Original subtitles

(waves splashing)

(dramatic orchestral music)

(rattling)

- [Narrator] Toulon, May, 1798.

40,000 soldiers,

10,000 sailors,

and more than 200 scientists join a ship

with no idea of their destination.

Since the Revolution England and France

have been sworn enemies.

The French government has instructed Napoleon Bonaparte

to invade England.

Given how unlikely this project is to succeed,

Bonaparte prefers to attack England's colonial interests,

the source of the country's fortunes.

(waves splashing)

Bonaparte takes to the sea,

leading a fleet of 400 ships.

But at all costs,

he must avoid the English,

the masters of the seas,

and Nelson's fearsome fleet in the Mediterranean.

Bonaparte took part in the French Revolution

and enjoyed a dazzling rise to military glory.

At the age of 29 the young general in chief

is launching an ambitious exhibition that will,

if successful,

open the gates to the Orient and make him a rival

to the great conquerors of the past,

Caesar and Alexander,

who he so admires.

The vast convoy advances desperately slowly,

but by chance it manages to avoid the English.

Bonaparte even manages to seize the island of Malta

without any trouble.

- [Translator] You were right, Julwe,

these soldiers are a crafty lot.

- [Translator] I just hope the voyage won't be too long.

- [Narrator] Viliay and Julwe

are both students of the Ecole Polytechnique

where they became friends.

(bell ringing)

- [Translator] Julwe and Viliay,

who kept a very interesting journal,

are highly representative of this group of young men

who joined the scientific expedition.

(bell ringing)

- [Translator] An announcement from General

in Chief Bonaparte.

"Men,

"you are embarking on the conquest of Egypt,

"a country that has had untold influence

"on world civilization

(cheering)

"and trade, Chief Bonaparte."

- [Narrator] The land of the Pharaohs

is a dream destination,

and on every ship this news is met with enthusiasm.

- The invasion of Egypt

or the possession of Egypt would lead

to the control of the Mediterranean,

which would take that away from the British navy,

but would also lead to an overland attempt

at perhaps British India,

of course where there were French interests

at the same time.

- [Narrator] To reach the Indies,

English ships had to sail around Africa.

Bonaparte also has to examine the possibility

of a twin port arrangement,

or even a canal linking the Mediterranean

to the Red Sea,

which would allow French ships to bypass

English trade routes.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Bonaparte is also instructed to plan for

an enduring French presence in Egypt.

Because if a twin port or a canal was to be created

a stable position in Egypt will be required

in order to use them.

- [Translator] Signed,

"Bonaparte."

Fall out.

(laughing)

- [Translator] Egypt, Julwe,

we're going to Egypt.

- [Translator] To such a country

worthy of admiration and study.

But appointed?

- [Translator] No, are you mad?

(bell ringing)

- [Translator] When they discover

that Egypt is their destination

these young men aren't thinking about war or conquest,

they are mainly thinking about

what they would discover there

in the Egypt they'd fantasized about.

Egypt is fashionable,

and they also will be able to do their job there

trying to improve people's lives.

- [Translator] The revolution has only just happened,

the revolution that considered the Pharaohs

to be the source of civilization.

So they aren't just bringing civilization

to the Egyptians,

they'll be taking civilization back to it's very cradle.

It's in this spirit that Bonaparte,

these scholars and these artists,

head for Egypt.

(thundering)

(creaking)

- [Narrator] When the Egyptian coast finally appears

on the horizon after six weeks at sea,

the scholars, suffering great from the bad weather,

are forbidden to disembark.

(bell ringing)

It's too dangerous.

Only the soldiers are permitted to land.

(thundering and raining)

The swell is so strong that Vice Admiral Berez

recommends that the general in chief delay

disembarkation until the following day.

(splashing)

But Bonaparte rejects this.

He knows that the English are looking for the French fleet

and that there's no time to waste.

