While Egyptian exploration can be traced to as early as the Renaissance, it was during the Age of Enlightenment that European states sent research expeditions to explore the intriguing monuments and edifices along the Nile. This course explores the intellectual, political, and socio-economic background of Europe’s discovery of Egypt during the Age of Enlightenment. * NELC 002a, The Discovery of Egypt and Europe's Age of Enlightenment Nadine MoellerĮuropean interest in Egypt extends back to the 17th century and was fueled simultaneously by the idea of the mysterious Orient as well as the Enlightenment drive to explain through science and reason the birth and rise of human civilization.
