New angle on Giza: when Vivant Denon, who accompanied Napoleon to Egypt, first glimpsed the pyramids, he reported their peaks rising about 10 nautical leagues (roughly 34 miles) north of Cairo — likely during the July–September Nile flood. 18th-century travelers approached from the north by water, seeing the pyramids end-on, and desert mirage plus parallax made it nearly impossible to judge how many stood there or how far apart they were. 📜🏛️
Vivant Denon reported pyramid tips visible 10 nautical leagues north of Cairo
EgyptGeneral
Key facts
- Frederic Louis Norden, a Danish naval officer and artist, sailed the Nile between 1737 and 1738 and provided detailed navigational data
- Vivant Denon, who accompanied Napoleon on the Egyptian campaign, reported the first peaks of the pyramids were visible 10 nautical leagues (roughly 34.5 miles) north of Cairo
- Denon's observation was made at high Nile flood; with no specific date given it can be placed within the July to September range
- Travelers sailing down the Nile saw the pyramids from the north and end-on, unlike modern visitors who approach from the east and see them side-on
- Mirage over hot desert air plus parallax made it hard for observers to judge which pyramid stood in front, how many there were and how far apart they were spaced
- Travelers from Alexandria usually sailed to Abuqir and then proceeded down the Nile, treating the Delta as a crossing to be made quickly
- Pompey's Pillar near Alexandria has a base of ancient blocks bearing hieroglyphs; Norden recorded a failed treasure-hunting attempt to blow up the base, which left it disarranged
- Sarcophagi in the Alexandria area were reused by local Arabs as watering troughs for livestock
- When Norden reached Alexandria the canal was silted up and could be crossed on foot without getting one's feet wet; it was later dredged and refilled
Sources
archive.org
Linked in video description
Vivant Denon - Pinterestco.pinterest.com
Oct 3, 2018 - Explore Santiago Oliveros's board "Vivant Denon" on Pinterest. See more ideas about egyptian pyramids sketch engraving, the sphinx egypt drawing,
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DENON Dominique Vivant Print. This engraving is taken from the Atlas du voyage en Haute et Basse-Egypte by Vivant Denon, plate 12. than 9 feet deep.
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'The Egyptian Expedition' video transcriptionlouvrekids.louvre.fr
Dominique-Vivant Denon points to a group of men on foot, in simpler attire. Holding notebooks and measuring instruments, they look towards the pyramids of Giza.
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