Mirage: Napoleon’s Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt

Barely more than two hundred years ago, few Europeans had dared to traverse the modern-day Middle East. In 1798, a band of French scientists under the command of Napoleon Bonaparte would make the month-long trek into the unknown—some never to return. But the knowledge they gathered in this first large-scale interaction between modern Muslims and Europeans exceeded everyone's expectations. Journalist and author Nina Burleigh joins Focus today to talk about the reveal of ancient Egypt to curious Europeans at the dawn of the modern era.

Guest: Nina Burleigh (journalist; Staff Writer at People Magazine; Adjunct Professor of Journalism, Columbia University; author of Mirage: Napoleon's Scientists and the Unveiling of Egypt)