Antonio Lebolo: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Remove irrelevant side remark, fix grammar
Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit
 
(26 intermediate revisions by 18 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Italian excavator}}
⚫
{{Infobox person | name = Antonio Lebolo | image =Portrait Drovetti colossal head.jpg
{{Infobox person
| image_size =230px | caption =Lebolo (the first standing from the left) with Drovetti (standing, center) in Egypt in 1819 | birth_name = | birth_date =? | birth_place =Castellamonte, Italy | death_date =unknown, or {{Death date|1830|2|19}} | death_place = Castellamonte, or Trieste, Italy | death_cause = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | residence = | nationality =Italian | other_names = | known_for =Joseph Smith Papyri| education = | employer = | occupation =Excavator, adventurer | title = | salary = | networth = | height = | weight = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | religion = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents =| relatives = | signature = | website = | footnotes = }}
| name = Antonio Lebolo
⚫
| image =Portrait Drovetti colossal head.jpg
| image_size =230px
| caption =Lebolo (the first standing from the left) with Drovetti (standing, center) in Egypt in 1819
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place =Castellamonte, Italy
| death_date =unknown, or {{Death date|1830|2|19|df=y}}
⚫
| death_place = Castellamonte, or Trieste, Italy
| death_cause =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates =
| nationality =Italian
| other_names =
| known_for =Joseph Smith Papyri
| education =
| employer =
| occupation =Excavator, adventurer
| title =
| height =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| boards =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
⚫
}}


'''Antonio Lebolo''' (? – February 19, 1830?) was an [[Italia]]n antiquities excavator and adventurer, best remembered for having acquired the [[Joseph Smith Papyri]].
'''Antonio Lebolo''' (died 19 February 1830?) was an [[Italia]]n antiquities excavator and adventurer, best remembered for having stolen the [[Joseph Smith Papyri]], a collection of documents he took from a burial site in Egypt.


==Biography==
==Biography==
Born in [[Castellamonte]] in the kingdom of [[Piedmont-Sardinia]], Lebolo became a ''[[gendarme]]'' during the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Napoleonic occupation of Italy]]; after the [[Concert of Europe|Restauration]] he fled to [[Egypt]] where he became an agent of [[Bernardino Drovetti]], who was the French [[Consul]]-General of Egypt as well as an ardent antiquities collector.<ref name=m>{{cite book |last= Peterson |first=H. Donl|authorlink=H. Donl Peterson|editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H. |title= Encyclopedia of Mormonism|url= |publisher= Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University |date=1992 |pages= 132–33 |chapter= Origin of the Book of Abraham |isbn=0-87579-924-8}}</ref><br>
Born in [[Castellamonte]] in the kingdom of [[Piedmont-Sardinia]], Lebolo became a ''[[gendarme]]'' during the [[Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)|Napoleonic occupation of Italy]]; after the [[Concert of Europe|Restauration]] he fled to [[Egypt]] where he became an agent of [[Bernardino Drovetti]], who was the French [[Consul-General]] of Egypt as well as an ardent antiquities collector.<ref name=m>{{cite book |last= Peterson |first=H. Donl|author-link=H. Donl Peterson|editor-last= Ludlow |editor-first= Daniel H. |title= Encyclopedia of Mormonism|publisher= Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University |date=1992 |pages= 132–33 |chapter= Origin of the Book of Abraham |isbn=0-87579-924-8}}</ref>
Lebolo oversaw many excavations mainly in the zone of [[Luxor]], usually on behalf of Drovetti and sometimes for himself. He apparently was as ruthless as his boss Drovetti, as [[Giovanni Battista Belzoni]] reported during one of his excavations at [[Karnak]] in 1818 and later: along with another Piedmontese agent named Rosignani, Lebolo harassed and maybe even tried to murder Belzoni, and later managed to steal some of his finds excavated at [[Philae]].<ref name=www>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Warren R. |authorlink1=Warren R. Dawson|last2=Uphill|first2=Eric P. |date=1972 |title=Who Was Who in Egyptology |url= |location= London |publisher= Harrison & sons |page= |isbn= |access-date= July 11, 2015}}, p.&nbsp;166</ref><br>
Lebolo oversaw many excavations mainly in the zone of [[Luxor]], usually on behalf of Drovetti and sometimes for himself. He apparently was as ruthless as his boss Drovetti, as [[Giovanni Battista Belzoni]] reported during one of his excavations at [[Karnak]] in 1818 and later: along with another Piedmontese agent named Rosignani, Lebolo harassed and maybe even tried to murder Belzoni, and later managed to steal some of his finds excavated at [[Philae]].<ref name=www>{{cite book |last1=Dawson |first1=Warren R. |author-link1=Warren R. Dawson|last2=Uphill|first2=Eric P. |date=1972 |title=Who Was Who in Egyptology |location= London |publisher= Harrison & sons }}, p.&nbsp;166</ref>

