A World Beneath the Sands: The Golden Age of Egyptology

by Toby Wilkinson

A thrilling history of the West’s scramble for the riches of ancient Egypt by the foremost Egyptologist of our time.

From the decipherment of hieroglyphics in 1822 to the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon a hundred years later, the uncovering of Egypt’s ancient past took place in an atmosphere of grand adventure and international rivalry.
In A World Beneath the Sands, acclaimed Egyptologist Toby Wilkinson chronicles the ruthless race between the British, French, Germans, and Americans to lay claim to its mysteries and treasures. He tells riveting stories of the men and women whose obsession with Egypt’s ancient civilization helped to enrich and transform our understanding of the Nile Valley and its people, and left a lasting impression on Egypt, too. Travelers and treasure-hunters, ethnographers and archaeologists: whatever their motives, whatever their methods, a century of adventure and scholarship revealed a lost world, buried for centuries beneath the sands.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Archaeology, Ancient History, Africa, Science

510 pages, Hardcover

First published October 15, 2020

About the author

Dr Toby Wilkinson joined the International Strategy Office in July 2011, working with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Jennifer Barnes) to support the schools, faculties and departments in their international engagements, and to develop the University's international strategy, particularly with regard to research collaborations and relationships with the EU, US, India and China. Prior to this, Dr Wilkinson was the Development Director at Clare College as well as Chairman of Cambridge Colleges Development Group.

As an acknowledged expert on ancient Egyptian civilisation and one of the leading Egyptologists of his generation, Toby Wilkinson has lectured around the world. He has excavated at the Egyptian sites of Buto and Memphis. He is a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Egyptian History and has broadcast on radio and television in the UK and abroad, including BBC’s Horizon and Channel 4’s Private Lives of the Pharaohs, and was the consultant for the BBC’s award-winning documentary on the building of the Great Pyramid.

Upon graduating from the University of Cambridge he received the University’s Thomas Mulvey Prize and was elected to the prestigious Lady Wallis Budge Junior Research Fellowship in Egyptology. He is a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Durham.

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am obsessed with stories of ancient Egypt and any reader like me will be captivated by A WORLD BENEATH THE SANDS. Thinking of pyramids, King Tut’s tomb, hieroglyphics, and the Nile Valley makes me swoon, which I did while devouring this glorious account. It reveals how worldwide adventurers endured cut-throat rivalries to unravel the region’s secrets and treasures.

Toby Wilkinson is a globally renown Egyptologist and also author of the New York Times best-selling The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, which won the Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History. He knows his stuff!

To enhance the experience, I suggest a feast of rich dates, red wine and John Williams’ soaring Indiana Jones’ score while you savor A WORLD BENEATH THE SANDS. Happy reading!

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 20 Oct 2020

Thanks to W. W. Norton & Company and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#AWorldBeneaththeSands #NetGalley

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ancient Egypt- and therefore Egyptology- first piqued my interest when I was fortunate enough to travel up the Nile with my family as a teenager. The pure magnitude and scope of what remains of that ancient civilization, as well as their culture, belief system and even the Nile river itself, captured my imagination. To see objects and remains- both human and otherwise- that stretched back over three millennia was staggering to my young mind. In other words, I am a biased reader of Wilkinson's work as a result of that trip. Ancient Egypt fascinates me.

This is the second work by Wilkinson that I have read after his impressive 'Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt'. His follow up book turns attention to the gradual unveiling of that civilization through the relatively new (mid 19th century) field of study now known as Egyptology. You might think that reading about people digging in sand and studying ancient manuscripts might make for a boring read, but in this case you would be mistaken. From Champollion's decipherment of hieroglyphics in 1822 to Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb a century later, Wilkinson charts the obstacles these adventurers had to overcome, the political rivalries, and the unique characters of those involved. It is all very well done.

In the last chapter Wilkinson inserts a quote from Arthur Weigall that states; "It is the business of the archaeologist to wake the dreaming dead: not to send the living to sleep." It is clear that Wilkinson is determined to do exactly that. 'A World Beneath the Sands' and 'The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt' are both informative and entertaining. I recommend both to anyone with even the slightest interest in Egyptian history. I would start with 'Rise and Fall' first.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toby Wilkinson is a great storyteller, and the people and events he writes about come alive in this book.

That is just the fatal flaw of this book, however: “the people he writes about.” For the people about whom he writes share a delightful common characteristic. They are all Westerners.

