The Keys of Egypt - The Race to Read the Hieroglyphs

Informationen zum Autor Husband-and-wife Lesley and Roy Adkins are both archaeologists and Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London. They have written many books on archaeological subjects and have just completed The Little Book of Egyptian Hieroglyphs. They also run a colour picture library specialising in archaeology and history. Lesley and Roy recently moved to Devon, where they are embarking on the restoration of an extensive garden. Klappentext When the French invaded Egypt in 1798, they were astonished to find countless ruins covered with hieroglyphs - remnants of a language lost in time. The quest to decipher hieroglyphs began in earnest: fame and fortune awaited the successful scholar. Amid political turmoil in France, caused by Napoleon's meteoric rise and catastrophic fall, Jean-Francois Champollion was hounded, exiled and even charged with treason, but still overcame poverty and ill-health to beat his closest rival, the English scientist Thomas Young. Having cracked the code, Champollion led an expedition through Egypt, deciphering texts unread and triumph over extreme adversity. "The Adkins duo succeed in providing a fascinating and elegantly written biography of Champollion, doing justice to one of the great stories of intellectual heroism." SIMON SINGH, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "Champollon's story has long deserved to be told, and the husband-and-wife authors of 'THE KEYS OF EGYPT' have told it extremely well, producing a fascinating account of the race to unlock the cryptic language of the pharaohs... 'The Keys of Egypt', always readable and enjoyable, is a worthy tribute to the man who named, and unlocked, the valley of the Kings." GILES MILTON, DAILY MAIL "A compulsive account of the life of Jean-Francois Champollion... A first rate blend of high scholarship and great narrative pace, this is one of those rare, wondrous books which turns an intellectual adventure into high drama. It deserves a huge audience." DOUGLAS KENNEDY, THE TIMES. Zusammenfassung A vivid and superbly written account of the unravelling of one of the great intellectual puzzles! set against the backdop of Europe in the Napoleonic era. ...

Product details

• Authors: Lesley Adkins, Lesley and Roy Adkins, Roy Adkins, Roy A. Adkins, Adkins Lesley
• Publisher: Harper Collins Uk
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 03.09.2001
• EAN: 9780006531456
• ISBN: 978-0-00-653145-6
• No. of pages: 335
• Dimensions: 130 mm x 197 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Historical, Biography: historical, political & military, HISTORY / Ancient / Egypt, HISTORY / Africa / General, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Translating & Interpreting, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Alphabets & Writing Systems, Translation & interpretation, Ancient History, African History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Biography: historical, political and military, Ancient Egypt, Palaeography (History Of Writing), Translation and interpretation, African history: pre-colonial period, Palaeography