Between 1817 and 1821<ref name=m/> Lebolo found a [[Egyptian mummy|mummy]] cache in a [[shaft tomb]] at [[Sheikh Abd el-Qurna]]. The finest mummies were given to Drovetti and are now in the [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin]] (no. 504, 505), others were sold to [[Heinrich Menu von Minutoli]], [[Giovanni Anastasi (merchant)|Giovanni Anastasi]], [[Frédéric Cailliaud]] and [[Henry Salt (Egyptologist)|Henry Salt]]; Salt placed the objects he bought in the [[British Museum]] (no. 6705, 6706, 6708 and likely 6950). Lebolo kept the remaining mummies for himself.<ref name=www/>
Between 1817 and 1821<ref name=m/> Lebolo found a [[Egyptian mummy|mummy]] cache in a [[shaft tomb]] at [[Sheikh Abd el-Qurna]]. The finest mummies were given to Drovetti and are now in the [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin]] (no. 504, 505), others were sold to [[Heinrich Menu von Minutoli]], [[Giovanni Anastasi (merchant)|Giovanni Anastasi]], [[Frédéric Cailliaud]] and [[Henry Salt (Egyptologist)|Henry Salt]]; Salt placed the objects he bought in the [[British Museum]] (no. 6705, 6706, 6708 and likely 6950). Lebolo kept the remaining mummies for himself.<ref name=www/>


Lebolo died some years after these events, possibly on February 19, 1830 in Castellamonte<ref name=m/> or in an unknown date in [[Trieste]].<ref name=www/>
Lebolo died some years after these events, possibly on February 19, 1830 in Castellamonte<ref name=m/> or in an unknown date in [[Trieste]].<ref name=www/>


===Joseph Smith Papyri===
==Joseph Smith Papyri==
{{main|Joseph Smith Papyri|Book of Abraham}}
{{main|Joseph Smith Papyri|Book of Abraham}}
[[File:Joseph Smith Papyrus I.jpg|thumb|Joseph Smith Papyrus I]]
[[File:Joseph Smith Papyrus I.jpg|thumb|Joseph Smith Papyrus I]]
A few years later a man named Michael H. Chandler claimed to be Lebolo's nephew and demanded Lebolo's goods in inheritance. In 1833 he obtained what he wanted and took the mummies belonging to his purported uncle and some accompanying papyri to the [[United States]], selling them during his travels. In 1835 Chandler met [[Joseph Smith]], the founder of [[Mormonism]], and some of his affiliates.<ref name=m/> Since Smith claimed to be able to read [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], Chandler showed the papyri to him. Smith purchased the mummies and the papyri, and interpreted some of the writings and scenes as some life events of the two partiarchs [[Abraham]] and [[Joseph (patriarch)|Joseph]] whom, according to the [[Bible]], both stayed in Egypt. The papyri were soon called the ''Joseph Smith Papyri'' and formed the core of Smith's work ''Book of Abraham''.<ref name=m/>
A few years later, a man named Michael H. Chandler claimed to be Lebolo's nephew and demanded Lebolo's goods in inheritance. In 1833 he obtained the inheritance and took the mummies and some accompanying papyri to the [[United States]], selling them during his travels. In 1835, Chandler met [[Joseph Smith]], the founder of [[Mormonism]], and some of his affiliates.<ref name=m/> Since Smith claimed to be able to translate [[Egyptian hieroglyphs]], Chandler showed him the papyri. Smith purchased the mummies and papyri, and interpreted some of the writings and scenes as some life events of the two patriarchs [[Abraham]] and [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]]. The papyri were soon called the ''Joseph Smith Papyri'' and formed the core of Smith's [[Book of Abraham]].<ref name=m/>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->