The golden age of Egyptology was an age in which the West presumed that it could control, write, unearth, and wholly understand Egypt’s past. After all, Wilkinson cites Balfour unironically:

“We know the civilisation of Egypt better than we know the civilisation of any other country. We know it further back; we know it more intimately; we know more about it. It goes far beyond the petty span of the history of our race, which is lost in the prehistoric period at a time when the Egyptian civilisation had already passed its prime.”

At this point the Gentle Reader must stop and roll her eyes. Dude. This is literally quoted by Edward Said in Orientalism - the seminal text on Western imperialism through scholarship. Toby Wilkinson has set out to write the history of Egyptology as though he has no understanding of the last thirty years of scholarship on that exact topic.

He mentions exactly one Egyptian archeologist by name: Ahmed Kamal. But where every other major figure mentioned in this book receives a lengthy biography, he has maybe 3 sentences on Kamal, and these as afterthoughts. This is a great pity. Kamal somehow became an Egyptologist in a world that looked down upon Egyptians as no more than “natives”. Why is his perseverance, or his story, or his education, not part of Egypt’s golden age?

But it goes on and on and on. He talks about the “discovery of Egypt.” Egypt can’t be discovered! It existed already. This is an age-old topic in Native American studies - no more did Columbus discover the New World. On and on he goes. Overbearing and nice Westerners like Lucy Duff Gordon earn mention (tbh she sounds cool, I would like her, but why is she included? A token woke figure??!), but no Egyptians at all. I don’t even believe we have a single Egyptian quoted here. This to me is like writing a history of 1492 without mentioning the Native Americans. What of the reises who stood with Carnarvon and Carter and Lady Evelyn? We hear that they are faithful, but there are no names.

Wilkinson does highlight the casual racism of some figures but ultimately he does nothing to change the Western-dominated story of Egyptology that has left out the (mostly) men of Egypt who were the backbone of any Egyptological discovery, and whose history was “discovered” and taken from them. By refusing to give them a voice, Wilkinson has bought into the narrative created by the men he profiles.

Perhaps we ought to give Dr. Wilkinson the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps there was simply little information on such marginalized figures. I rather doubt that. But even so, why does he not even acknowledge this? Moreover, had he called his book “A European History” and explained this perspective, it might have mitigated this lack.

I really wanted to love this. Like some other readers I came to the golden age of Egyptology by way of the incomparable Barbara Mertz, and Wilkinson is a first-rate Egyptologist who does best when talking about Ancient Egypt. I really kept hoping I would be proven wrong and that Wilkinson would surprise me- but he didn’t.

For me this book is a massive disappointment because I had such high hopes. Honestly though, it could have been written fifty years ago without much difference. I would much more highly recommend Donald Reid Malcolm’s Whose Pharaohs, which, although it may be less enlivening (it might not put the living to sleep, although I presume one’s readers are intelligent enough to stand a little scholarship) is nuanced and tells the whole story, not just the white 95% male story.

[The Library Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a die hard fan of Elizabeth Peters' epic Amelia Peabody saga it was interesting to read this history of Egyptology, especially the last sections where the historical characters who are on the stage in those books appear in real life. This is a bit dry, but vastly better written than most of the adult non-fiction I have read in recent years, faint praise though that may be, and I'm glad that I did read it, though I struggled to do so at times.

[Patrick Wikstrom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was pumped up to get this book as a present. I love this stuff. I’ve studied and been to Egypt’s temples, tombs, and antiquities. I really wanted to like this book. It’s a thick book of 300 pages, narrowly spaced lines, small font, and a lot of words. Unfortunately not all of them were necessary. While certain sections like the discussion of the Rosetta Stone and the work to decipher hieroglyphics were interesting and had many new facts I hadn’t heard; and the final chapter with the discussion of Harold Carter and his discovery of King Tut’s tomb were highlights. Others were few and far between. Way too many superfluous sections about the rivalries between countries and individuals out to best each other in the quest to loot Egypt’s treasures. The writing was so often boring that I started speed reading just to try and get to the next interesting part. There really wasn’t very much time spent telling the exciting tales of the discoveries. This subject offered so much richness it’s a shame the author wasted his, and our time, researching and writing about silly rivalries and meaningless minutia. 2**

[Tyson Mueller · Rating 2 out of 5]

My low rating of this book is based a lot on my expectations, rather than the quality of the research or writing. However, I don't think it's unfair to expect a book about Egyptology to actually include information about ancient Egypt or how it was studied. Instead, the book is mostly a detailed list of the (predominantly) European men that looted/studied Egypt around the 19th and 20th centuries. It goes into lengthy detail about how they got funding, what institutions they setup, which sites they excavated, but almost nothing about what was actually learned.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

