Feature: How Did Napoleon’s Campaign in Egypt Lead To the Birth of Egyptology?
PRESENTER
Julia Cincinatis
ORIGINAL CITY
Dubai
Original Date
December 15, 2018
Description
When Napoleon led 34,000 soldiers and 16,000 sailors across the Mediterranean Sea to the distant desert country of Egypt, the 28 years-old General undertook a crazy journey to compete against the British to control parts of the globe. The campaign had many eccentric and unbelievable aspects, one of them being a corpse of 150 scientists which include engineers, astronomers, mathematicians, naturalists, physicists, doctors, chemists, botanists and artists – even a poet and a musicologist packed their bags and went into the adventure. Their task was to capture, not Egyptian soil, but Egyptian Culture and History. And while the military invasion was an ultimate failure, the scholarly one was successful beyond anyone’s expectations. It led to the birth of Egyptology as a field of knowledge and study.
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A community member delivers an in-depth presentation on a topic related to the Arab world’s history and culture during a one-hour online event. The presentation is the culmination of a month-long afikra coaching process to help identify a topic, find research, and develop the presentation. The goal is to showcase the presenter’s curiosity, research, and share some knowledge. Each presentation is followed by a moderated Q&A with questions coming from the live virtual audience on Zoom.
Sources & Future References
Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt' Book by Nina Burleigh
Napoleon and the Scientific Expedition to Egypt | Linda Hall Library
The Full volumes of the Description is at the Crossroad of Civilizations Museum in Dubai
Napoleon Letters
Note: All community presentations are prepared & presented by non-experts on the subject. They are sharing information in the hopes of spurring interest in that subject.
