Frédéric Cailliaud’s travel accounts and drawings were pivotal contributions to the development of Egyptology in the 19th century. Cailliaud, born in 1787, became a prominent French naturalist, mineralogist, and conchologist. From 1815 to 1827, he travelled extensively throughout Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia, collecting minerals and making observations. He rediscovered the ancient emerald mines of Mount Zubarah and long forgotten routes to the Red Sea. Upon his return to France, he published his observations along with illustrations of ancient tombs and artifacts. Sadly, Cailliaud’s description of the Meroë pyramids, located 100 miles (ca. 161 km) north of Khartoum, drew the attention of treasure-seeking Europeans who damaged the pyramids searching for lootable artifacts.

Description: Cailliaud, Frédéric. Voyage à Méroé :au fleuve Blanc, au-delà de Fâzoql dans le midi du royaume de Sennâr, à Syouah et dans cinq autres oasis; fait dans les années 1819, 1820, 1821 et 1822. Paris : Par autorisation du roi, à l’Imprimerie royale, 1826-1827. 
Persistent Link: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL:4740643
Repository: Widener Library
Institution: Harvard University

* This post was originally posted by Bill Comstock on the “Preserving Harvard’s Library Collections” blog – THE SHELF.