THE ROCKS OF THE DESCRIPTION DE L'ÉGYPTE

In May 1798, Napolean Bonaparte set sail for Egypt with a military force of more than 34,000 troops accompanied by 167 prominent scientists and scholars, distinguished members of the National Institute. After Napolean secured Egypt by victories against the Mamelukes, he founded the Institute d'Égypte and directed it to study and describe ancient and modern Egypt. Among the savants were the mineralogist/field geologist, Deodat Gratet de Dolomieu, and the chief engineer of the Royal Corps of Mines, M. de Rozière. In November of 1799, General Jean-Baptiste Kleber, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Orient, wrote from Alexandria to the Commission des Sciences et Arts in Cairo, instructing them to form a committee on the publication of the savant’s research. Napolean ordered the funding of the publication which took approximately 20 years to complete and was titled: Description de l’Égypte ou Recueil des Observations et des Recherches Qui Ont Été Faites en Égypte Pendant l’Expédition de l’Armée Française. This masterpiece consisted of 837 copper plate engravings and more than 3,000 drawings in 11 volumes including: 5 of Antiquities; 3 of Natural History; 2 of Modern State; and one of maps. The rocks of Egypt are illustrated in the Minéralogie section of the Histoire Naturelle volume II bis on 15 engravings labeled Pl. (plate) 1 through 15. Each plate contains 4 to 12 images of the rock and fossil collection engraved in both black and white and in color. The 15 plates are titled: Pl. 1. Syène et les Cataractes, Pl. 2. Éléphantine et Environs de Syène, Pl. 3. Nubie, Environs de Syène et des Cataractes, Pl. 4. Gebel Selseleh &c. Montagne Rouge &c, Pl. 5. Tombeaux des Rois, Pyramides de Memphis, Pl. 6. Déserts Voisins de l’Égypte, Pl. 7. Montagne de Baram, Pl. 8. Déserts Situés Entre Le Nil et la Mer Rouge, Pl. 9. Vallée de Qoseyr, Pl. 10. Vallée et Port de Qoseyr, Birket Qeroun, Pl. 11. Bords de la Mer Rouge et Vallée de l’Égarement, Pl. 12. Arabie Pétrée (Vallée de Pharan, Mont Horeb), Pl. 13. Arabie Pétrée (Nasp, Gebel el Mokatteb, Mont Sinaï.), Pl. 14. Arabie Pétrée (Mont Sinaï, Mont Horeb), Pl. 15. Arabie Pétrée (Râs Mahammed et Côtes du Golfe Élanitique). Images of these original engravings will be presented along with the descriptions by M. de Rozière from : Seconde Édition, Tome Vingt-Unième. Histoire Naturelle. Minéralogie – Zoologie: Explication des Planches de Minéralogie, published in Paris in 1826 by Imprimerie De C.L.F. Panckoucke.