
Lost and Now Found: Explorers, Diplomats and Artists in Egypt and the Near East
Robert W. Lebling
Neil Cooke and Vannessa Daubney, eds.
2017, Archaeopress Publishing LTD, 978-178491-627-5, £38 bp.
The title refers to a treasure trove of forgotten travelers’ tales recovered in recent years by the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East. This volume features 18 compelling stories discovered in neglected manuscripts and other documents after assiduous research. The tales help solve mysteries about Western contacts with the East in previous centuries, adding insights into the Near and Middle East that are often missing from conventional histories. One account tells about the discovery in 2013 of a forgotten 440-page diary from the Karl Lepsius expedition to Egypt in the 18th century—a document “hiding in plain sight” in an Australian museum. The diarist, a 19-year-old German artist, drew hieroglyphics, murals and monuments for lithographs during the three-year expedition. His recollections add new life to a fascinating archeological adventure.
You may also be interested in...
In the Aftermath of Rome's Collapse, These Communities Shaped the Mediterranean
Three regions of the post-Roman Mediterranean, from 400 CE to 1000 CE—the Latin West, Byzantium and the early Islamic world—are the focus of this work.Children's Book Offers Lessons for Any Age
Change is hard, and there are few bigger changes to contend with than that of moving thousands of kilometers away to a different country.Untold Stories of British Muslim Women as Agents of Change
Sociologist Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor and historian Jamie Gilham present 100 years of Muslim women who have contributed to the dynamism of Islam in Britain.