In this chapter, Waxman examines the effects, both good and bad, of antiquarianism and meddlesome Europeans in Egypt. The author begins by describing the work undertaken by Napoleon and his savants, Jean-Francois Champollion and Giovanni Belzoni. Although, they have helped in the gathering of information and understanding of Egypt’s ancient past, one cannot ignore the negative effects, such as looting, that they have caused. The chapter ends in a discussion of the controversy surrounding the infamous bust of Nefertiti and asking the reader whether it is Germany or Egypt that the bust belongs to. Rather than answering the question, Waxman concludes that perhaps we should concentrate on an exchange of culture instead of arguing over who possesses what. …show more content…
Although Napoleon was unsuccessful in his desire to conquer Egypt, by bringing along his savants he was undeniably successful in creating large and detailed records of the many wonders of ancient Egypt.
The invaluable information that the French gathered was the beginning of Egyptology and Europe was entranced by Egypt’s exotic and awe-inspiring designs. However, Waxman argues that this craze for Egypt opened the door to the exploitation of its cultural heritage. The rediscovery of Egypt by the savants started the many years of looting as all of Europe clamored to own a piece of Egyptian history. Conversely, Waxman believes that Jean-Francois Champollion’s work on the Rosetta stone completely changed what we know of ancient Egyptians. By discerning that the hieroglyphics were comprised of ideographic and phonetic signs, he made a wealth of information accessible. That being said, Waxman thought it important to note that despite all the good Champollion achieved, he too, was not above looting and bringing back to tomb
walls. Giovanni Belzoni is another prime example used by Waxman to show the duality of European interference in Egypt. On the one hand, Belzoni was one of the largest discoverers in Egypt who uncovered numerous tombs such as the tomb of Seti I. On the other hand, he was also a master looter who did not mind damaging the structure of temples during the extraction of his loot. The mixture of the bad and the good makes Belzoni a complicated character which highlights the controversy of the antiquarian period. Waxman concludes her discussion of antiquarianism in Egypt with the bust of Nefertiti. The bust is so unique because of its life-like qualities which is no doubt what Borchardt, the archaeologist who discovered the sculpture, noticed as well. The author argues that this was why the Germans felt the need to hide the bust’s value until they were back in Berlin, essentially smuggling it to Europe. Over the years, the Egyptians have asked numerous times for the bust to be returned to its homeland and the Germans have refused. Questions of whether the Egyptians deserve to or why the need to possess the bust have been posed with no definitive answer. Waxman argues that it may be that both countries have claims to the bust but they should instead focus on sharing their history. The topics reviewed in this chapter are important to understanding archaeological theory. What occurred in Egypt during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s is part of the murky beginnings of archaeology. Actions taken during this time, for example the smuggling of Nefertiti’s bust to Berlin, are still a point of contention after almost a hundred years. Archaeology’s questionable past has shaped archaeological practices and policies today. The period of looting has led to the development of strict cultural heritage policies in Egypt that is meant to keep artifacts safe from harm (and in the country).
Never before in history did any monument receive such wide attention from the public and media like the Great Sphinx of Giza. The 73.5m long and 20m high (Dieter Arnold) stone carved statue not only fascinates people from all around the world, but also created countless movie ideas, novels, video games and raises questions to those who are interested. Undoubtedly, Sphinx has become one of the most notable figures of ancient Egyptian culture just beside the pyramids in the eyes of westerners. However, many questions remained in mysteries for almost decades until the excavation of 1925 by Emile Baraize revealed the Sphinx’s exotic design to the world's view. Why did the ancient Egyptians build this massive structure? For what purpose would they want to invest such resources and labors to initiate such complex project? How was it built and how did the Egyptians overcome the enormous difficulties with past technologies? The purpose of this paper would be discussing the possible identity of whom the Sphinx might be and compare and analyze the evidence from a material culture point of view. The paper would be lay out to four different sections. First part would briefly describe the purpose of this study as well as giving a brief modern history of the Sphinx. Second part would be discussing the style/meaning and its association and context with the pyramids of the Giza and how the Sphinx was built. The third part would be discussing kings who possibly commissioned the Sphinx to be built and analyze the style of the Pyramid to the style of those kings. Two kings that could be the owner of the Sphinx are Khafra and Khufu, which would be my main focus here and I would be discussing the pros and cons of the scholars’ different ideas. Last p...
The Chronicle of the French Occupation, 1798 – Napoleon in Egypt, was written by the Egyptian born scholar and jurist, Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti (c. 1753-c.1825) between 1798 and 1801, framing the French occupation of Egypt. Both the Middle East and Europe, during the late 17th century were in a state of redefinition. Although the chronicle had covered only the brief period during first seven months of 36, it serves as a crucial accounting. Clearly illustrated is a paradigmatic shift between a modern culture and an antiquated system with a chronicle of events that swings between something that is merely observational to something written by an emotionally charged spectator. Although the work has been widely accepted, there is still some speculation as to degrees of censorship and possible omissions through various translations.
Arguably one of the most important discoveries made regarding the historical and cultural study of ancient Egypt is the translation of the writing form known as hieroglyphics. This language, lost for thousands of years, formed a tantalizing challenge to a young Jean François who committed his life to its translation. Scholars such as Sylvestre de Sacy had attempted to translate the Rosetta Stone before Champollion, but after painstaking and unfruitful work, they abandoned it (Giblin 32). Champollion’s breakthrough with hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone opened up new possibilities to study and understand ancient Egypt like never before, and modern Egyptology was born.
