The Great Belzoni: The Circus Strongman Who Discovered Egypt's Ancient Treasures (International Library of Historical Studies) - Softcover

Stanley Mayes

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1845113330 ISBN 13: 9781845113339

Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2008

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Review:

Belzoni is 'one of the most striking and interesting figures in the history of eastern travel.' --The Dictionary of National Biography

About the Author:

Stanley Mayes was a respected historian and biographer, highly regarded for his work on Egypt, archaeology and the history of the Ottoman Empire.

About this edition

• Publisher: Tauris Parke Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1845113330
• ISBN 13: 9781845113339
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360