In A World Beneath the Sands Toby Wilkinson explores the beginnings of Egyptology. Starting with Napoleon's Egyptian campaign- which produced no successes for the French army, but widespread fascination with Egypt from the cultural point of view, and finding the famous Rosetta Stone- and stretching on for more than 100 years to Howard Carter's discovery of King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings, Wilkinson offers readers a meticulously well-researched account of European fascination with Egypt's cultural past. From Champollion to Carter, Mariette to Petrie, A World Beneath the Sands explores the methods, discoveries, and motives of the early European archaeologists. Many came to make great discoveries and become famous, others for the thrill of knowledge, and a disturbing number came as little more than glorified treasure hunters. A few, like Petrie, worked hard to establish methods that would record each discovery as it was found. Many more, especially early on, were more than happy to chisel out the pieces they wanted from walls or tombs or literally dynamite out their 'prizes'. The dark history of European museum collections like those found in the Louvre and the British Museum is brought into the light here.

It is easy to read A World Beneath the Sands as a series of adventures and dramas, ruthless battles between (primarily) the French and English for control of, and preeminence in, the cultural knowledge of ancient Egypt. From amateur adventurers to dedicated philologists seeking to unravel the mysteries of Egypt's hieroglyphics, scientific approaches to archaeology are late to the scene and there are plenty of cringe-worthy stories of removing artifacts, obelisks, and temple pieces. Culture clashes, imperialist agendas and debates on who can best care for a culture's history are all brought up, and I thought Wilkinson did a good job of presenting the facts without pressing his own opinion. At the same time, the facts presented rather speak for themselves.

A World Beneath the Sands does an excellent job of telling the story of Europe's discovery of and fascination with Egypt. It is a readable, comprehensive, and accessible account of over 100 years of discovery that never shies away from the harsher results of Europe's imperialistic approach to Egypt's ancient past.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

[timv · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a history of the pillaging of Egyptian artifacts by the imperial European powers of the late 18th,19th and early 20th centuries. It focuses mostly on a chronology of powerful European nations and their adventurers/treasure hunters/archaeologists who dug up what & where and then where did the pilfered goods end up residing.

If you’re looking to learn something about ancient or 18th & 19th century Egyptian culture and history, I suggest looking elsewhere. This book focuses on the Europeans nations and their manipulations of the Egyptian governors of antiquities in their quests to “one up“ each other and discover and possess the next great collection of grave goods.

One thought that kept nagging me while I read this book was wondering that if these artifacts were left in situ and not plundered, what these wonders of Egyptian culture might have revealed to the much better equipped modern day archaeologists who might not be as driven by the competition between the European powers and their personal egos as these men were.

I’m a fan of the BBC TV show, “the detectorists”. In the metal detectoring world, there’s responsible detectorists who follow the law and report when they find a “horde“. Then there’s those who don’t and detect and dig at night, and are referred to as “nighthawks“. Some of these early European Egyptologists dug at night in order to evade the Egyptian officials, thus modeling a behavior for ensuing generations of treasure hunters. In addition, some of these Egyptologists bribed whenever it was necessary. These guys don’t sound like people we should be celebrating. The author traces a fine line in this case, in my opinion. He notes both their celebrated status and their disreputable and immoral tactics and behaviors.

The book has some useful maps at the beginning and some beautiful color plates in the middle of the book. I could’ve used quite a few more illustrations and photos, but I’m glad the author included some images. I found many of the details of the lives and petty tribulations of the Europeans to be quite tedious and offensive reading, but overall, this is this is a well researched, edited, and written book.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

If your purpose in reading this book is purely about information gathering, you won’t be disappointed. Wilkinson gives us the stem-to-stern account of the Golden Age of Egyptology, and his research and analysis want for nothing.

Narratively though, this could have been better. While not as dry as, say, just reading a textbook, this is absolutely not the riveting brand of narrative nonfiction that I enjoy so much.

That fact is especially disappointing given that the subject matter lends itself so well to the concept of storytelling in nonfiction. Wilkinson has clearly tried to go this route (there’s a joke here and there, or at least a few attempts at jokes), but the writing doesn’t flow or grab the way I wished that it would have.

The choice to jump back and forth in time repeatedly to focus on individuals rather than following a linear timeline didn’t help. It would have been more difficult to write this chronologically of course, and I’m guessing that’s why it is formatted as it is.