(suspenseful music)

The scientists look on in a terror made even worse

by the darkening sky

as a ship transporting some of their instruments

founders on the rocks and sinks.

The task is slow and hazardous,

but nothing will stop Bonaparte and 5,000 men

setting foot on Egyptian soil.

First objective, Alexandria,

the second biggest city in Egypt.

The fort of Alexandria is taken

and thee French soldiers enter a city

that is far less splendid than they had been anticipating.

Having covered the rear by taking Alexandria,

it's now time to march on Cairo,

the biggest city in Egypt.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] However, you, General Dezay,

you will take charge of opening the route

to Cairo and middle Egypt.

If we take Cairo, gentlemen,

Egypt will be ours.

- [Translator] The best way to do that would seem

to be to follow the Nile

along the Dineta tributary.

- [Translator] And give the Mamelukes the chance

to organize their defenses?

No.

Speed is of the essence.

You will take this route on foot

which follows the canal that links Alexandria to Cairo.

- [Translator] Through the desert?

If the army does not move at lightning speed

they will perish.

We will never find enough water

for 1,000 thirsty men.

- [Translator] It is the shortest route.

You leave tomorrow, Dezay.

- [Narrator] The expedition is divided in two

while the majority of the scholars and artists

head for Rosetta,

most of the army heads into the desert.

(soldiers marching)

(horse neighing)

The soldiers are prepared to fight,

but not for what they must now face.

Each step is dragged through burning sand

and the air is stifling in the lungs.

Dressed in wool in the oppressive heat,

the soldiers don't even have water bottles,

and only sheer will drives them on.

(horse neighing)

But these men would never disobey an order from Bonaparte,

however impetuous it may seem.

(horse neighing)

Far from the army's suffering,

in Rosetta the scholars and artists have found

refuge in a lush environment

where there's plenty of food and water.

(insect buzzing)

Away from the fighting,

they're left to their own devices,

as Bonaparte has other more pressing matters to attend to.

The scholars and artists explore their surroundings

with no military escort,

looking for anything novel,

whatever the subject.

- [Translator] I am so glad to leave

the ugliness of Alexandria behind

for the charm of Rosetta and it's surroundings.

Ah, what better gift could we give ourselves?

- [Translator] You're absolutely right, Deneye.

It's simply marvelous,

it's like heaven on earth.

I don't know where to look,

there are so many exotic species to discover.

Fish,

lemurs,

the birds.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Their first discovery after

the disappointment of Alexandria

is in the region around Rosetta.

Donon discovers the Fist of Isis

and the scholars all go wild about it.

- [Translator] The scholars and artists are fascinated

by everything they see

and everything they discover.

They are curious men there to decipher Egypt.

and they get down to work right away.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- [Narrator] Once rested and refreshed,

the French soldiers continue on their way,

marching for 12 hours everyday.

But in Embabey the Mamelukes,

who represent Ottoman power,

bar their route into Cairo

just as the pyramids can be glimpsed in the distance.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] The Mamelukes are former slaves,

most of whom hail from the Caucuses

and who converted to Islam

and have been emancipated.

They govern Egypt,

but in actual fact the Mameluke princes are fighting

for power among themselves.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] When Bonaparte arrived in Egypt

two prices governed the country.

Moradbe and Ibrahambe.

They reign in Egypt in the name of the Ottoman sultan.

- [Narrator] Moradbe's troops are in the front line

against the French.

Those of Ibrihambre are in reserve to the east.

Facing forces twice as powerful as his own,

Bonaparte comes up with a tactical innovation.

He uses the infantry square technique.

Each division forms a square of 2,000 men

in between two and six tight rows.

In the center the civilians,

generals, and baggage are protected.

Bonaparte organizes his army in five squares.

Before him are Muradbe's forces,

30,000 infantrymen and 10,000 horsemen.

Dusay's square takes on the first assault.

They greet the Mamelukes with salvos of fire

at point blank range.

