Michel Ange Lancret
Encyclopedia
Michel Ange Lancret was an engineer with the French Corps of Bridges and Roads
.
He was a student of the École Polytechnique
in 1794, became an Engineer of Bridges and Roads in 1797, and was a savant who accompanied Napoleon's 1798 campaign in Egypt as a member of the Commission des Sciences et des Arts, a corps of 167 technical experts.
He began describing various monuments on the banks of the Nile and remnants of ancient civilization of the pharaohs. He also wrote the initial report about the Rosetta Stone
that was published on behalf of Napoleon's newly-founded scientific association in Cairo, the Institut d'Égypte
. In the report he noted that it contained three inscriptions, the first in hieroglyphs and the third in Greek, and rightly suggesting that the three inscriptions would be versions of the same text. Lancret's report, dated 19 July 1799, was read to a meeting of the Institut soon after 25 July.
On his return to France he was appointed in April 1802 to become the Commissioner for what would be the Description de l'Égypte
, and directed the publication from 1805.
Corps of Bridges and Roads (France)
The Corps of Bridges is a great technical corps of the French state. It is formed of the State Engineers of the Bridges.People entering the Corps are educated at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées...
.
He was a student of the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
in 1794, became an Engineer of Bridges and Roads in 1797, and was a savant who accompanied Napoleon's 1798 campaign in Egypt as a member of the Commission des Sciences et des Arts, a corps of 167 technical experts.
He began describing various monuments on the banks of the Nile and remnants of ancient civilization of the pharaohs. He also wrote the initial report about the Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is an ancient Egyptian granodiorite stele inscribed with a decree issued at Memphis in 196 BC on behalf of King Ptolemy V. The decree appears in three scripts: the upper text is Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, the middle portion Demotic script, and the lowest Ancient Greek...
that was published on behalf of Napoleon's newly-founded scientific association in Cairo, the Institut d'Égypte
Institut d'Égypte
The Institut d’Égypte was a learned academy formed by Napoleon Bonaparte to carry out research during his Egyptian campaign.-Early work:It first met on 24 August 1798, with Gaspard Monge as president, Bonaparte himself as vice-president and Joseph Fourier and Costaz as secretaries...
. In the report he noted that it contained three inscriptions, the first in hieroglyphs and the third in Greek, and rightly suggesting that the three inscriptions would be versions of the same text. Lancret's report, dated 19 July 1799, was read to a meeting of the Institut soon after 25 July.
On his return to France he was appointed in April 1802 to become the Commissioner for what would be the Description de l'Égypte
Description de l'Egypte
Description de l'Égypte is the title of several books.* Description de l'Égypte - Description de l'Égypte ou Recueil des observations et des recherches qui ont été faites en Égypte pendant l'expédition de l'armée française Pub; First Edition , L'Imprimerie Imperiale, 1809-1813; l'Imprimerie...
, and directed the publication from 1805.