I certainly appreciate the quality of research demonstrated by the author and I definitely gathered some good information from the book, but the writing really fell short of the standards for good nonfiction.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[❀⊱RoryReads⊰❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

I fear that in the past I have romanticized early Egyptian archeology; my head filled with images of the old Shepheard's hotel and scenes from The Mummy films. This book, and it's explanation of how Britain and France made away with many irreplaceable cultural treasures, mostly with the approval of the short-sighted Egyptian authorities, has cured me. Still, absolutely fascinating.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 years of the prime history of Egyptian archaeology from Champollion's deciphering in 1822 of hieroglyphics from the Rosetta stone to Howard Carter's 1922 opening of Tutankhamun's grave. Excellent review of the main actors in this drama. If you like this you will probably also like Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody's Egyptian mysteries series set also in this golden age of middle eastern archaeology.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been on a major Antiquity binge for some reason the last couple month; classical times were just never really my thing until recently I started getting in the the history of the barbarians (hi, ancestors!) Things have spiraled from there to Rome, Greece, Carthage, Persia and Egypt. This book was a GREAT ethnographic-ish history of not so much Egypt as Egyptology. It was different and really caught my interest.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A monumental work of scholarship, but like other works by Wilkinson, there is no broader narrative, nothing linking everything together. The book reads almost like a list of Egyptologists and their accomplishments. A stronger book would have worked to explain how these different Egyptologists were linked. A stronger work would have shown some sort of arc. Despite his lack of craft, Wilkinson is clearly a first-rate scholar and he has done some great research.

[Bill FromPA · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three stories here, but Wilkinson tells only two of them: the Western archaeologists and scholars who in the course of a century (1822-1922) excavated and documented the history and culture of Ancient Egypt, and the concurrent growth of modern Egypt from an outpost of the Ottoman empire, through domination by France and England, to an independent nation. The missing story is that of Ancient Egypt itself, the history that was being pieced together over the century, which has evidently been dealt with in other books by Wilkinson. I went into this book knowing little of Ancient Egypt and finished knowing only very slightly more; it was interesting reading about the various discoveries, and Wilkinson communicates the thrill and extent of the many achievements the book documents, but they are pieces of a puzzle whose context is never explained in any detail, and the reader is never given the story of how the story of Ancient Egypt came together as a result of the events of which the book tells.

[Jenia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

Thoughts:
- Yikes colonialism.
- All these archaeologists are insane and half seem to have died of overwork.
- I aspire to be like them.
- Minor irritation: the women mentioned got referred to sometimes by last name sometimes by first, while the men only got their last.
- I need to visit an egyptian collection again!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Hans Myers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The history of Egyptology is the history of Imperialism. That is the central argument underpinning Toby Wilkinson's "A World Beneath the Sands," and an argument that he makes clearly and directly. Wilkinson's book examines the century between the translation of the Rosetta Stone and the discovery of the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun - and its coterie of English, French, German, Italian, and American figures are presented not only as the founding fathers of a science, but as the flawed men of their time: disdaining native Egyptians, and comfortable in their white supremacy. It's a dichotomy that serves to remind the reader explicitly that human beings are complex and complicated: and that, often, good intentions can slide into prejudice.

[Dylan Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is surprising how often the exploration and the exploitation of Egypt’s ancient history comes down to imperialism and imperial prestige. The history of Egyptology, as presented by Wilkinson, traces the history of Great Power politics in the world. Want to show how important your state is to global intellectual culture? Send scientists to Egypt, found Egyptian exploration companies, find tombs and mummies. Each boom coincides with a different rise and fall of Western states. What I think it’s really important about this book and the history it tells is the contemporary results of these rushes for mummies. Why are Egyptian artifacts still awaiting repatriation? Because of their status as spoilers of imperial might. How the world deals with this connection between antiquity and power is important for the future of archeology.

Wilkinson traces an intellectual history steeped in politics that informs how we know what we know about Egypt. As well as how these early explorations define current cultural conflicts. Fascinating book.

[Jennifer Coutu · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so enthralling and well written, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I've cultivated an interest in Ancien Egypt since I was about 9 years old, thanks to the good old movie "The Mummy". Since then, I've enrolled in MOOC classes about egyptian archeology and history, but found the teachings really not that accessible, especially because english is not my first language.

This book was a marvel of historical simplification and, at the same time, benefitted from a pleasant prose and a clear and concise writing style. I also enjoyed the fact that the author was regularly making spatio-temporal references to other events and individuals from previous chapters of the book, making it easy to properly situate the action in a timeline.

Also, right at the moment I was thinking to myself : " Where are the women in egyptology ??", I opened the chapter dedicated to two wonderful (but pretty unknown to me) women who left their mark in the discipline.

