1871), are traced as they impacted the recording, study, and preservation of the ancient monuments. Champollion's Franco-Tuscan expedition of 1828-29 and Karl Richard Lepsius's Prussian expedition of 1842-46 are highlighted for their monumental contributions to these endeavors. Archaeologists Auguste Mariette, Gaston Maspero, and James Henry Breasted and travelers Lucie Duff Gordon and Amelia Edwards are among the luminaries whose careers and activities are examined. The triumph of Egyptian nationalism and independence put an end to this "golden age." VERDICT Wilkinson is a master storyteller, and the narrative is so engaging that readers will find it hard to put down. This comprehensive study is highly recommended for anyone interested in the exploration and study of Egypt, both ancient and modern.--Edward K. Werner, formerly with St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., FL

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