British Egyptology in the Nineteenth Century

While there had technically been people studying the ancient Egyptian world since around 400 BCE, the first Western scholars arrived in Egypt the medieval period. It was in 1798 though that the French under Napoleon invaded Egypt not only with an army of soldiers but with an army of scholars, which resulted in the truly epic Description de l’Egypte (1809-1822). Not to be outdone, under Lord Nelson in 1801, the British defeated France and stole all of their already stolen Egyptian artifacts. From that point on, in the nineteenth century, Britons (and other Europeans) continued to travel to Egypt as tourists, health seekers, engineers, businesspeople, soldiers and more. They arrived in a distinctly foreign land and carried on the legacy of those before them—writing home about their experiences, marveling at the monuments, and taking material remains home with them when they left. They quickly became self-trained experts. The shift from amateur to professional is particularly apparent in travel writing, as this volume will show through letters, journals, diaries, newspaper articles, and some published material.