Product Description

Born in the small French town of Figeac in 1790, Jean-Francois Champollion was to become famous as the man who first discovered the meaning of hieroglyphs. This remarkable novel tells the story of his extraordinary trip to Egypt in 1828 on a quest to prove the truth of his groundbreaking theories and to save the treasures of the pharaohs from destruction. Egypt in the early 19th centure was a land of legends and miracles - and a land full of danger. Heading a team of reaserchers as he travelled from site to site, from Alexandria to Abu Simbel, the man they called 'the Egyptian' faced formidable enemies determined to prevent him from succeeding in his mission. With a historian's eye for detail and a potent imagination, Christian Jacq tells the incredible true story of this man of action and dedicated scholar, the father of modern Egyptology.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #230462 in Books
• Published on: 2004-01-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

Review
The story, heavily based on fact but with a liberal dose of fictional thrills and adventures thrown in, is told in the voice of Egyptologist Jean-Francois Champollion. The Father of Egyptology is on his deathbed and is telling the story of his remarkable life to young daughter Zoraide. What follows is a tense, gripping yarn that plunges the reader into the enchanting world of early-19th century Egypt. The vast land is only just being opened up to Westerners and it remains a place of legend and enchantment. Champollion has had a lifelong yearning to visit Egypt, especially to protect its treasures from corrupt officials and incompetent archaeologists - and most of all he wants to prove that his theory of how to transcribe hieroglyphs is correct. Not everyone welcomes Champollion's good intentions, however, and he finds there is danger around the corner of every pyramid. A beautifully-crafted, atmospheric work that cleverly draws in many of the words and statements Champollion is known to have uttered. (Kirkus UK)

About the Author
Born in Paris in 1947, Christian Jacq first visited Egypt when he was seventeen, went on to study Egyptology and archaeology at the Sorbonne, and is now one of the world's leading Egyptologists. He is the author of the internationally bestselling RAMSES series, THE PLACE OF TRUTH series and the stand-alone novel, THE BLACK PHARAOH. Christian Jacq lives in Switzerland.