| NAME = Lebolo, Antonio
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = Italian excavator, adventurer
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH = Castellamonte
| DATE OF DEATH = February 19, 1830?
⚫
| PLACE OF DEATH = Castellamonte or Trieste
⚫
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebolo, Antonio}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebolo, Antonio}}
[[Category:1830 deaths]]
[[Category:1830 deaths]]
Line 33: Line 61:
[[Category:Italian explorers]]
[[Category:Italian explorers]]
[[Category:19th-century Italian people]]
[[Category:19th-century Italian people]]
[[Category:History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]
[[Category:History of the Latter Day Saint movement]]
[[Category:Pearl of Great Price (Mormonism)]]
[[Category:People from the Metropolitan City of Turin]]
[[Category:Book of Abraham]]

Latest revision as of 08:50, 23 December 2023

Antonio Lebolo
Lebolo (the first standing from the left) with Drovetti (standing, center) in Egypt in 1819
Born
Castellamonte, Italy
Diedunknown, or (1830-02-19)19 February 1830
Castellamonte, or Trieste, Italy
NationalityItalian
Occupation(s)Excavator, adventurer
Known forJoseph Smith Papyri

Antonio Lebolo (died 19 February 1830?) was an Italian antiquities excavator and adventurer, best remembered for having stolen the Joseph Smith Papyri, a collection of documents he took from a burial site in Egypt.

Biography[edit]

Born in Castellamonte in the kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, Lebolo became a gendarme during the Napoleonic occupation of Italy; after the Restauration he fled to Egypt where he became an agent of Bernardino Drovetti, who was the French Consul-General of Egypt as well as an ardent antiquities collector.[1] Lebolo oversaw many excavations mainly in the zone of Luxor, usually on behalf of Drovetti and sometimes for himself. He apparently was as ruthless as his boss Drovetti, as Giovanni Battista Belzoni reported during one of his excavations at Karnak in 1818 and later: along with another Piedmontese agent named Rosignani, Lebolo harassed and maybe even tried to murder Belzoni, and later managed to steal some of his finds excavated at Philae.[2]

Between 1817 and 1821[1] Lebolo found a mummy cache in a shaft tomb at Sheikh Abd el-Qurna. The finest mummies were given to Drovetti and are now in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin (no. 504, 505), others were sold to Heinrich Menu von Minutoli, Giovanni Anastasi, Frédéric Cailliaud and Henry Salt; Salt placed the objects he bought in the British Museum (no. 6705, 6706, 6708 and likely 6950). Lebolo kept the remaining mummies for himself.[2]

Lebolo died some years after these events, possibly on February 19, 1830 in Castellamonte[1] or in an unknown date in Trieste.[2]

Joseph Smith Papyri[edit]

Main articles: Joseph Smith Papyri and Book of Abraham
Joseph Smith Papyrus I

A few years later, a man named Michael H. Chandler claimed to be Lebolo's nephew and demanded Lebolo's goods in inheritance. In 1833 he obtained the inheritance and took the mummies and some accompanying papyri to the United States, selling them during his travels. In 1835, Chandler met Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, and some of his affiliates.[1] Since Smith claimed to be able to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs, Chandler showed him the papyri. Smith purchased the mummies and papyri, and interpreted some of the writings and scenes as some life events of the two patriarchs Abraham and Joseph. The papyri were soon called the Joseph Smith Papyri and formed the core of Smith's Book of Abraham.[1]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e Peterson, H. Donl (1992). "Origin of the Book of Abraham". In Ludlow, Daniel H. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Mormonism. Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. pp. 132–33. ISBN 0-87579-924-8.
  2. ^ a b c Dawson, Warren R.; Uphill, Eric P. (1972). Who Was Who in Egyptology. London: Harrison & sons., p. 166
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antonio_Lebolo&oldid=1191398786"