(guns firing)

(men shouting)

(horse neighing)

The Mamelukes are valiant fighters,

trained to use sabers in hand to hand combat.

They launch their charge with panache.

At the same time Bonaparte and the other squares

close in on Muradbe's flanks.

The Mamelukes are under fire on two sides.

(fighting)

The infantry squares are as unwavering

as they are destructive,

and the pride of the Mameluke army is destroyed

by the bayonets of the French infantry.

Bonaparte loses just 30 soldiers,

while Mameluke losses are in the region

of some 20,000 men.

For reasons of prestige

this victory is later named by Bonaparte,

the Battle of the Pyramids.

Nonetheless, the two great Mameluke chiefs

manage to escape.

Ibrahambe to the north

and Muradbe to the south

and the deserts of upper Egypt.

Cairo, the biggest city in Egypt,

falls to the French.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Bonaparte comes to conquer Egypt.

To the Egyptians he's a colonizer,

not a liberator.

Nonetheless, it's thanks to his publications

and the work of those scholars

that the Egyptians rediscover their own Egyptianness.

One should not forget that the Ottoman Empire

erased the word Egypt from history.

The national identity was literally wiped out.

Egypt had become a vilayet,

an Ottoman province.

- [Narrator] Two weeks after Bonaparte's triumphant

entry into Cairo,

the Bay of Abukir between Alexandria and Rosetta

becomes the theater for a dramatic clash.

- [Villiay] Isn't that our fleet anchored out there?

- [Translator] I thought that they

were at the old port of Alexandria.

- [Translator] It would seem that

the waters aren't deep enough.

- [Translator] They're firing at them.

(guns firing)

(panting)

- [Translator] The English are attacking us.

Alas, we were bound to run into them.

But have no fear,

our fleet is under the command of Vice Admiral Greers.

An experienced man,

we are the same age.

He will easily defeat the enemy.

- [Translator] Our ships seem to be immobile,

unlike the enemy's.

- [Narrator] Whatever General Manu says,

Denal, Vilie, and Julwe

look on helplessly as the first cannon fire

announces the start of a tragedy.

The English have discovered the French fleet

that has been evading them for months.

(dramatic orchestral music)

Admiral Nelson,

who had vowed to defeat Bonaparte,

splits his fleet in two

and one half manages to slip into the free space

between the coast and the French ships.

The French vessels, firmly chained to one another

under the orders of their admiral,

must fight at anchor.

- [Translator] During the Battle of the Nile

a dramatic event takes place

amidst so many other dramatic events.

The flagship of the French fleet,

the Orient, explodes.

The Orient was one of the biggest,

finest,

and most powerful ships in the world,

and at it's first battle it is blown apart.

(exploding)

- The explosion was so loud

and was of such a force that it is said

that the battle stopped for about 15 minutes

and everybody just was like in this state of shock.

This huge explosion that left everybody

a bit dazed.

- [Translator] We must face facts.

Tomorrow we will no longer have a fleet,

and with no fleet we will be prisoners in Egypt.

- [Translator] Clabair is right.

After the Battle of the Nile there is no hope of return.

They need a new fleet,

but France doesn't have a substitute fleet

to come and fetch the army from Egypt.

- The Battle of Abukir is obviously a huge,

huge success,

and one which Nelson will indeed make,

to his credit, he becomes baron of the Nile

because of this Battle of the Nile

and he has a crocodile on his coat of arms.

- [Narrator] Bonaparte was only supposed to examine

the possibility of establishing

a French presence in Egypt,

now he has no choice but to start

establishing it right away.

(speaking in foreign language)

- As an Egyptian historian

I believe the defeat at Abukir Bay

is a very positive moment for the Egyptian people.

Bonaparte believes he has to create a permanent

presence in Egypt,

and he quickly sets to building workshops and roads

and creating modern hospitals like those in France.

