You quote ”the Egyptian writer Ahdaf Soueif

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• 1. At on , wendym wrote:

– A stela is verso freestanding stone that’s often inscribed, carved or decorated, which is then batteria upright sopra the ground as verso commemorative esibizione for verso person or event. Hope that helps.

Blaming Europeans for salvaging and interpreting ancient monuments is just pathetic

Great page! It looks like the exact photo used on the British Museum rosetta stone jigsaw that I am currenly really, really struggling with. This will really help. 😀

of course it was found by the French sopra the context of Napoleon’s invasion of the country, and then appropriated by the British when they defeated him, and the French and the British argued over it. No-one seems puro have considered that it belonged onesto neither of them.” The stone was removed from the temple where Ptolemy’s priests first erected it either by the Persians or the Arabs, then ended up as rubble by action of the Ottomans. Modern Egypt rose, thanks puro European intervention, from the rubble of the Ottoman riempire. From the Persian invasion onwards, its language, culture and politics have no link and bear per niente resemblance whatsoever with ancient Egypt – they only happen to occupy the same fumetto on both margins of the Nile. The Arabs removed countless pieces – especially the columns – from ancient Egyptian and Greek temples onesto prop up their mosques. In the process, Islam erased most of what then existed of Egyptian culture. Modern Egyptians would have in nessun caso preoccupazione of their ”heritage” if it wasn’t for the efforts of European scientists.

As a European Egyptologist, I must admit that I am always struck by the continuity between ancient and modern Egypt durante so many ways, despite the changes per religion and languages over the centuries. And the Egyptian language survived into the Christian Period, of course. Many accounts have down-played the extent that Egypt has been interested mediante its own past, but more recent studies are re-assessing this, such as Okasha el-Daly?s rete di emittenti on medieval Egyptian scholar?s attitude puro the antiquities, and Donald Reid?s rete di emittenti on early modern Egyptian Egyptology. And mai one can question modern Egypt?s commitment to the study and preservation of its own heritage. Incidenrtally, the reuse of earlier monuments for building material is something that was very extensively practised by the pharaohs themselves, most famously perhaps by Ramses II. Richard Parkinson, curator British Museum

Different cultures will apply very similar solutions sicuro the basic needs for food and shelter, when successively occupying the same terrain under the same climate, unless new production and transportation technologies are brought to bear. This may give an impression of continuity. The peasants I’ve seen waiting at train stations in the Sbocco could very well, by dress and demeanour, be taken for their predecessors on the way to the market 3,000 years spillo. However, instead of the deep connection esatto the land and esatto the rhythms of the river one would expect esatto see back then, their faces spoke only of dislocation and despair. The Egyptian language – or its descendant dialects – survived indeed sopra many places into the Christian Period, but was mostly replaced by Arabic not too long after the Muslim conquest. Before Champollion’s work, what was left of its original writing could not be read. And yes, stones – columns, statues, stele – were constantly reused by many civilisations and turned into rubble. One has only onesto visit the Citadel sopra Cairo esatto see that. So, again, my point: why the reprimand preciso Europeans implicit durante your quote? ”?of course it was found by the French sopra the context of Napoleon’s invasion of the country, and then appropriated by the British when they defeated him, and the French and the British argued over it. No-one seems esatto have considered that it belonged esatto neither of them.” The stone belonged esatto mai-one. Should the French soldiers who found it have left it where it was, or the British not have taken it esatto London, perhaps thinking that one day, maybe, the rightful owners, whoever they turned out sicuro be, would get around to reading it? There is no moral case for leaving knowledge buried durante nome utente kasidie deference puro ignorance.