Prussian expedition to Egypt

The participants of the Prussian Egypt expedition on the top of the Great Pyramid, watercolor by Johann Jakob Frey, 1842

The Prussian Expedition to Egypt (full name Royal Prussian Expedition to Egypt and Ethiopia , also called Lepsius Expedition ) was a scientific research expedition that took place from 1842 to 1845 to Egypt and Nubia .

In 1840, the young Egyptologist Richard Lepsius (1810–1884) applied to the Prussian King Friedrich Wilhelm IV (1795–1861) for funds for a scientific expedition to Egypt. Thanks to the support of Christian Karl Josias von Bunsen , these were approved, also in order to acquire Egyptian monuments for the Berlin museums and thus strengthen them in comparison to other European museums. The research trip took place from autumn 1842 to 1845.

Attendees

• Richard Lepsius (1810–1884), Egyptologist, leader of the expedition
• Heinrich Abeken (1809–1872), theologian and diplomat
• Joseph Bonomi the Younger (1796–1878), draftsman
• Georg Erbkam (1811–1876), architect
• Carl Franke, plaster former
• Johann Jakob Frey (1813–1865), painter
• Friedrich Otto Georgi (1819–1874), draftsman
• Ernst Weidenbach (1818–1882), draftsman
• Maximilian Ferdinand Weidenbach (1823–1890), draftsman
• James William Wild (1814-1892), architect

Publications of the expedition

• Richard Lepsius: Letters from Egypt, Ethiopia and the Sinai Peninsula: written in the years 1842–1845 during the scientific expedition carried out on the orders of Sr. Majesty of King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia . Berlin 1852 ( digitized version ).
• Richard Lepsius: Monuments from Egypt and Ethiopia: based on the drawings of the scientific expedition sent to these countries by His Majesty the King of Prussia Friedrich Wilhelm IV and carried out in the years 1842–1845 . Berlin 1849–1859 (6 departments in 12 volumes digitized ).
• Monuments from Egypt and Ethiopia. Text ( digitized version ).
  • Vol. 1-3, ed. by Eduard Naville and Ludwig Borchardt , edited by Kurt Sethe , Leipzig 1897–1904.
  • Vol. 4, ed. by Eduard Naville, edited by Kurt Sethe, Leipzig 1901.
  • Vol. 5, ed. by Eduard Naville, edited by Walter Wreszinski , Leipzig 1913.

literature

• Horst Beinlich: The photos of the Prussian expedition 1908–1910 to Nubia. 10 volumes, JH Röll, Dettelbach 2010–2017.
• Elke Freier, Stefan Grunert: A journey through Egypt based on the drawings of the Lepsius expedition in the years 1842–1845 . Henschelverlag, Berlin 1984.
• Elke Freier, Walter F. Reineke (Ed.): Karl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884). Files from the conference on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his death, July 10–12, 1984 in Halle . Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-05-000574-2 .
• Elke Freier, Franziska Naether, Siegfried Wagner (eds.): From Naumburg to the Blue Nile. The Lepsius expedition to Egypt and Nubia . Stadtmuseum Naumburg, Naumburg 2012.
• Ingelore Hafemann (Ed.): Prussia in Egypt, Egypt in Prussia . Kulturverlag Kadmos, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86599-104-1 .
• Agnete von Specht (ed.): Lepsius - The German expedition to the Nile . State Museums in Berlin, Berlin 2006, ISBN 978-3-88609-549-0 .

Web links

Commons : Prussian Expedition to Egypt  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Archives of the expedition at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences
• Prussia in Egypt - Egypt in Prussia. The Royal Prussian Expedition to Egypt (1842–1845) . Text for the exhibition Berlin 2007/08