The Egyptians go from barber surgeons

to modern medicine.

- [Translator] While Bonaparte is organizing

the country's administration,

tax system, et cetera,

he is reorganizing his army,

making it functional again and calling

more upon the scholars.

- [Translator] Citizens,

I have brought you here at dawn

with the aim of founding an institution

for the sciences and the arts

similar to that which we have in France.

Our first session will be tomorrow morning

at seven o'clock.

Gentlemen.

- [Narrator] The Egyptian Institute aims to grow

and propagate the Enlightenment in Egypt

and to research, study, and publish

on natural, industrial, and historical matters.

It has four departments,

mathematics,

physics,

political economics,

and literature and the arts.

- [Translator] Bonaparte requisitions

several contiguous palaces

to create a kind of science center

with laboratories.

And so the Egyptian Institute is created.

With the mathematician Moge as it's first president

and Bonaparte himself as vice president,

since he considers himself to be a scholar.

- [Translator] I would have loved to have been a member

of the institute in order to live in this superb palace.

- [Translator] I quite understand.

We're enjoying wonderful peace here.

- [Translator] Indeed, it's even better appointed,

and I think it's even more magnificent here

than in the Louvre.

(gentle orchestral music)

- [Narrator] Not only is Bonaparte organizing

the work of the scholars in Cairo,

he's also trying to play down the defeat in Abukir Bay

by dazzling the Egyptians.

He assures them once again that he doesn't

simply respect their religion,

he's fascinated by it.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Islam is a major issue for Bonaparte

and the entire French army during the occupation

of the country for the three years

that the Egyptian expedition lasts.

He realizes that Islam is part

of the daily lives of Egyptians.

In meetings with the scholars

and the Ulema of the Divan,

he even discuses the possibility

of converting to Islam.

- [Narrator] Bonaparte celebrates the birth

of the prophet for four days

with unprecedented magnificence.

On the banks of the Nile

in front of the French army chiefs

and all the city's public figures,

the French troops parade with great pomp

to impress the Egyptians.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] The Ulema are not convinced by what Bonaparte

and his entourage say.

These Orientalists make grammatical errors in Arabic,

the sacred language,

the language of the prophet.

There is both suspicion and rejection.

(insects buzzing)

- [Narrator] A rejection,

the scale of which the French

take a long time to realize.

To such an extent that Viliay and Julwe

don't think twice about heading off

to sleep alone in the desert with no escort,

so eager are they to take part

in an extraordinary visit organized by Bonaparte.

- [Translator] Hey, citizens!

I'm up here!

It's magnificent!

(clanking)

(army marching)

Hello?

Look at me!

Hey!

- [Translator] Always so intrepid, Moge.

- [Translator] Let's hope he can get down

without breaking a leg.

(laughing)

- [Translator] Incredible.

- [Translator] Did you see Moge?

What a feat for a man of his age.

- [Moge] Hey, look at me!

- [Translator] Just pebbles and not an animal in sight.

What a shame.

- [Translator] This is amazing.

What a wonderful monument.

- [Moge] The view is magnificent!

- Hey, wait!

I'm coming down!

(rocks tumbling)

- [Translator] Very well, young man.

This pyramid,

tell me it's secrets.

- [Translator] Citizen General,

the great Pyramid of Giza has 207 layers,

platforms included.

We applied a ruler to each riser

and have estimated it measures at least

137 meters high.

- [Translator] You certainly know your business

for such a young fellow.

(rumbling)

- [Translator] Heavens above, Moge!

- [Translator] The man's an acrobat.

- [Translator] Moge, try not to break your neck!

(laughing)

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Something amazing happens

in the Cairo desert at the foot of the great pyramid.

What we believe to be the world's first

archeological dig is established.

There are scholars from a wide range of disciplines.

Architects,

surveyors, and others studying the great pyramid.

First of all, measuring it.

(flapping)

- [Narrator] Since the disaster in Abukir Bay,

the situation has change for the French.

