The Rape Of The Nile: Tomb Robbers, Tourists, And Archaeologists In Egypt
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
Long before the age of modern archaeology, Egypt's magnificent ancient treasures were plundered, bartered, and shipped across the world by a motley cast of thieves, adventurers, and obsessive collectors — and The Rape of the Nile chronicles this gripping, centuries-long story with the precision of a scholar and the pace of a thriller. Brian M. Fagan traces the systematic looting of Egypt's tombs, temples, and monuments from the earliest grave robbers of antiquity through the feverish scramble of nineteenth-century European collectors, to the dawn of scientific archaeology along the banks of the Nile. The narrative introduces a parade of extraordinary characters — Giovanni Belzoni, a strongman-turned-excavator who blasted his way through royal tombs; Bernardino Drovetti, the French consul who amassed legendary collections through bribery and brute force; and a host of local traders who had long since mastered the art of separating foreigners from their fortunes. Fagan presents a damning and meticulously researched argument about the cost of cultural imperialism, illustrating how institutional greed and nationalist rivalry stripped Egypt of an irreplaceable heritage before proper preservation could take root. Written with a sharp, authoritative voice, the book stands as both a cautionary tale and a riveting historical account that transformed how the public understands the ethics of antiquity. A work of enduring relevance, it leaves the reader questioning where the line falls between discovery and desecration — a question that echoes loudly in museums and auction houses to this day.
Author: Brian M. Fagan
Format: Hardback
Published: 1975, Scribner
Genre: Archaeology
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Chipped and worn with some minor damage
Pages: Tanning and foxing
Long before the age of modern archaeology, Egypt's magnificent ancient treasures were plundered, bartered, and shipped across the world by a motley cast of thieves, adventurers, and obsessive collectors — and The Rape of the Nile chronicles this gripping, centuries-long story with the precision of a scholar and the pace of a thriller. Brian M. Fagan traces the systematic looting of Egypt's tombs, temples, and monuments from the earliest grave robbers of antiquity through the feverish scramble of nineteenth-century European collectors, to the dawn of scientific archaeology along the banks of the Nile. The narrative introduces a parade of extraordinary characters — Giovanni Belzoni, a strongman-turned-excavator who blasted his way through royal tombs; Bernardino Drovetti, the French consul who amassed legendary collections through bribery and brute force; and a host of local traders who had long since mastered the art of separating foreigners from their fortunes. Fagan presents a damning and meticulously researched argument about the cost of cultural imperialism, illustrating how institutional greed and nationalist rivalry stripped Egypt of an irreplaceable heritage before proper preservation could take root. Written with a sharp, authoritative voice, the book stands as both a cautionary tale and a riveting historical account that transformed how the public understands the ethics of antiquity. A work of enduring relevance, it leaves the reader questioning where the line falls between discovery and desecration — a question that echoes loudly in museums and auction houses to this day.