The Philae Controversy—Muscular Modernization and Paternalistic Preservation in Aswan and London

Abstract

In 1882, the British occupied Egypt. A decade later British Egyptologists successfully spearheaded an international campaign against a scheme to dam the Nile at Aswan—a project that would result in the flooding of the Island and Temples of Philae. The article analyses the campaign to preserve Philae as it unfolded at the Foreign Office in Downing Street, in Egyptologistís circles in Britain, among British administrators in Cairo, and in public spheres in late‐Victorian London. Introducing the terms muscular modernization and paternalistic preservation the article analyses the tensions that the Philae controversy revealed in British imperial ideologies in relation to questions of modernity and tradition. Drawing on a uniquely well‐preserved archival record the article demonstrates how the protection of what we now call global heritage was negotiated before the birth of UNESCO.

Keywords:

• Engineers
• Egyptology
• Universalism
• Heritage
• Imperialism

Acknowledgements

I would to thank the Egypt Exploration Society and in particular Director of the London Office, Dr. Patricia Spencer, for her assistance during my research stay at the society. Archival sources are cited courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society. I also wish to thank Mike Chrimes and Carol Morgan at the library and archive of the Institution of Civil Engineers in London as well as Dr. Jan‐Georg Deutsch and the African Research Group at the University of Oxford who commented on an early version of this article. I would also like to thank the editors of this theme issue of History and Anthropology and the anonymous reviewers for useful comments.

Notes

[1] Auguste Boulé, “Report of Mr. Auguste Boulé”, in Reports of the Technical Commission on Reservoirs, 48–49.

[2] Giacomo Torricelli and Benjamin Baker, “Report of Sir Benjamin Baker and of Mr. G Torricelli on question 5 of the Note of Under Secretary of State”, in Reports of the Technical Commission on Reservoirs, 5.

[3] William Garstin, “Note upon the Reports of the Technical Commission”, in Reports of the Technical Commission on Reservoirs, xvii.

[4] “Cromer to Kimberley: Confidential Report 15 July 1894”, F.O. 78/5261, vol. 1, 1888–1894, no. 154.

[5] In 1919, the fund changed name to the Egypt Exploration Society. It is still in existence today and remains the leading British private organization for Egyptology.

[6] “Committee for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt – undated revised circular”, Archive of Egypt Exploration Society, BOX VIII A. 1. The archive of the Preservation Society is kept at the Exploration Society: Egypt Exploration Society Archive, Minutes, Correspondence and Papers of the Society for the Preservation of Monuments of Ancient Egypt 1888–98, Box VIII. In August 1888, the name of the organization was changed from “Committee” to “Society”.

[7] “Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt” (printed pamphlet from the proceedings of the first meeting), BOX VIII, B, 9.

[8] “Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt”, BOX VIII, B, 9.

[9] “Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt – First General Meeting”. BOX VIII, C, 27; parts of the other side of this correspondence is in the Foreign Office Papers: F.O. 78/5384 (preservation of ancient monuments, and so on, 1894–1904).

[10] “Julian Pauncefote [F.O.] to Poynter”, 26 March 1889, BOX VIII, A, 14. The society also directly contacted Cromer on the preservation issues. Henry Brackenbury to Cromer, 16 March 1890, BOX VIII, B, 17.

[11] “Cromer to Salisbury (Confidential Print)”, 7 March 1891, BOX VIII, C. 18; Poynter to Salisbury, 11 May 1891, BOX VIII, C, 24.

[12] “Second Annual Report of the Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt 1891”, BOX VIII, C, 27, p. 4.

[13] “Ross to Edwards”, 27 September 1891, BOX I, B (envelope marked “the immersion of Philae”), I.

[14] “Edwards to Poynter”, 26 November 1891, BOX VIII, C, 32.

[15] “Poynter to Edwards”, 4 December 1891, BOX I, B, 5.

[16] “R Morgay to Poynter”, 16 February 1894, BOX VIII, D, 10.

[17] Edward Poynter, “Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt” in The Times, 19 February 1894, 11; “Poynter to Sanders”, 16 February 1894, BOX VIII, D, 10.

[18] “Blunt to Poynter”, 4 May 1894, BOX VIII, D, 18.

[19] Reservoirs in the Valley of the Nile (with a map). Pamphlet prepared for the Committee of the Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt (1894). BOX VIII, D, 28.

[20] Reservoirs in the Valley of the Nile (with a map), BOX VIII, D, 28.

[21] “Lord Carlisle to F.O., 15 June 1894: Memorial to the Honourable Earl of Kimberley Foreign Secretary of State”, F.O. 78/ 5384, no. 124; “Memorial protesting against the Submersion of Philae”, BOX VIII, D, 20; Kimberley to Poynter 15 June 1894, BOX VIII, D, 21; Poynter to Patterson 5 February 1894, BOX I, B, 7.

[22] Poynter to Patterson 5 February 1894, BOX I, B, 1.

[23] “Utilisation of the Nile”, The Engineer, 2 March 1894, 172.

[24] “The Assuan Dam on the Nile”, Engineering, 20 April 1894, 521.

[25] “Philæ and the reservoir”, The Builder, 3 March 1894, vol. 66, 165.

[26] “The proposed destruction of Philae”, The Graphic, 10 March 1894, vol. 49, 279.

[27] “The Isles and Temple of Philae on the Upper Nile”, Illustrated London News, 17 March 1894, vol. 104, 331.

[28] “Fine art gossip”, The Athenæum, 3 March 1894, no. 3462, 282.

[29] “Philæ and the reservoir”, The Builder, 166.

[30] “Sir Colin Scott‐Moncrieff, The Nile”, Nature, 7 March 1895, vol. 51, 446.

[31] “F. L. Sandwith to Poynter”, 26 June 1894, BOX VIII, D, 22; William Garstin, “Note upon the proposed Modification of the Assouan Dam”, F.O. 78/5261, no. 165.

[32] “Society for the Preservation of the Monuments of Ancient Egypt”, The Engineer, 15 February 1895, 154.

[33] Garstin, “Note upon the proposed Modification of the Assouan Dam”, F.O. 78/5261, no. 165.

[34] Garstin, “Note upon the proposed Modification of the Assouan Dam”, F.O. 78/5261, no. 165.

[35] Egypt Exploration Fund”, The Times, 14 August 1894, 11.

[36] Garstin, “Note upon the proposed Modification of the Assouan Dam”, F.O. 78/5261, no. 165.