The Rape Of The Nile

by Fagan, Brian

• ISBN13: 9780813340616
• ISBN10: 0813340616
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-09-15
• Publisher: BASIC BOOKS INC. PUBLISHERS

Summary

The scandalous rape of Ancient Egypt is a historical vignette of greed, vanity, and dedicated archaeological research. It is a tale vividly told by renowned archaeology author, Brian Fagan, with characters that include the ancient historian Herodotus; Theban tomb robbers; obelisk-stealing Romans; Coptic Christians determined to erase the heretical past; mummy traders; leisured antiquarians; major European museums; Giovanni Belzoni, a circus strongman who removed more antiquities than Napoleon's armies; shrewd consuls and ruthless pashas; and archaeologists such Sir Flinders Petrie who changed the course of Egyptology.This is the first thoroughly revised edition ofThe Rape of the Nile- Fagan's classic account of the cavalcade of archaeologists, thieves, and sightseers who have flocked to the Nile Valley since ancient times. Featured in this edition are new accounts of stunning recent discoveries, including the Royal Tombs of Tanis, the Valley of Golden Mummies at Bahariya, the Tomb of the Sons of Ramses, and the sunken city of Alexandria (whose lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World). Fagan concludes with a clear-eyed assessment of the impact of modern mass tourism on archaeological sites and artifacts.

Author Biography

Born in England and educated at Cambridge University, Brian Fagan is Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is internationally known for his popular books on archaeology. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Acknowledgments	xiii
Author's Note	xv
PART ONE TOMBS AND TREASURE
Plundering the Pharaohs	3	(8)
The First Tourists	11	(16)
``Mummy Is Become Merchandise''	27	(16)
Napoleon on the Nile	43	(22)
PART TWO THE GREAT BELZONI
The Patagonian Sampson	65	(14)
The Young Memnon	79	(16)
``Mummies Were Rather Unpleasant to Swallow''	95	(18)
``Pyramidical Brains''	113	(16)
High Jinks at Philae	129	(14)
``A Multitude of Collateral Curiosities''	143	(10)
PART THREE BIRTH OF A SCIENCE
Decipherment	153	(16)
Artists and Archaeologists	169	(22)
``In the British Museum He Is Placed Beyond the Reach of All Such Evils''	191	(14)
``A Boating-Trip Interspersed with Ruins''	205	(14)
Science and the Small Artifact	219	(18)
``Wonderful Things''	237	(18)
Notes and References	255	(30)
Index	285