Monday 25 March 2013

The Rape of the Nile by Brian Fagan


"During the past two thousand years Ancient Egypt has effectively been destroyed, both by the Egyptians themselves and by a host of foreigners, many of them arriving in the Nile Valley in the name of science and nationalism.  The loss to archaeology is incalculable, that to Egyptian history even more staggering.  As a result of the looting and pillage of generations of irresponsible visitors, the artifacts and artistic achievements of the Ancient Egyptians are scattered all over the globe, some of the most beautiful and spectacular of them stored or displayed thousands of miles from the Nile." 
(From pages 11-12)

Ever since I was a little girl, I've loved learning about Ancient Egypt.  I remember trips to the British Museum with my Mum to gawp at the Rosetta stone and writing my name in hieroglyphs at primary school.  Later, at university, I studied Egyptian language as part of a linguistics unit and I've read countless books on the Ancient Egyptians themselves.  The story of the European rediscovery of the Nile Valley in the eighteenth and nineteenth century is an exciting one, full of Indiana Jones type figures, such as Giovanni Belzoni.  But in The Rape of the Nile, Fagan challenges the actions of Western treasure seekers and archaeologists.  Who gave them the right to remove the artifacts from Egypt and keep them in foreign museums?

It's hard to argue with Fagan's arguments as there is some shocking behaviour on the part of early Egyptologists in the book.  Whilst Fagan does cover tomb robbing and looting through Ancient Egyptian to Islamic times, the real pillage only starts with the arrival of Westerners in the form of Napoleon's expedition.  We read about tombs being blown open with dynamite (and a near miss with one of the great pyramids), reliefs scraped off walls and my personal favourite,  a sarcophagus being chopped in two as the whole thing was harder to transport.  The early treasure seekers had little more than the desire to acquire exotic things, so there was no attempt at scientific recording or archaeology.  So much was lost.

Fagan does balance his argument with stories of the pioneers who tried to make archaeology in Egypt more scientific and less about the treasure seeking, but it all comes too little too late.  Egypt doesn't get a fully functioning national museum until late in the day and the patronising 'we can look after them better than you' attitude continues to this day.  I read an early edition of this book (1977) but I know there is a more up to date one out there - it would be interesting to see what Fagan makes of the modern argument that Western museums should return some of their treasures to Cairo, put forward by people like Hawass.  However, the benefit of reading the 1977 edition (pulled out of the reserve stacks of the library) was that it was a beautiful copy, hard back with illustrations on most pages. 

I loved this book, but I can appreciate that some people might find it a little dry.  Fagan has an engaging writing style but the book is fairly detailed and you would need a keen interest in Egyptology before starting in order to enjoy it properly.  It's one I would recommend though, it's got a good balance of the history of what happened to Egypt in modern time and of the moral issues surrounding Egyptology.

Source: Library
First Published: 1975
Score: 4.5 out of 5

Read Alongside:
Egypt: How A Lost Civilization was Rediscovered by Joyce Tyldesley (link to goodreads): I read this one pre-blogging and it's a great introduction to the big personalities in the European rediscovery of Egypt, Carter (who found Tut), Champollion (who deciphered hieroglyphs) and Belzoni (who collected the treasures of the British Museum).

9 comments:

  1. Okay, does the keen interest in Egyptology mean detailed knowledge of Egyptology? Because I'm interested enough in Egyptology to plow through a lot of details, but if Fagan's assuming a high level of knowledge about ancient Egyptian history, I will get lost.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, detailed knowledge isn't needed, just interest :)
      I would start with the Tyldesley book though, it's very well written and goes over a lot of facts.

      Delete
  2. I'm not sure I would be able to get through this as I know very little about Egyptian history, but it is a subject that interests me. I believe the same thing has happened in Greece and it seems such a shame.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm sure the same thing must have happened in Greece as the British Museum also has a large Greek artifact section. I know hardly anything about Ancient Greece.

      Delete
  3. I've always been on the obsessed side with Egyptology. Maybe not so much anymore but definitely when I was younger. I was convinced that I would one day explore the inside of those pyramids and call it my job. However, things change and you grow up. I still would like to visit but don't see uncovering some great treasure anytime soon. It's really sad when you really dig deep and learn about the ways in which artifacts were discarded or mishandled. It's a shame that it wasn't common sense that cutting a sarcophagus in half would be a bad idea. I guess it's like reading about the plague and thinking "why aren't you just washing your hands and like getting rid of the bodies?!" Blown up with dynamite?! I can't even comment..
    Sounds like an interesting read even if it is a little heartbreaking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wanted to be an archaeologist too, or to go to university and learn how to translate hieroglyphs properly.
      I'm sure future generations will look back in horror at things we have done but it's hard to imagine anything as bad as dynamite...

      Delete
  4. As a child I was obsessed with all things Ancient Egyptian but it has been a long time since I read anything about it. This sounds like a fascinating read but probably not something to get me back into the subject. May be something lighter first.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've taught Ancient Egypt to year 3 and children always love it, it's just so interesting. Maybe try the Tyldesley book?

      Delete
  5. I haven't read many books about Egyptians. I'm interested in it though so I'll have to check out some books on the subject. I found you on Book Blogs and I am now your newest follower! I hope you have a wonderful evening and that you'll stop by for a visit sometime when you get the chance. :) I also have a giveaway going on right now if you’d like to enter.
    Leigh Ann
    MaMa's Book Corner

    ReplyDelete