A World Beneath the Sands: Adventurers and Archaeologists in the Golden Age of Egyptology

Review of Wilkinson’s "A world beneath the sands" by Paul F. Ross With his book’s title being "The world beneath the sands" linked to Egyptology, Wilkinson’s book could be about the history of Egypt revealed by the explorations of kings’ graves in Egypt, about the graves’ contents and their dispersal, about the history of the grave explorations themselves, about … well, about any of a wide range of topics. The topics could begin in 4000 BCE and extend to 2020 CE, the date of publication of Wilkinson’s book. When I saw a review of the book, my longstanding interest in knowledge revealed by Egypt’s role in the lands of the eastern Mediterranean was piqued and I bought the book. As I learned, Wilkinson describes the international politics guiding Egyptian grave robbing and the dispersal of the artifacts found there from the discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1799 to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. That is a 123-year time slice from a 6000-year story. The story as published ends a century before the date of the book’s publication. Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt with his French army and a group of French scholars in 1798. Later that year, Admiral Nelson of Britain caught the French fleet in Alexandria, defeating it and leaving Napoleon with his army and scholars marooned ashore. Napoleon escaped from Egypt in early 1800, the French army and scholars departing in 1801. The scholars brought back many reports and eventually published much material about Egypt. Egyptology, the study of Egypt’s language, its ancient tombs, the transport of Egyptian artifacts to prominent city locations in Paris, London, Rome, the establishment of major museums displaying Egypt’s languages and artifacts, and the establishment of university chairs in Egyptology had begun. Britain’s army invaded Egypt in 1882 and Britain remained deeply involved in the governance of Egypt until the British and French signed the entente cordiale in 1902. Toby Wilkinson describes the history of European politics as it guided the development of Egyptology, principally the interests of France, Britain, and Germany. Egypt’s history stretched multiple thousands of years prior to Napoleon’s arrival in Alexandria. It included the Egyptian captivity of the Jews and their escape across the Red Sea (read the Bible’s Old Testament account in Exodus), the trade between Greece and Egypt, Cleopatra’s romances with Julius Caesar and, later, Mark Antony, and so on and on. Wilkinson is not writing a history of Egypt. He is not describing a history of archaeological exploration of the kings’ tombs of Egypt. He is describing the history of Egyptology, the emergence of archaeological and academic interest in grave-robbing in Egypt. Wilkinson focuses on the scholarly exploration of Egypt’s antiquities. His story sequence, in the following order, includes contributions by Thomas Young (British), Jean-Francois Champollion (French), John Gardner Wilkinson (British), Richard Lepsius_____________________________________________________________________________________________Wilkinson, Toby (2020) "A world beneath the sands: The golden age of Egyptology" W. W. Norton & Company, New York NY, xvii + 510 pages_____________________________________________________________________________________________(German), August Mariette (French), Amelia Edwards (British), Flinders Petrie (French), Adolf Erman (German), George Reisner (American), Theodore Davis (American), Gaston Maspero (French), and Howard Carter (American). Wilkinson includes others in his history. Finding antiquities buried in the sand, understanding the meaning of the pyramids and tombs, deciphering the hieroglyphics, moving Egyptian antiquities from Egypt to European museums with and without Egyptian permission, building the tourist business in Egypt, the competition between France, Britain, and Germany (these three nations in particular) in being the world’s leader in Egyptology … it is these activities that are Wilkinson’s story. Notice that a John Gardner Wilkinson published "Manners and Customs" in 1837 and is listed among the important Egyptology scholars. Our author, Toby Wilkinson, fails to tell us whether John Gardner is one of Toby’s ancestors. Wilkinson’s tale is packed with information, but it’s not an easy read. Rather often he uses words I’ve never seen. “Adumbrate” was one example. Looking up “adumbrate” with Google’s help, the Miriam-Webster dictionary says “You aren't likely to find “adumbrate” in children's stories or on the sports pages. That’s not because this shady word is somehow off-color, but rather because it tends to show up most often in academic or political writing. In fact, some usage commentators find it too hard for “ordinary” use (although they are hard-pressed to define “ordinary”).” I’ll let you uncover the definition of “adumbrate” on your own. Wilkinson is spare in keeping the reader informed about the dates of events he is describing. Often one runs into a word like “he” in a paragraph and are hard pressed to be confident you know its antecedent. One can picture Wilkinson as he daydreams about his favorite topics while writing, essentially unaware of what his readers may want to know. It is easy to acquire a fascination with ancient Egypt. There are five titles about Egypt’s pre-CE history, an additional eight titles about pre-CE Middle Eastern history, on my bookshelf less than three feet from my elbow as I write this review. I remember vividly the visit my wife and I made to the Egyptian museum in Berlin where we stood, essentially nose to nose, with the bust of Nefertiti discovered under the workbench in its sculptor’s studio in Armana in 1912. Wilkinson’s "A world beneath the sands" is a welcome addition to the collection on my bookshelf but, had I known of its limits prior to buying it, I might not have bought. There is so much I’d like to know about grave-exploration in Egypt describing its methods from 1799 to 2020, not stopping in 1922. The history of archaeology, the growth of its sense of responsibility and its methods for exploring and for reporting, surely have been influenced by the archaeology done in Egypt. Wilkinson’s 500 pages could be so much better spent.Bellevue, Washington14 November 2020 Copyright © 2020 by Paul F. Ross All rights reserved.

Over a period of around 130 years, from the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon in 1798 to the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922 ancient Egypt drew Europeans, and later Americans, in search of knowledge, treasure, or fame (not necessarily in that order) , to the hunt for antiquities.in this book Toby Wilkinson has made what could have been a dusty, dry subject into something fascinating to read. From the French invasion, planned in line with best Republican principles of scientific enquiry and reason, which included a team of scientists with the army, to the privately financed search for the tomb of Tutankhamen by the English Lord Carnarvon, Europeans were central to the exploration of the sands. Some were scientists, some adventurers. Some were ethical, some not so much.Napoleon’s team found the Rosetta Stone, the key to the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. It was seized by the English during the French army retreat, and then cracked by a Frenchman, Champollion. The museums, and Antiquities Service, were set up and run by Europeans, and the looting of treasures and their transport to Europe was carried on unabashed by their countrymen- Cleopatras needles being only a tiny fraction of what was removed for the aggrandisement of individuals and national ambitions.All of this involved a significant amount of imperialism - both political and cultural. For a long time France held hegemony on the cultural aspects, The British Empire , the political. The ups and downs of Germany’s involvement in Egyptology were much affected by being largely locked out of that arrangement, and of course as a result of World War 1.Egypt has been ruled by others for so much of History- Alexander the Great was there, Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony were seduced by grain as much as by the Greco/Egyptian queen Cleopatra, and for many many years Egypt was a tributary state of the Ottoman Empire, before being colonised by Britain from 1898 to 1922. This book tells the story of the colonisations and the emerging demand for independence which was given a impetus following the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen and its treasures. The book is therefore about the colonised and the colonists. It is about those who sought to protect the antiquities, and those who used dynamite in their search for them. It is about people, ancient and relatively modern and how their personalities shaped the searches and how the antiquities were handled once uncovered.It is a fascinating book, which makes for very enjoyable as well as informative reading, and i shall certainly now look for more books on Egypt by the same author - he has whetted my appetite to know more, and that for me is the hallmark of the best of history writing.

Bios of original Egyptologist makes engaging reading.

Sold work on the first Egyptologists

enjoyed the low price on the disc, a steal at the time. has since gone up so a digital file (audible) would suffice as CD players are ancient relics at this point = ) plan to grab a hard copy as well. Enjoy.