The Anglo-Turkish alliance is a real danger,

but it's not the only threat.

In Cairo the locals who have seemingly until now

accepted the presence of the French

are less and less happy with their impiety

and this forbidden wine that's growing

increasingly popular around the city.

(laughing)

- [Translator] Which one should we take?

- [Translator] Wait, show me that one.

- [Translator] Which, this one?

- [Translator] Yes, that's right.

(whistling)

As in fact there are four of us,

so I think we should take four.

(laughing)

- [Translator] Two?

- [Translator] Two.

- [Translator] Leftenant Morel,

second infantry brigade.

General, there is an uprising in the city,

we must hurry to organize the defense of this villa.

- [Translator] What do you mean an uprising?

- [Translator] The people of Cairo are in the street,

they want the French out of the city.

- [Translator] Any victims?

- [Translator] Already around 100 dead, General.

- [Translator] Hurry Morel,

give them two rifles.

Moge, this way.

- [Translator] I've never fired a gun before,

I wouldn't know how to use it.

- [Translator] Look, it's easy.

Soldiers, cartridge.

You take your gun,

you push the flesh pan,

put a little gunpowder in it,

then close it.

You tip the cartridge into the barrel

and pack it twice.

Now all you need to do is aim and fire.

And if you miss,

use the bayonet.

Everyone,

on to the terrace.

(crowd yelling)

(banging)

- [Translator] Don't worry, Villiay,

they will be fine.

You haven't lost everything yet.

- [Translator] Let's hope we still get to drink it.

- [Translator] You must not lose hope.

Concentrate and act at the right moment.

(yelling)

Ready?

Careful.

Nobody shoot unless it's on my orders.

(crashing)

Fire!

(guns firing)

Good god, they got through.

- [Translator] Reload quickly.

Viliay, hurry up.

Hurry up.

- [Translator] Quick, Leftenant,

barricade the staircase.

(suspenseful music)

- Fire!

- [Translator] Well, it seems that our time has come.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] Does anyone imagine themselves

dying in combat when they're just 20?

(guns firing)

Neither Viliay nor Julwe reveals any emotions

after his first shot.

(fighting)

Five of their scientists colleagues

lose their lives in the uprising,

along with 300 soldiers.

Bonaparte no longer wishes to win over

the inhabitants of Cairo with his religious tolerance

and respect for tradition.

He cuts the city off,

and with an iron fist

imposes military rule.

(guns firing)

(shouting)

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] This uprising begins in the neighborhood

of the Alansar Mosque,

the biggest mosque in Cairo.

Bonaparte is forced to crack down with great violence.

He starts by bombarding the Alansar neighborhood

before entering the mosque with weapons and horses

and desecrating it.

- [Translator] The French will never be forgiven for this.

It's like a stain.

Something snaps during this insurrection,

that Bonaparte manages to reestablish order in Egypt.

- [Narrator] Order is established

but the peace remains fragile

as the two Mameluke chiefs

defeated at the Battle of the Pyramids

are still on the run with some of their troops,

Ibrahambe in the north towards Syria

and Muradbe in the south in upper Egypt

with General Dusay on his heels.

After more weeks in pursuit,

always taking them further south,

Dusay reaches Aswan,

taking it after a battle that once again

sees him victorious over the Mamelukes.

And once again Muradbe evades him.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] With the arrival of the French

in Aswan in upper Egypt

we can consider that the conquest of Egypt is complete.

Even if there are some recalcitrant villages,

even if Muradbe and Ibrihambre are still on the run,

hiding and evading,

the French still control the entire Nile valley.

Well, almost.

- [Narrator] Bonaparte learns from his spies

that 50,000 men,

Ottomans and Mamelukes,

with the help of the English,

are gathering in Syria.

Taking the initiative to attack

seems to be the best option.

