The Rape Of The Nile Author:Brian Fagan The scandalous rape of Ancient Egypt is historical vignette of greed, vanity, and dedicated archaeological research. It is a tale vividly inhabited by an array of charactersL the ancient historian Herodotus; Theban tomb robbers; obelisk-stealing Romans; Coptic Christians determined to erase the heretical past; mummy traders; leisured antiquaria... more »ns; Major European musems; Giovanni Belzoni, a circus strongman who removed more antiquities than Napolean's armies; shrewd consuls and ruthless pashas; and archaeologists such as Sir Flinders Petrie, who changed the course of Egyptology.
This is the first thoroughly revised edition of The Rape of the Nile-Brian Fagan's classic account of the cavalcade of archaeologists, thieves, and sightseers who have flocked to the Nile Valley since ancient times. Long considered a benchmark in narrative archaeology, this edition updates the saga with 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.« less