Page 83 - All About History 58 - 2017 UK

Time Traveller’s Handbook

NAPOLEONIC EGYPT
WHO TO BEFRIEND WHO O AVOIDO TO AVOID
Dominique Vivant Denon Murad Be ey F G 4FIG.04
This artist, writer and diplomat has somehow managed to Before thee French arrived,
Murad Beyy effectively
survive the French Revolution, despite being a baron and a M y
former friend of Louis XV. In Egypt, as one of Napoleon’s savants s savants, co-ruled EgEgypt as co
d
he head oof the
Denon is almost like an embedded war corresped war correspondent, travelling FI G 3G.03 th
with the troops and maki groops and making sketches of the ancient Mameluke e Army. M
,
ut Murad d was
monumments, sometimes even when under Bu as
h
fire from m the enemy. The results will ou tclassed y t d by
be publi ished in his book Travels in Nap ’s f
poleon’ forces
k T
Lower an y t i in 1802.t 8 an d defea ated at thed
nd Upper Egypt
y
ng with h
Tag along h him to discover Batt tle of t the Pyramids.
l
d
temples a and ruins, including Havi ing retreated to
h
the Coloss si of Memnon and the Uppe er Egy ypt, he’s
Kiosk of T Trajan. . wagin
ng a guerrilla war
g agains st Ge enerals
sa x
Extra tip: Desaix
Napoleon’s s troops begin and lébe er. Kl
marching e each day at 1am, when H Howev
ver,
g
it is still cool. If you are exploring Mur a is f ficklead i
oo
f
d mbit tious. In amb
h
with
the ruins w h Denon during the and .
d
su
day, make sure you still get an 1800, he w ll cut a deal he will l
éber refusing to
early night. You’ll need to keep YY with Kléb
Yo
pport B
relentless p
up with the r l l pace supp B British and Ottoman
p t to oust the French and events
of the army a as it pushes attemp h h
l hel elp suppress an uprising in Cairoh
south in purs suit of actively
nge for governing Upper Egypt.
Murad Bey. in exchanng
ng
W W y j p g
With the right skills you can join Napoleon’s contingent th thith the rightith th
Wi
of 150 s
savants an nd explore Egypt’s wonders
Survey i ging
F
F GIG.05
If f yyou can help the Fr ench
p
engineers compil le the
heir maps
of Egypt, you will be g get to
see the whole country y.
FIG.06
06
R Read FI 06
ancient FI
FIG.07G.07
languag eses
osetta Stone
The Ros a Sto Zoology
as d s overed
was disco ed As well as charting
p leon’s
on Napol s maps and recording
exped but ruins, Napoleon
dition bu
ed
was confiscated brought naturalists
by th h a to collect and
y he British and
not f fully decoded catalogue plants and
y
od
until 1822. An n animals, including
understanding g the pufferfish and
of of Ancient crocodiles that lived
k
l
G Greek would on the Nile, and the
hel
h lp to speed desert mongoose.
up the process s.
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