Donna's Reviews > Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction

Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt was a renowned archeologist and an intrepid advocate for rescuing and preserving the priceless Egyptian antiquities she spent her career studying. Her fascinating story includes time as a curator at the Louvre and as a member of the French Resistance, during which she ferried artwork to safe places and stood up to a frightening Nazi interrogation. She was a field archeologist with a talent for unearthing reclusive and important artifacts who was also known for treating her Egyptian workers with respect and friendship. She persevered unwaveringly while encountering resistance and resentment from many of her colleagues in what was at the time virtually an all male field.

In the 1960s, when a proposed new dam threatened the Abu Simbel, which were giant temples at Nubia, Desroches-Noblecourt sparked what would become a multi-million dollar, multi-national rescue effort, dubbed the greatest archaeological salvage operation in history. This years-long operation captured the hearts and minds of people worldwide. It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that her 1967 curation of the Tutankhamun exhibition in the Louvre was singularly responsible for bringing a new wave of popularity to museums and Egyptology.

I’m a huge fan of Lynne Olson’s books. She’s so skilled at pulling together the elements of historical people, places, and events and transforming them into exciting stories that are not only informative and clearly written but are also great fun to read. I highly recommend this one.