The protagonist of today’s story discovered
ancient tombs, explored secret passages inside pyramids and recovered artefacts as old as
time - while getting into fistfights, foiling assassination attempts with his trusty whip,
dodging bullets amongst Egyptian ruins and facing the opposition of a French rival. Sounds familiar? No, not you IndianaJones, we don’t do fictional
characters (well, sometimes we do but we are sly about it). Today it’s about Giovanni Battista Belzoni,
[Djo-van-neeh Bat-tee-sta Bell-dzo-neeh], the Italian circus strongman, adventurer,
explorer, tomb raider, early archaeologist and father of modern Egyptology. A restless childhood
Giovanni Battista Belzoni was born Giovanni Battista Bolzon [Ball-zone] on the 5th of
November 1778 in Padua, Northern Italy, back then part of the independent Republic of Venice1. All we know of his family is that his father
was a barber and that he shared a home with 13 siblings2. He displayed signs of rebellion and lust for
adventure at a very early age. He was 13 when he rebelled to his father’s
wishes that he apprenticed as a barber and run way from home, dragging with him his younger
brother of 92 Their objective: to reach Rome, the eternal
city! After days of endless walking they got there! Or so they thought. They were actually in Bologna, 400 km North
of Rome3. Not a bad start for an explorer (!)
Giovanni, or ‘Giobatta’[Djo-Bat-tah] as his brother used to call him, did not surrender. Three years later with the help of an aristocratic
friend he finally made it to Rome! Yes! Where he became … a barber2 … ?
Nothing wrong with barbers, I respect them and they respect me. But that’s not what he wanted to do. Giobatta had started to show an interest in
the new science of hydraulic engineering, but did not have the occasion to put it into
practice yet4 Then, at the age of 18 his girlfriend dumped
him. His totally rational and measured reaction
was to take religious vows and become a Capuchin friar2
It was with the monks that he first put into practice his love of hydraulics, by building
wells and irrigation systems for the Convent2. Giobatta had a restless soul and soon he had
outgrown the convent life … quite literally: he had become a giant of 6 foot 7, or 2 metres,
almost as wide and strong as an ox. Not very credible, as a contemplative monk
… History came to the rescue when Napoleon entered Rome in 1798 and dissolved all religious
orders. Giobatta had the chance to join the French
Army, but he sided with the Prussians instead3 The Roman Hercules
Whilst travelling Europe with the Prussian army, Giobatta realised that he was very popular
at county fairs because of his size and people were willing to pay to see him4
He had also perfected his hydraulics skills creating small shows with musical fountains
and magic lanterns 3. At some point in the early 1800s he had left
the army and made his way to the Netherlands, funding his travels with his shows. It was after one of these shows that he had
a slight misunderstanding with some French soldiers. The details are not known, except that Giobatta
the Giant apparently battered the soldiers4 . That meant he had to flee to the only place
in Europe where Napoleon’s armies could not reach him: Great Britain. The first thing Giobatta did was change his
surname from ‘Bolzon’ to ‘Belzoni’. You see, the lad also had brains: the surname
‘Bolzon’ sounded suspiciously Spanish to untrained English ears, and Spain was an
ally of Napoleon at the time3 Then, he had to ensure a livelihood for himself
and for his newly wedded bride, Sarah. His engineering skills were not appreciated
so Giobatta put in place his Plan B. in 1803 he became a circus Strongman with the name
of “Patagonian Samson” first and then “The Roman Hercules”. The highlight of his show was “the Human
Pyramid”: during his act Belzoni would walk around the stage carrying twelve grown men
on his back. Then, Sarah would climb on top of the Pyramid,
waving a crimson flag2. Other acts included juggling flags while carrying
seven men or lifting a cannon by its muzzle. The show included also a performance of musical
glasses and a magical lantern display, proving that this giant had more intellectual ambitions
than it transpired5 Belzoni became very popular and he and Sarah
started touring Circuses and theatres across Europe, from Edinburgh to Madrid, From Lisbon
to Naples. It was during one of these travels that his
life was going to change direction once again2. Going to Egypt
In February 1815 Belzoni and his wife were sailing back from Naples, when their ship
was forced to dock in Malta: Napoleon had just fled from his exile in Elba and the British
navy in the Mediterranean was inspecting all suspicious vessels. It was in Malta that Belzoni met by total
chance one Mr Baghos, an envoy of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the viceroy of Egypt3 .
