The development of orthodox Egyptology in the historical
context
The earlies t recorde d accoun t o f Egyp t come s t o u s fro m th e
Greek historian Herodotus , who visited Egypt around 500 BC,
when i t wa s alread y wel l int o it s decline . Thoug h muc h tha t
he wrote has prove n true , muc h i s evidently fancy ; Herodotus
indiscriminately report s a s trut h tale s tol d t o hi m b y a n
ancient versio n o f touris t guides, whom he mistook for temple
priests.
Like s o man y traveller s afte r him , Herodotu s marvelle d a t
the sights . Bu t neithe r h e no r anyone followin g had access to
those responsibl e fo r thei r construction . Throughou t history,
then, visitor s t o Egypt have recorded thei r impressions according
t o persona l interpretation . Bu t th e exac t natur e o f Egyp tian
knowledge , locke d a s i t wa s i n th e impenetrabl e
hieroglyphs, coul d no t hel p bu t remai n a mystery . Moder n
Egyptologists insis t wit h justic e tha t n o possibilit y o f understanding
Egypt existed until th e hieroglyphs were deciphered.
In th e lat e eighteent h century , Napoleo n invade d Eygp t
armed with scholars as well as soldiers, determined to solve the
mystery as well as to build an empire. Accounts of his discoveries,
illustrate d wit h fine , accuratel y rendere d drawings , made
Egyptian civilisatio n know n t o a European public fo r th e first
time an d interes t ra n hig h a s gifte d scholar s pitte d thei r wits
against th e hieroglyphs. Bu t it was not until 1822 , nearly thirty
years afte r Napoleon' s campaign , tha t a ke y wa s found .
Jean Francoi s Champollio n wa s convinced , a t th e ag e o f
twelve, tha t h e woul d decipher th e hieroglyphs. H e se t out to
master al l th e languages, ancien t and modern, tha t he believed
would lea d t o thi s goal . Th e solutio n wa s provide d b y th e
Rosetta Stone , a Ptolemai c relic upon which th e same inscription
wa s recorde d in hieroglyphs, demotic (a sort of shorthand
or vernacula r for m o f th e hieroglyphs ) an d Greek . Workin g
back throug h th e Gree k int o th e hieroglyphs , Champollio n
was eventuall y le d t o th e answe r or , rather , a partia l answer .
Egyptology wa s born .
Prior t o Champollion' s discovery , man y scholar s worke d
upon th e reasonabl e assumption tha t a civilisatio n capabl e of such work s mus t hav e ha d a hig h orde r o f knowledge . Som e
made soun d observation s tha t were subsequentl y forgotte n or
neglected i n th e fac e o f th e apparentl y boastful , repetitive ,
banal an d incoheren t natur e o f th e translate d hieroglyphs .
The early translation s stan d i n suc h strikin g contrast t o the
works themselve s tha t i t i s har d t o believ e s o fe w scholar s
should hav e stoppe d t o questio n th e paradox . Bu t i t is , o f
course, impossibl e t o 'prove' a masterpiece. Those who understand,
understand . Emotiona l and psychological factors , more
than science , combine d t o mak e moder n Egyptology .