- [Napoleon] If I succeed I will find

the Pasha's treasures and arms for 100,000 men

in the city of Saint John of Aka.

I will then rise up and arm Syria.

I will overturn the Turkish Empire

and found great new empire in the Orient

that will see my name go down in history.

- [Narrator] Despite being undertaken in a rush,

the Syria campaign begins successfully.

Bonaparte takes the fort of El Arish

where the second Mameluke chief,

Ibrihambre,

has taken refuge,

yet manages once again to escape.

Bonaparte then marches on Gaza,

where a second victory awaits him.

The next step will be Jaffa.

(dramatic orchestral music)

(fighting)

13,000 French soldiers reach Jaffa

after another desperate march through the desert,

spurred on by Bonaparte,

who is convinced this new expedition

will be victorious.

And indeed,

victory smiles upon him.

A single assault launched at dawn

is enough for Jaffa to fall by the afternoon.

Eight months after first setting foot on Egyptian soil

Bonaparte marches victoriously into Syria.

This new military expedition promises

to enjoy better fortunes.

(orchestral music)

And as for the scientists,

now they are fulfilled,

finally allowed to travel to upper Egypt

of which they have dreamed for so long.

They head for the peaceful south

in search of ancient marvels and mysteries

that will show to the whole world

the greatness of ancient Egypt.

- [Villiay] Alas, after weeks of traveling

we arrive in Luxor at night.

We will have to be patient a little longer.

My god, this night will be so long

giving that we are itching to apply our rulers,

our compasses and plumb lines to the walls and columns

which have stood here for centuries.

(orchestral music)

Even the soldiers who until now only saw us as a burden

and source of problems when they had to accompany us,

and who understand nothing of the reasons for our presence

and our interest in what they call old stones.

Even these soldiers were lost in admiration

before the vestiges of the temple of Karnak.

They paid tribute to the beauty of this site

before these ruins fell back into the silence

in which they had stood for so long.

- [Translator] What does it say down there?

- [Translator] Sh.

That it's not vertical.

(laughing)

- [Translator] What brings you here?

- [Translator] I could ask the same of you.

- [Translator] No, you first.

- [Translator] Well, I'm going back to Cairo

with General Desay, I can't take any more.

From Cairo to Aswan to the Red Sea,

I've been racing from one to the other.

- [Translator] We just received authorization

to go to Aswan.

What's it like?

- [Translator] It's nowhere near as good as Feelie.

From the point of view of the harmony

of the proportions it's one of the most beautiful

things you can see in Egypt.

Ooh, where can we sit down?

I want to show you something splendid.

- [Translator] Right here.

- [Translator] Only one single time General Desay

had a unique objective,

capturing Murad Bay.

Only once did he allow us to make a halt.

It was at Dender at 80 kilometers from here.

There's a temple three quarters buried in the sand,

and at the back there was a room which we reached

by climbing on the roof.

We found this on the ceiling.

(exclaiming)

I only had time to draw this rather poor drawing.

But if you go there,

and I strongly urge you to,

you must produce some better ones.

From what I was told this zodiac is now standing testimony

to the astrological knowledge of the ancient Egyptians.

- It's magnificent.

- [Translator] Before the Egypt expedition

there were explorers who traveled individually to Egypt

and who pretty much sketched what they saw.

Here for the first time we've got engineering graduates,

we've got architects,

we've got people who are trained in drawing

and who are precise.

- [Translator] Many of them are Moge's students,

young people who apply geometric principles

and scientific methods to their work

and their way of illustrating the monuments.

Unlike the older scholars such as Dono,

who always adds a little tree

or an animal to his sketches.

In this case they reproduce what they see

so that from a scientific point of view

it is indisputable.

- [Narrator] After long months of being

confined in the north,

Viliay and Julwe are finally in the heart

of Egypt's archeological riches,

and Karnak is only one stop on a journey

that will take them farther south to places who's

inaccessibility has rendered them mythical.