The researcher learned that the Rosetta stone is one of the most important artifacts of the Egyptians. It was written in three ancient scripts and is located at the British museum in London.
When first looking at the Chronicle of the French Occupation, it looks as if it is merely a depiction of Napoleon's time in Egypt, however there is much more to this article than meets the eye. The article being written by an Egyptian and not a European provides an alternative viewpoint to the events that happened in Egypt as opposed to the accounts that have been read and taught by Europeans. Although the article is a different perspective it does show strong cultural bias and ethnocentrism towards the French people from the eyes of the Egyptians. The article shows bias in the tone it is written, the unkindness used to mock the French and the incomplete tales of the battles that took place.
The protagonist, a young Parisian writer, purchases a mummy’s foot, on that would “suit [him] as a paper-weight; for [he] cannot endure those trumpery bronzes which the stationers sell, which may be found on everyone’s desk” (Gautier, 13). This conflicts with the protagonist’s previous comments, complaining that “every petty stockbroker” (12) must have his own collection of rare antiques. This critique, within the story, as well as the protagonist’s obsession with a unique paperweight, reflects on the idea of commercialist desires being petty and unnecessarily materialistic. Further into the story, the protagonist is thrust into “a fluid and grayish expanse” (15) and later arrives in what seems to be ancient Egypt and consults with the pharaoh Xixouthros, the father of Hemonithis, whose foot the protagonist restores. In this portion of the story, it seems as though the protagonist no longer owns his prized paper-weight, but that his paper-weight owns him. He is invited to consult with the pharaoh, rejected by him when he asks for the hand of his daughter, claiming “the last particles of your dust will have been scattered abroad by the winds” (17) when Xixouthros would “be present on the last day of the world” (17). This contrast and reversal of “ownership” exemplifies, symbolically, the challenge to the new commercialist society that was developing in France at the
As I look at the colorful walls of Beni Hasan tomb painting in the article, I am intrigue by these beautiful paintings. Egyptians are known for many breathtaking art monuments. The article explained images in the painting, interpretations and abuses of Beni Hasan painting. Comparing the differences from this article to our textbook and Wikipedia sites, the article did a great job on presenting correct information to the readers. Wikipedia sites were more detailed orientated on the tomb paintings than the others.
Napoleon Bonaparte left behind both positive and negative consequences in his attempt to take control of Egypt. The most important thing he did positively was finding the Rosetta Stone, but in the end he failed at capturing Egypt. It was one of Napoleon Bonaparte’s solider that found a lack basalt slab which was inscribed with ancient writing near the city of Rosetta. One of his scholars who was part of his army to take control of Egypt, made progress with the initial hieroglyph analysis of the Rosetta Stone. Later on, a French Egytptologist named Jean-Francois Champollion cracked the code and deciphered the message using Greek knowledge. This led to the language and culture of ancient Egypt which allowed scientist more discoveries. Looking
Jean Francois Champollion and Thomas Young combined their talents to decipher the Demotic script and Egyptian hieroglyphics. They compared them to the Greek text. The Stone was the code that unlocked Egyptian hieroglyphics, without the Stone we would have never figured out the hieroglyphics that the Egyptians made. It was the Stone that allowed scholars
Maspero, Gaston. Manual Of Egyptian Archaeology And Guide To The Study Of Antiquities In Egypt. 1895. Print.
“We are getting very close men.’’ I said. I was searching for the missing statue of King Rameses the second. That was why I am walking along the Nile River in the blazing sun. It had taken months for me to find the lost pyramid. The trail ended at Alexandria, but after studying several maps and stories, I was sure that the face plate was in Goshen. I hired these second rate guides to take me to the spot. But that didn’t mean I trusted them.
Mock, Geoffrey. "The Egyptian Revolution, As Told Through Graffiti." Duke Today. 18 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 May 2014. .
Although the main narrative of a work of art may not immediately jump out and engrain it’s reasoning in your mind, in a way all art works are interconnected through the topic of authority. For example, the French impressionist artist Claude Monet painted hundreds of works centered around gardens; one way that it interconnects with the idea of authority is that French gardens were originally used by the royal and rich to showcase something of high presentation but were nearly fruitless. In this short essay I will discuss three different works all relating to authority in reference to their cultural significance and how all three are interconnected. First, we can project ourselves back into the grey area between the Egyptian Predynastic period and the amalgamation of Upper and Lower Egypt.
To describe a few of the galleries within the Vatican Museums, the Gregorian Egyptian museum was founded by Pope Gregory XVI in 1839. It contains statues and stelae with hieroglyphic inscriptions, bronze and clay figures from Hellenistic and Roman Egypt, mummies, cuneiform tablets and seals from Mesopotamia, and other Egyptian statuary mostly donated from private collections of the 19th century. The papal interest in Egypti...
The Nile, is the longest river in the world, and is located in northeastern Africa. Its principal source is Lake Victoria, in east central Africa. The Nile flows north through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea, with a total distance of 5584 km. From its remotest headstream in Burundi, the river is 6671 km long. The river basin covers an area of more than 3,349,000 sq km. Not only is the Nile considered a wonder by Herodotus, but by people all over the world, due to its impotance to the growth of a civilization.The first great African civilization developed in the northern Nile Valley in about 5000 BC.