“THE DISCOVERIES I HAD BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MAKE IN THIS COUNTRY”: SIX UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GIOVANNI B. BELZONI TO WILLIAM J. BANKES (1817-19)
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
This article publishes for the first time six letters exchanged between Giovanni Battista Belzoni and William John Bankes between 1817 and 1819, a pivotal period in the formation of Egyptian pre-archaeology. Written in Italian and imperfect English, these documents illuminate Belzoni’s major undertakings beyond his 1820 Narrative, including the removal of the “Young Memnon,” the opening of the Great Temple of Abu Simbel, the clearing of Khafra’s pyramid, the discovery of several royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, and explorations in Bahariya and the Fayum. They also reveal the uneven dynamics between the self-made Italian strongman-turned-explorer and the cultivated English gentleman who patronised him. The correspondence traces the rise of their collaboration and its gradual deterioration, shaped by class disparity, competing ambitions, and shifting claims over discoveries. Edited with minimal orthographic intervention, these letters offer new archival insights into Belzoni’s methods, motivations, and intellectual positioning within early European antiquarian networks.
Recommended Citation
Salvoldi, Daniele. “‘THE DISCOVERIES I HAD BEEN FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO MAKE IN THIS COUNTRY’: SIX UNPUBLISHED LETTERS FROM GIOVANNI B. BELZONI TO WILLIAM J. BANKES (1817-19).” In Digging for Ancient Egypt and Egyptology in the Archives: Studies Presented to Marilina Betrò, edited by Gianluca Miniaci, Christian Greco, Paolo Del Vesco, Mattia Mancini, and Cristina Alù, 1st ed., 3:47–56. Pisa University Press S.R.L., 2024. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.26526662.8.