[Luba · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book about the history of Egyptology from Napoleon expedition to Egypt in 1798 to Carter’s discovery of Tutankhamun’s death chamber in 1922. The author depicts the key angels and demons of the archeological discoveries in Egypt, masterly describes the rivalries between France and Great Britain for domination with later contributions to Egyptology from Germany and the US. The key facts and events are not presented in isolation but rather put in the perspective of 19th century European and Egyptian politics, colonialism, Great war and post-war depression. I highly recommend to read this book to everyone who is interested in history, Egyptology, treasure hunting and 19 century politics.

[Christina Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beyond seeing a King Tut exhibit at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose when I was a kid (did I really see King Tut's mask and Nefertiti's bust, or am I imagining that?), I knew little about Egyptology before reading this book. I was most fascinated by the earlier years between Napoleon and the British and how everyone got their obelisk, and it's impossible not to come away amazed by the ancientness and splendor of Egypt's history, but the sheer "muchness" of it does make it all blend together. After reading this, however, I'll be more interested in giving the overlooked Egyptian finds at the British Museum and the Louvre more than a cursory glance, knowing all the suffering, thievery, and squabbling which went into finding these treasures.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly magisterial tome on the story of Egyptology

This dense, scholarly tome offers a magisterial yet readable and approachable history of the field and discipline of Egyptology, with more than a passing look at how colonialism shaped modern Egypt and Egyptology. This felt very complete and thorough, but not intimidating, so I would recommend it if you have an interest in the subject.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A World Beneath Beneath the Sands presents a look at several artifacts from ancient Egypt. A history of their discovery and short discussions regarding the lives of the explorers who found and/or studied them is presented. The work is basically a history of academic efforts. This was a free review copy obtained through Goodreads.com.

[Tracy Hollander · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did like this book but there was just so much information - names and dates and politics - that it was kind of a chore for me to read.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF. Maybe some readers may still find the pillaging of another culture by dudes from the West romantic and exciting, and while the research in this book has merit, it's a story that's been told before in different regions, across centuries, in multiple versions and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

It's also a mythology that no longer holds water -- the discussion has changed. The approach of this book feels outdated, like it's desperately trying to shore up a legacy that always left out women, non-Westerners, and people of color while valorizing colonial/imperial behavior and taking the Western attitude of superiority at face value. It's a book for the "Golden Age" of Egyptology rather than a book for today about the subject.

Granted, I didn't get very far in this book. However, other reviewers seem to confirm my suspicions that it continues in a similar vein.

[Phillip Fuller · Rating 4 out of 5]

The early years of Egyptology were more of a dark age when excavators were more treasure hunters than seekers of knowledge using careful methods. European archeologists seemed more interested in acquiring trophies for their national museums than preserving the patrimony of Egypt. Later expeditions were more scientific but who knows what was lost to the early excavations? I was more impressed with the discovery of an Ancient Egyptian farmer's cache of writings about his daily life than King Tut's burial mask. European imperialists not only tried to control the resources of other countries but also carried away much of their cultural patrimony. This is a sad legacy of the 19th century rush for empire overseas.

[Aidan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an interesting blend of the history of the developing study of Egypt alongside the countries journey from part of various empires to achieving independence. It was interesting to read of many characters I was unaware of and learn the backstory of famous objects such as the Rosetta stone and the tomb of Tutankhamun. It would have been nice to include a bit more on the actual history of ancient Egypt as I missed a lot of references to various dynasties. It definitely makes me want to visit Egypt!

"Enthusiasm is the only way" Chamillon

"It is the business of the archaeologist to wake the dreaming dead, not send the living to sleep" Weigall

[Liz Mc2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Narrative history with big personalities is just the kind of thing I like on audiobook, and this is a favorite subject. I’ll probably listen again sometime. I appreciated that Wilkinson addresses the colonialist politics of Europeans squabbling over control of Egypt that make the background or motivation of so much Egyptological exploration. But there’s also the fun of deciphering hieroglyphs and making big discoveries.

[Andrés · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a truly remarkable book of a fascinating story. It might be a bit too long in the last few chapters (not the very last one), but it's interesting and informative from start to finish.

This book is not about Ancient Egypt. It's about the adventurers, treasure-hunters, politicians and archaeologists who built the foundations to the understanding of Ancient Egypt as we know it today, the good, the bad and the ugly included.

Politics, war, high drama... this book's got it all. If you're a couch adventurer or amateur historian like me, and believe real-life adventure always outdoes fiction, this book is for you.

27-june-2021

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Endlessly fascinating, detailed and meticulously researched. Excited to read other books by Wilkinson.