Pharaohs in Dixieland – how 19th-century America reimagined Egypt to justify racism and slavery

In the American South, ancient Egypt and its pharaohs became a way to justify slavery. Stefano Bianchetti/Corbis via Getty Images

When Napoleon embarked upon a military expedition into Egypt in 1798, he brought with him a team of scholars, scientists and artists. Together, they produced the monumental “Description de l’Égypte,” a massive, multivolume work about Egyptian geography, history and culture.

The frontispiece of the second edition of ‘Description de l'Égypte.’ Wikimedia Commons