Muhammad Ali was one of those characters who treat life like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Of Albanian origin, he had travelled to Egypt
in 1801 to fight against Napoleon with his band of mercenaries. He had quickly risen through the ranks becoming
Viceroy in Cairo, formally subordinate to the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul, but in fact
the true ruler of the Country, doing as he pleased – including keeping a vast harem
of wives and concubines, and siring 95 children6. In addition to single-handedly contributing
to the demographic growth of Egypt, the Pasha was also concerned with growing its economy. He had undertaken a vast modernisation programme
of Egypt’s agriculture focusing on cash crops like cotton and tobacco that required
complex irrigation systems6. So, hydraulic experts were in high demand
… Belzoni was at this time a successful showman,
but the lure of his first love, hydraulics was irresistible. He jumped to the occasion and sold his services
to Baghos, claiming he had designed an irrigation wheel six times as efficient as the ones currently
in use2. In the spring of 1815 Belzoni, his wife Sarah
and a young Irish assistant called James Curtain landed in Cairo. Cairo, and all of Egypt, at that time were
a dangerous place. Even if the Pasha welcomed Europeans, there
were not seen favourably by the majority of the population, including the ruling elite2
, who were suspicious, and rightly so, of their colonial ambitions. Two nations were particularly active on the
Egyptian theatre: Great Britain and France. Their aim: extend their influence over the
Pasha and the country’s economy; but most of all: raid as many ancient Egyptian artefacts
as possible to meet the demands of Museums and private collectors7
The Pasha welcomed Belzoni with open arms. But our Giant found out that his wheel was
not intended to raise the waters of the mighty Nile to irrigate the desert … its aim was
simply to feed the fountains adorning the Viceroy’s harem2. The wheel did work 6 times better as promised,
but during its inauguration a prank by some of the courtiers resulted in it almost crushing
Belzoni’s assistant, James Curtain. It was almost ‘curtain’ for Curtain [subtitle:
Pun intended], when the Italian leapt into the canal and, thanks to his enormous strength,
stopped the wheel just in time2. The wheel unfortunately broke down, marking
the end of Belzoni’s hydraulic career in Egypt. What now? War of the Consuls
Muhammad Ali took pity on Belzoni and his wife and introduced them to the British Consul,
Sir Henry Salt7. Salt had been tasked by the Crown to collect
statues, sarcophagi and other pieces to replenish the Egyptian collection at the British Museum,
which at that time was lagging behind that of their mortal rivals, the Louvre Museum
in Paris8 Salt’s counterpart in the French camp was
Consul Bernardino Drovetti [Bear-nar-dee-naw Draw-vet-teeh]. Born near Turin, in Northern Italy, Drovetti
had fought alongside Napoleon against the hated Austrians. His military prowess had earned him a French
citizenship and given him a taste for the use of explosives, muskets and the services
of cut-throats 8. I should clarify at this point that neither
these guys nor their employees were archaeologists, let alone Egyptologists. These were glorified tomb raiders and art
thieves, with little respect or knowledge of the culture they were plundering. Henry Salt was looking for a strong and resolute
man who could succeed where Drovetti had failed: collecting a gigantic bust of pharaoh Ramses
II from the ruins of ancient Thebes, in southern Egypt, loading it onto a boat on the Nile
and transporting it back to Cairo7. The French Consul’s men had even drilled
a hole into the king’s head, load it with explosives and tried to blow it apart in two
pieces so it was easier to carry. It didn’t work and the statue was still
intact7. It Takes a Giant to Transport a Giant
Salt gave to Belzoni a set of very detailed instructions for his recovery mission, the
last one being “Don’t drop it in the Nile!” 7
Belzoni could not wait to face this stone giant and left for Thebes immediately. He soon realised that the only way to shift
the 9 foot tall, 7 tonnes heavy statue across 5 miles of sands was to use the same technology
used by the ancient Egyptians: a wooden sled, ropes … and cheap labour7. Now it was a known tactic employed by Drovetti
that he would send his agents to stir dissent amongst the locals to hinder his rivals’
efforts8 . This may explain why during the first days of the Thebes expedition, some
of Belzoni’s hired workers turned against him. The leader of the rebels attacked him with
a dagger. The Italian Giant coolly disarmed him, knocked
him out cold and lifting him by his ankles swung him around to inflict blows on the other
