Egypt and Maps, Or: What Early Modern Maps Are (Not) Telling Us about the History of Egyptology in Europe

Abstract

Egyptology attempts to find its origins and its earliest arche- ological discoveries on ancient maps. However, it is a misun- derstanding of the nature of ancient maps to believe that they could represent a source for a history of discovery. They depict the country as it was known and perceived by Greek and Ro- man people, not the ancient sites discovered or identified by travelers and scholars. However, ancient maps of Egypt are not without use for Egyptology as they depict a summary of every- thing that was known and considered to be important about Ancient Egypt. Through the study of myths about the Egyp- tian origin of mapmaking, consideration of the sources at the disposal of mapmakers, and tracing the evolution of maps of Egypt from the 15th to the 18th century, what people thought of Ancient Egypt can be revealed.