Cracking the Egyptian Code The Revolutionary Life of Jean FranCois Champollion (Hardback) /anglais - Couverture souple

Robinson

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0500051712 ISBN 13 : 9780500051719

Editeur : Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2012

Synopsis

In 1799 Napoleon's army uncovered an ancient stele in the Nile delta. Its inscription, recorded in three distinct scripts - ancient Greek, Coptic, and hieroglyphic - would provide scholars with the first clues to unlocking the secrets of Egyptian hieroglyphs, a language lost for nearly two millennia. More than twenty years later a remarkably gifted Frenchman named Jean-Francois Champollion successfully deciphered the hieroglyphs on the stele, now commonly known as the Rosetta Stone, sparking a revolution in our knowledge of ancient Egypt. "Cracking the Egyptian Code" is the first biography in English of Champollion, widely regarded as the founder of Egyptology. Andrew Robinson meticulously reconstructs how Champollion cracked the code of the hieroglyphic script, describing how Champollion started with Egyptian obelisks in Rome and papyri in European collections, sailed the Nile for a year, studied the tombs in the Valley of the Kings (a name he first coined), and carefully compared the three scripts on the Rosetta Stone to penetrate the mystery of the hieroglyphic text.Robinson also brings to life the rivalry between Champollion and the English scientist Thomas Young, who claimed credit for launching the decipherment, which Champollion hotly denied. There is much more to Champollion's life than the Rosetta Stone and Robinson gives equal weight to the many roles he played in his tragically brief life, from a teenage professor in Revolutionary France to a supporter of Napoleon (whom he met), an exile, and a curator at the Louvre. Extensively illustrated in color and black-and-white pictures, "Cracking the Egyptian Code" will appeal to a wide readership interested in Egypt, decipherment and code-breaking, and Napoleon and the French Revolution.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

This is a spirited account of a fascinating subject: the birth of Egyptology. --John Ray, author of The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt

At last, a definitive biography of Champollion in English! ... A memorable, enjoyable and beautifully written historical detective story. --Brian Fagan, author of The Rape of the Nile and Floods, Famines and Emperors

An entertaining, highly readable and authoritative biography of the greatest decipherer of all time, the man who almost single-handedly enabled us to read the hitherto mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphs. --Michael D. Coe, author of Breaking the Maya Code

Andrew Robinson ... here shines his lamp of Diogenes on the Frenchman who broke the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic code, illuminating anew Jean-Francois Champollion's fascinating life as well as his prodigiously fertile work. --Paul Cartledge, author of Alexander the Great and Ancient Greece: A History in Eleven Cities

Highly readable ... a thorough, comprehensive account of the father of Egyptology and a very enjoyable read ... handsome and well recommended. --Scottish Pharaonic

Robinson's biography is a most welcome and long-overdue study in English of an enigmatic and still controversial genius. His splendidly produced and absorbing book should be in every Egyptologist's library. --Peter Clayton, Egyptian Archaeology: The Bulletin of the Egypt Exploration Society

Robinson's trademark approach insightful presentation of the context of research, understanding of the individual through archival investigation, and clear explanation of the script that is being deciphered Is immediately apparent in Cracking the Egyptian code. --Antiquity

Fills a yawning gap in Britain, providing a definitive modern history. --History Today

An important book ... Robinson has drawn on a substantial literature but the real work in here is admirably his own --The Independent

Very readable ... especially good at placing the politically radical Champollion in the historical context of post-revolutionary France --Eastern Daily Press

A feast ... [Champollion's story] is brought out by Robinson with verve, elegance and perception. --The Financial Times

Biographie de l'auteur :

Andrew Robinson is a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, Literary Editor of The Times Higher Education Supplement, and author of over 20 books, including Sudden Genius: The Gradual Path to Creative Breakthroughs, The Story of Writing, Writing and Script: A Very Short Introduction, and The Last Man Who Knew Everything.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Thames & Hudson Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0500051712
• ISBN 13: 9780500051719
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 272