attackers2 We at Biographics do not endorse this as a
method to resolve trade disputes, but we have to admit that as far as self-defense goes
… it is pretty awesome. The rebellion was quelled and after three
weeks of hard work Ramses II’s gigantic head was sailing down river towards Cairo. It did not drop in the Nile and, escorted
by the Great Belzoni, the bust made it back to England. Ramses II’s head still sits at the British
Museum7 Abu Simbel
In the summer of 1817 Belzoni was back in Egypt, now heading for his second expedition
to unearth the legendary temple of Abu Simbel. The colossal structure at that time was almost
completely buried in sand, with just one head poking out of the sand. Belzoni was escorted by two British navy officers,
James Irby and Charles Mangle. These two were not really interested in ancient
Egyptian architecture … they had joined with the hope of doing what every British
gentleman of that time was expected to do: getting into a firefight with the French7
The party did not have to face Drovetti, though, but a giant dune covering the Temple’s entrance. After 6 weeks of constant digging under the
fierce summer sun, on the 1st of August 1817 the three Europeans and the local labourers
finally entered one of the grandest temples of ancient times, the first humans to do so
in more than 3000 years. Belzoni found out that there were no jewels,
mummies or statues to be seized, but he did not leave completely empty handed. He drafted a detailed map of the temple, noting
all measurements and proportions of note. This is the detail that set him apart from
the other grave robbers, his desire to acquire knowledge and understand the art and architecture
of the ancient Egyptian civilisation7. Belzoni must die
But he also had to make a living, so he returned to Thebes to look for more statues on behalf
of Salt and the British Museum. When he got there, he was met by a bad surprise:
the site had been taken over by a party of French diggers7
Belzoni was well known to them and he knew he better avoid them. But he was spotted, Drovetti’s men had firearms
and so he was forced to flee. During the chase through the ruins of Thebes
one of the French fired his pistol, narrowly missing our Giant7
The Italian wrote to Consul Henry Salt in Cairo. Things were getting dangerous for him and
as an agent of His Majesty’s consular services he had every right to demand armed protection7. The Thebes chase was not the only instance
in which Belzoni had reason to fear for his life. Once, in the port of Alexandria, he had been
approached by Drovetti’s interpreter, a fellow Italian, who had told him in clear
terms “If I see you around one of our sites, I’ll
slit your throat” 8 In another occasion, Belzoni was riding through
the streets of Cairo when he was aggressively confronted by an Egyptian officer demanding
passage through an alley. The officer did not wait for an answer and
delivered a blow to Belzoni’s stomach. The Giant did not flinch. “Not being accustomed to put up with such
salutations, I returned the compliment and struck him with my whip across his shoulders”
The officer then took his pistol and shot at Belzoni, but the Italian dodged the bullet
that went on to hit another soldier approaching from behind. Another narrow escape2. During a later exploration to the Oasis of
El-Kassar his two local guides tried to kill Belzoni in his sleep. Once again, he was quick to react and strangled
the two assassins in self-defense2 Seriously, people should realise that when
you attack a 6 foot 7 strongman there are some risks involved! But Belzoni not always had the upper hand. In yet another mission he had collected a
monumental obelisk from the Isle of Filah on the Nile near Aswan. But all his hard work was to be in vain, as
Drovetti’s men seized the obelisk by holding the Giant at gunpoint1
The Valley of the Kings And now let’s go back to Belzoni’s message
to Salt, in August 1817. This is when Salt laid his cards: in his reply
he specified that Belzoni had not been employed officially by the British Government, or the
British Museum. Salt considered him to be his own private
employee, little more than a mercenary. This made a big difference: it made Belzoni
disposable and his findings were private property in Salt’s hands7
The Italian was not happy, but he continued his travels, away from the dangers of Thebes. His next target: the legendary Valley of the
Kings, where he made some initial interesting discoveries. Although - hieroglyphs had not yet been deciphered,
so in fact he had no idea who or what he had discovered!9
For example, he once stumbled into the tomb of King Ay, but only noted a wall painting
of 12 baboons. So he called it "The Tomb of the 12 Monkeys." 9
