Le panthéon égyptien

In 1822, Champollion discovered the key hieroglyphics by deciphering the Rosetta stone: the land of the Pharaohs was finally to reveal its mysteries. The following year, the editor Firmin-Didot suggested to Champollion that he produce a work comprising approximately 200 illustrations and 450 pages of text which would be entitled the Egyptian Pantheon. The premature death of Champollion robbed him of the time needed to complete his work, and well known deities such as Isis, Osiris and Horus are absent. Despite that, the aesthetic beauty of these divine figures remains fascinating, through their admirable reproductions by Léon Jean-Joseph Dubois and clear, well-informed presentation by Champollion. Of course, certain interpretations may now seem slightly outdated, but the extraordinary genius of what we label Egyptian offers us access, thanks to this work which nevertheless represents a unique archive document, to the grandeur of a civilisation which is the source of eternal fascination.