The Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt 1828-1829 in the letters of Champollion

The Franco-Tuscan expedition to Egypt was held under the direction of the French Egyptologist Jean Francois Champollion in 1828-1829. One of the main information sources of this expedition is the correspondence of Champollion. These letters were written at the time of the preparation of this research project and then during his stay in Egypt. The study of these documents helps to determine the goals and objectives of the expedition and gives an idea of the research opportunities. The letters also contain the author's personal experience of exploring ancient Egyptian monuments, the Arab culture and Egypt during the reign of Muhammad Ali. In 1822 Champollion deciphered Egyptian hieroglyphs. Thanks to this discovery the Franco-Tuscan expedition can be considered as the first scientific expedition, which was able to comprehensively explore the monuments. The members of the expedition had to perform a great volume of work: complex research and fixing of all known ancient Egyptian monuments, excavations as well as the completion of the Royal Museum and Library. Champollion also planned to do the determination of the evolution of the ancient Egyptian art, the collection of information about the ancient Egyptian cult and the history of ancient Egypt, the examination of the everyday life of all levels of the population, the perfection of the study of the ancient Egyptian language. The expedition took place thanks to governmental support. The journey was subsidized by Charles X and the Grand Duke of Tuscany Leopold II. The Franco-Tuscan expedition began in August 1828 and lasted until December 1829. During this time the scientists explored Lower and Upper Egypt and Nubia as well as the second cataract. The analysis of the correspondence shows that Champollion’s studies of ancient Egyptian monuments were fully carried out. The main achievement of this expedition is the validation of Champollion's Egyptian grammatical system. In addition, Egyptian monuments were dated for the first time. The inscriptions on these monuments were completely copied and translated. Thanks to the research, these texts became available for further study. The drawings made by artists participating in the expedition allowed an extended study of the heritage of ancient Egypt. They also demonstrated the condition of the monuments at the time of the expedition. Champollion regretted the fate of edifices destroyed or severely damaged due to ignorance of Egyptian fellahs or the greed of European antique dealers. He wrote a note about the conservation of ancient Egyptian monuments and drew the attention of the Egyptian government to the issue of their safety. About two thousand monuments were brought to Europe; some of them were found during the excavations, some were purchased. They entered the collections of the Louvre and of the National Archaeological Museum of Florence.