Wilkinson’s ambitious focus is the hundred years of Egyptology between Jean-Francois Champollion’s groundbreaking deciphering of the Rosetta stone in 1822 and Howard Carter’s sensational discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 ... The quiet yet salient revelation of Wilkinson’s study — and what makes the story of 19th-century Egyptology relevant now — is how the Anglo-French obsession with Egypt’s past and their frantic bid for control of its future gradually spurred the downtrodden modern Egyptians toward a newfound self-awareness ... All the fascinating giants of Egyptology appear here ... This is a riveting, sometimes appalling story. I think it’s important to say that Wilkinson’s prose style is so smooth and straight and unadorned as to be nearly nonexistent ... Wilkinson is a consummate historian ... Rarely do facts speak this clearly.
A World Beneath the Sands tells a gripping story by means of all the wayward eccentrics and heroic archaeologists who devoted their lives to uncovering the world’s most ancient and dazzling monuments from beneath unimaginable depths of windblown sand ... The story zips along as they race against each other ... In 1923 Arthur Weigall complained about the arid scholarliness of many of his fellow Egyptologists ... He would have loved this book.
Toby Wilkinson’s new history of the golden age of Egyptology is also very much a history of western willy-waving ... Over the course of his fluent and entertaining narrative, the explorations and excavations of archaeologists are always placed firmly in the context of great power politics ... Wilkinson, framing Champollion’s character and achievements against the backdrop of French colonial ambitions, does not hesitate to frame them as well against the almost complete lack of interest shown by Egyptians in the antiquities of their country ... The challenge faced by Champollion, of negotiating a tension between a buried past and an uncertain future, did not end with him, however ... Wilkinson has a talent for vignette, and by sketching how different scholars and archaeologists negotiated the demands of their infant discipline he succeeds as well in creating a consistently fascinating gallery of characters.
... [a] fine history of Egyptian archaeology, which, besides being a splendid survey of real-life Egyptian civilization, provides answers to interesting archaeological questions ... The people engaged in the discoveries are a compelling study ... This is a fine book in every respect; it has lots of photos, plenty of notes and excellent recommendations for more reading. If you're looking for something beyond a magazine article or TV documentary, this is a satisfying deep dive into a world that continues to capture our imaginations.
...colorful ... The story that strings these wonderful characters together is the steady professionalisation of Egyptology — the shift, as Wilkinson puts it, from 'scoundrels to scholars' ... A more significant absence is a sense of Wilkinson’s ultimate attitude to all that western 'collecting' ... beyond the admiration and the scholarship, the imperialism and the looting — all skilfully and entertainingly plotted here — there is surely another story to tell.
It would be hard to overstate the excellence of Wilkinson’s storytelling — and I was surprisingly distraught to think that there can never be a sequel ... Late on in A World Beneath the Sands I realised what I should probably have studied was not Egyptology but Egyptologists.
Wilkinson is a master storyteller, and the narrative is so engaging that readers will find it hard to put down. This comprehensive study is highly recommended for anyone interested in the exploration and study of Egypt, both ancient and modern.
[A] dramatic, detailed and eccentric-packed story of the century between the decoding of the Rosetta Stone in 1822 and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 ... as Toby Wilkinson shows, the discovery of lost monuments, grave goods and mummified corpses also stimulated the emergence of their true inheritors, the modern Egyptian nation.
Perhaps Egyptology equips people to create illusions. If Toby Wilkinson’s new book, A World Beneath the Sands, is anything to go by, some Egyptologists operate under quite a large one: that the history of their field is something to celebrate rather than scrutinise. The drama plays out against palm trees, pyramids and Nile boats, with top billing for white European men. A few Americans and Englishwomen take minor roles; Egyptians are somewhere in the wings.
Refreshingly, Wilkinson dedicates a chapter to two women: Lucie Duff Gordon and Amelia Edwards ... The author also includes images, maps, and a timeline. A lively survey by an eminence in the field.
Wilkinson marshals a wealth of detail into a cohesive and entertaining narrative. The result is an essential portrait of how the rediscovery of '[Egypt’s] ancient past paved the way for its modern rebirth.'