Grace of movement was definitely not his forte. By his own confession, when needing a rest
inside the same tomb “I sought a resting-place … and contrived
to sit; but when my weight bore on the body of an Egyptian, it crushed it like a band-box
… I sunk among the broken mummies, with a crash of bones, rags, and wooden cases … every
step I took I crushed a mummy in some part or other”2
That’s a whole museum destroyed in few minutes. Another time, the Italian came across an ancient
wall, and ordered his workmen to open a passage using a sophisticated scientific instrument:
a battering ram (!) 9. His experience in the Valley of the King was
not all slapstick however. Following hints from local legends on the
6th of October 1817 he made his greatest discovery so far: the entrance to the Tomb of Seti the
Ist , a richly decorated, sprawling burial site the size of St Paul’s Cathedral in
London. The monument is still also known as “Belzoni’s
Tomb” and was described as “The Sistine Chapel of Ancient Egypt”7,3,8
When news reached Cairo, Henry Salt organised a tour of the site with a group of British
aristocrats, who looked down on Belzoni as a simple hired hand4
This was the end of the collaboration between the two men. Belzoni realised that Salt had been taking
credit for his achievements with the British Establishment. Not only that: the Consul had failed to ship
many of Belzoni’s specimens to the British Museum and had been selling them at private
auctions instead4. Chefren
The Italian rescinded his contract with Salt and continued working on his own, adding another
string of explorations under his belt. And then on the 2nd of March of 1818, his
last great achievement2. Having visited the Pyramids at Giza, Belzoni
became fascinated with the Pyramid of Chefren, the 2nd largest, generally recognised to be
inaccessible. Following ‘a hunch’ the Italian found
a secret entrance on the North side of the building and crawling inside it he came across
a burial chamber and toured its subterranean section10. To avoid having his discovery appropriated
by Drovetti or Salt he quickly scrawled on a wall
“Scoperta da G. Belzoni 2 Marzo 1818 Discovered by G. Belzoni 2nd March 1818”
Return to London By 1820, after five years of adventures, Belzoni
and Sarah were back in London. Being a showman to the core, the Giant organised
a spectacular live dissection of a mummy for the Royal College of Surgeons and an exhibition
of Egyptian antiquities in Piccadilly, both very popular7
His main endeavour was to set the record straight with Salt and claim the credit for his discoveries. So he wrote an account of his adventures,
titled [Suggestion: the words of Belzoni’s book’s
title could appear on screen as Simon reads them, to accentuate its length for comedic
effect] ‘Narrative of the Operations and Recent
Discoveries within the Pyramids, Temples, Tombs and Excavations in Egypt and Nubia [pause
for breath] and of a Journey to the Coast of the Red Sea,
in Search of the Ancient Berenice and Another to the Oasis of Jupiter Ammon. By Giovanni Battista Belzoni. In Two Volumes’2
The first one being the title, I guess. The book had some success. However it seems that Henry Salt eventually
won this duel of fame with the Italian: until recently, most of Belzoni’s recovered artefacts
at the British Museum were still known as “The Salt Collection” 7 The Last Journey
In the spring of1823 Belzoni left London for another adventure: in search of the sources
of the river Niger in West Africa, and of the lost city of Timbuktu, in modern day Mali2,
4,. The Italian was forced to take a long detour
via sea because of a local war raging in Southern Morocco and so in November of 1823 he landed
in Benin with a British merchant, John Houston4 It was here that Belzoni met his ultimate
foe. Ironically, for such a Giant, it was a tiny
creature that could succeed where cut-throats and French bullets had failed. Belzoni contracted dysentery4, a bacterial
infection of the bowels, highly prevalent in tropical areas which in severe cases may
cause death by de-hydration.11 This was such a case. Feeling death creeping in, the once mighty
Roman Hercules entrusted an amethyst to his companion, for it to be given to his wife. On the 3rd of December 1823, Giovanni Battista
Belzoni died and was buried under a tree in Gwazo, Benin2. Legacy
Belzoni is considered by part of the archaeological community as a thief and an
‘ignorant vandal’12 While others celebrate him as an adventurous
character, who laid the foundations for modern Egyptology7 , and as a source of inspiration
… even for a certain Raider of Lost Ark, according to some film critics13
We know where we stand but we would love to hear your views on our protagonist of today. Please leave your comments, like and subscribe! And as always, thank you for watching.
