Egypt: First Contacts

The country of Egypt has long been an interesting one, even as early as the 18th century. Filled with ancient mysteries and tales that date back to the biblical ages and accounts of Egypt, the nation has been an interesting country to many people throughout the world. Of many contacts documented, the first would be the French, in the event of Napoleon Bonaparte and his invasion of Egypt.

[1]

French military leader Napoleon Bonaparte was put in command of the potential invasion of England, however, since the English controlled the English canal, he knew that he would not be successful in completing this mission. Instead, Napoleon thought that another way to get back at the British would be to invade Egypt by threatening their trade routes to India. The French also were in hopes that if they held control over Egypt, that they would be able to control the entire Middle East.

In 1798, many men in the French naval forces set sail for Alexandria, Egypt. An Islamic caste group called the Mamluks were in control of Egypt at this time, however, the French came prepared to win the Battle of the Pyramids. At this time, Napoleon thought that he had won and was now a leader within Egypt. A few days later, the British naval fleet came in and began the Battle of the Nile and won in a drastic blow-out. After many occurrences against him, Napoleon and some of his army retreated back to France because of the impeding war, and the odds were not in the French's favor.

[2]

Soldiers that were still in Egypt during the time of Napoleons retreat, made a very significant discovery in 1799. This discovery was a large black stone, engraved with Greek and Egypt writings on it. It was found in a small village along the delta, called the town of Rosetta. The Rosetta Stone was given to the British once the French surrendered. The writings on the stone dated all the way back to 196 BC. [3]







[1] http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/03/15/article-2293722-0294CDD8000004B0-59_306x455.jpg
[2] http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/rosetta.html
[3] Smith, Christopher. “Napoleon in Africa” (video). 2014. Accessed June 14, 2016. https://learn.liberty.edu/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_303751_1&content_id=_12472189_1.