Egypt & France: A 200-Year Love Affair (4 Week Course)

Tuesday evenings, June 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Please note: Each lecture will be recorded and sent out to registrants right after - for those not able to watch them live

Led by Dr. Olivier Courteaux PHD history, Sorbonne & Laura Ranieri MA Egyptology, University of Toronto.

Week One: Tuesday June 9, 7pm: Napoleon in Egypt: the rebirth of global Egyptomania

For centuries the great wonders of the ancient Egyptian civilization had been lost to much of the Western world. Its mysterious language forgotten. Its ruins covered over with drifting sand. In 1798, with the coming of Napoleon, his troops and his band of scientists and artists Egypt was rediscovered,mapped -and fully revealed to the world. Learn about the reasons Napoleon came to Egypt, the battles he fought, and how his team of "savants" (learned men) sparked Egyptomania across the globe.

Week Two: Tuesday June 15, 7pm : Champollion, The Rosetta Stone and the Origins of the Louvre's Egypt Collection

Twenty years following Napoleon's expedition to Egypt, the deciphering of the hieroglyphs by Champollion revealed the intricacies of an exceptional civilization. The fascination for Egypt continued as the French public welcomed with enthusiasm a string of discoveries: the Serapeum of Saqqarah, the Temples of Edfu and Abydos...

A look at the French scientists and archeologists who made it possible, from Champollion to Mariette, who founded the Cairo Museum and designed the Egyptian pavilion for the 1867 international exhibition in Paris.

Week Three: Tuesday June 22 , 7pm Egyptian Obelisks: The origins, meaning... and journey of one to the Place de la Concorde in Paris

This fascinating talk will reveal the fascinating ancient origins of Obelisks. Why they were created by the Ancient Egyptians, how they were made --and their meaning in Ancient Egyptian religion. We will then recount the fascinating story of the journey of one of Ramses II's obelisk from Luxor Temple all the way to Paris in the 1830s, making it the oldest monument in the French capital.

Week Four Tuesday June 29, 7pm:The Suez -From the Canal of the Pharaohs to a Vital Trade Route

Learn how the Suez Canal that we know today is only the most recent of several man-made waterways that snaked their way across Egypt in ancient times. We will learn of the ancient origins of the Suez Canal and then delve into the complexities of its conflict-fraught recent history in this final engaging ancient and modern history talk.

About Your Instructors

Olivier Courteaux received his B.A. in history, M.A. in war and conflict studies and Ph.D. in contemporary international relations from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. He has lectured at various Canadian universities, including Ryerson and the Royal Military College of Canada.He is the author of The War on Terror: the Canadian Dilemma (2009), Canada Between Vichy and Free France, 1940-1945(2013) and Quatre journées qui ébranlèrent le Québec on Charles de Gaulle’s famous 1967 “Vive le Québec Libre”(2017). He is working on his latest book,The Empress Eugenie at Suez, 1869: France and Egypt during the Second Empire.

www.oliviercourteaux.com

Laura Ranieri (MA Egyptology, Founder of Ancient Egypt Alive) is an Egyptologist, writer and the founder of Ancient Egypt Alive based in Toronto. She has taught, written and presented on ancient Egypt subjects across North America – and developed and led unique tours to Egypt and North American Museums. Laura has excavated in Egypt at Amarna and South Asasif and in Bulgaria at a classical Greek site. She began her career as an actress and travel TV show host, and is passionate about story-telling and bringing the fascinating history of Ancient Egypt Alive to the general public.

www.ancientegyptalive.com