The Great Belzoni: The Circus Strongman Who Discovered Egypt's Ancient Treasure

(, Annotated edition)

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This is the truly extraordinary life story of Giovanni Belzoni - engineer, barber, monk, actor and circus strongman (where he earned his title, 'The Great Belzoni'), who became one of the giants of 19th century Egyptian archaeology. Sometimes maligned as a tomb robber, Giovanni Battista Belzoni is perhaps the most important and yet least remembered explorer and archaeologist of the last two hundred years. Giovanni Belzoni was the first person to penetrate the heart of the second pyramid at Giza and the first European to visit the oasis of Siwah and discover the ruined city of Berenice on the Red Sea. In 1823, at the age of forty-five, Belzoni died of fever trying to reach the mysterious city of Timbuktu. There has never been a character quite like him in the history of exploration.

Reviews

If you wish to find inspiration for Allen Quartermain and Indiana Jones go no further, for here is an entertaining account of a fascinating character. * Chichester Observer *
Belzoni is one of the most striking and interesting figures in the history of eastern travel. * Ancient Egypt Magazine *

Author Bio

Stanley Mayes was a respected historian and biographer, highly regarded for his work on Egypt, archaeology and the history of the Ottoman Empire. He was also a broadcaster, political commentator on for the BBC Overseas service and BBC World Service and freelance journalist. He was working on his fifth book about Charles James Fox at the time of his death in 1992.