View of Karnak during Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign

The expedition of the Army of the Orient in 1798, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, had a significant scientific component. The scientific team comprised 167 scholars and draughtsmen. Its aim was to study Egypt from every angle.
The exploration of the Karnak site was a pivotal moment, marking the birth of modern Egyptology by revealing the immense ruins of Thebes. The highly comprehensive maps, measurements and drawings of the monumental ruins of Karnak would form the basis of the *Description de l’Égypte*, the first encyclopaedia devoted exclusively to Egypt, edited by Dominique Vivant Denon.
It is an irony of history that Thutmose III, the pharaoh who significantly expanded and left his mark on the Karnak site, is often referred to as the ‘Napoleon of Ancient Egypt’ because of his lightning-fast military campaigns.