Focusing primarily on the period between 1822 and Champollion's breakthrough with the Rosetta stone, and 1922 when Howard Carter discovered Tutanhkamen's tomb, this book charts the development and practice of archaeology in Egypt. While I knew about some of the key moments, this book presented Egyptology in the 19th century as practised and developed by a much more broader range of people than I was aware of—some surprisingly brilliant and forward-thinking, others just out for what they could personally grab and benefit from. A good read. ( )

Beginning with the discovery and decipherment of the Rosetta Stone at the beginning of the 19th century and ending with the unearthing of Tutenkhamen’s tomb one hundred years later in 1922, this book traces the origins and development of Egyptology. Prior to the deciphering of the strange ancient hieroglyphs found all over monuments in Egypt, no one, least of all the Egyptians themselves, were particularly interested in the systematic and in-depth study of the ancient and immense society of the pharaohs.

In 1822 the Frenchman Champollion deciphered the three identical inscriptions on the Rosetta Stone, one each in Greek, demotic and hieroglyphs. This allowed us to read and understand the enormous number of inscriptions on monuments all across Egypt. The deep age of ancient Egyptian history, stretching back thousands of years, and our ability to build both a detailed chronology and make connections between the different locations and monuments across Egypt galvanised the scientific community and created an enduring scientific and popular interest in the subject.

Five countries vied for dominance in opening up and understanding Egypt’s history. Initially, the British and French battled for cultural hegemony. In the mid-19th century Germany entered the field. At the end of the century America wanted to show their cultural and scientific chops. Belatedly, in the early part of the 20th century, Egypt wanted to establish its own national identity by controlling Egyptology for the Egyptians.

Against all of this, Wilkinson introduces the key players at each stage, making clear what their individual contribution to the furtherance of understanding of ancient Egypt was. Many of these people were obsessive and, like all obsessives, were given to strange ways. Wilkinson’s examination of these peoples lives adds enormously to the colour of the overall story.

An excellent book about Egyptology rather than Egypt, ancient or modern. ( )

A decent look at the history of Egyptology from its origins during Napoleon's time until the discover of the tomb of Tutankhamun. To be honest, this is more a biography of the major players than the "world beneath the sands" that the title of the book suggests. I was disappointed in that regard. It would've been nice for there to be actual details of the discoveries that made the region famous. Case in point: the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Once the tomb is opened, there is only a few paragraphs dedicated to Howard Carter's "wonderful things" quote. We get no list of what the tomb held, or a description of any kind of the way it was catalogued. And that's the way the entire book is. Most of it takes place above the sands.

A substantial amount of research went into this book. It would have been a lot less dry and more interesting had the author decided to talk more about the antiquities themselves and not the finders. ( )