- When Napoleon invaded Egypt, he brought dozens of scientists with him.
- Astronomers, mathematicians, and naturalists spent three years studying the country.
- Napoleon’s invasion failed, but it led to some groundbreaking scientific work.
It’s been a year since Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” debuted. It earned three Oscar nominations, including for visual effects and costumes. The film had epic battles and sulky moments from Joaquin Phoenix, who portrayed the general.
However, the movie didn’t cover much about Napoleon Bonaparte’s interest in science, which had a profound impact on France’s intellectual pursuits following his reign.
When Napoleon invaded Egypt in July 1798, he brought more than just tens of thousands of soldiers. He also recruited over 150 scientists, known as savants, to accompany him.
They arrived “with the aim of both study and exploitation,” according to one archaeologist.
A little over a month later, on August 23, 1798, the scientific society called the Institut d’Égypte, which still exists today, held its inaugural meeting in a lavish palace in Cairo and appointed Napoleon as its first vice president.
Napoleon wanted to use the country’s natural resources, history, and culture for France’s benefit. He urged the savants to focus on projects like improving bread ovens, purifying the Nile’s water, and brewing beer without hops.
The scientists’ tasks were made more difficult because the ship carrying much of their surveying and scientific equipment had sunk. Then, after a series of defeats in Egypt, Napoleon returned to France in 1799 and left many of the scientists stranded.
Despite setbacks, the engineers, mathematicians, naturalists, and others spent nearly three years surveying, documenting, and collecting everything from antiquities to mummified remains to animals largely unknown to the West.
Their work led to some novel discoveries, helped formalize sciences like archaeology, and spurred an infatuation with Egypt that’s continued ever since.