- [Translator] That's enough of our travels,

what about General Desay?

Tell us how things are going in Syria.

- [Translator] Tell them what you told me,

will you?

He was with the expedition.

It was he who brought the news of the Syria campaign.

- [Translator] Syria.

We're not there yet,

perhaps we never will be.

Everything went fine until the taking of Gaza and Jaffa.

Jaffa fell in a day,

2,000 Ottoman fighters killed

and 3,000 taken prisoner.

(sighing)

The following day, Bonaparte,

he didn't want to be burdened with prisoners.

He ordered,

he didn't know how he would feed them

and he didn't want to let them go

so they could fight against us again.

So.

- [Translator] Want some water?

- [Translator] No, wine.

- [Translator] Here.

Carry on.

- [Translator] He ordered them to be executed.

They were taken to the beach and shot.

When the number of bodies grew just too many.

The prisoners were marched to the dunes

and the massacre continued.

And then

when the ammunition ran out

the rest had to be killed by bayonet.

I am a soldier.

God knows I've seen dead men,

but never so many corpses,

people who's lives he promised would be safe

if they surrendered.

- [Narrator] In addition to the massacre of prisoners

there were grave health problems.

A plague epidemic sweeps through the army's ranks.

The soldiers who are not effected are terrified.

To restore their courage, Bonaparte,

who carefully avoids uttering the word plague,

tries to demonstrate that the disease is not to be feared.

He pays a long visit to the sick.

(fighting)

The French army takes Gaza and Jaffa so easily

that everyone thinks all they have to do

is show up in front of Saint John of Aka

and the pasha in charge will surrender.

The reality is quite different.

Bonaparte has besieged the town for two months now,

day and night.

Attack follows attack,

but to no avail,

and resulting in heavy losses

among the French troops and officers.

General Catherelie is killed.

Clabert is outraged at the scale of French losses.

He writes, "Bonaparte is a general

"at the cost of 10,000 men per day."

Two English warships await the French

off the coast of Afa,

to the south of Saint John of Aka,

and it is their commander, Sydney Smith,

who is organizing the defense of the town.

An officer in the English navy,

Sydney Smith is notorious for having

torched the French fleet in Toulon

as part of England's action against the French Revolution.

He is working towards a reprechmonde between

England and the Ottoman Empire

and has orders to thwart Bonaparte's

ambitions in the East.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] To be able to overpower

a place by brute force,

such as when one is laying siege,

it obviously requires siege artillery,

which means heavy artillery.

But the French no longer control the seas,

so they can no longer bring in supplies by ship.

And when they try to do so they come up

against the English,

so this artillery never reaches Bonaparte

and he doesn't have the resources to take the town.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] So he has to stage an old style

blockade like an ancient siege,

but this blockade can not work

because the English are sending in supplies.

So instead of a few days,

the siege goes on for several months.

(horse neighing)

- [Narrator] The Syria campaign grinds to a halt

in Saint John of Aka

and Bonaparte has no choice but to retreat.

He doesn't want to spread the plague epidemic

by taking the sick back to Cairo,

and reluctant to leave them to the Turkish scimitars,

he gives orders for those infected to be given

a fatal dose of opium.

(coughing)

Deganete the chief physician refuses,

but a compliant pharmacist carries out

the grim instruction.

- One of the key features about the Egyptian

campaign that never goes away,

this was British propaganda at the time,

was Napoleon kills prisoners

and Napoleon commits euthanasia on his soldiers

who have bubonic plague.

Now these are things that Napoleon never denies.

- [Narrator] On the return to Cairo the toll

of the Syria campaign is catastrophic.

Thousands of prisoners executed,

hundreds of plague victims.

With euthanasia for the sick,

Bonaparte's army has lost some 4,500 soldiers,

and all of them have died in vain.

- [Translator] The failure of the Syria campaign

sounds the death knell for his hopes

of an eastern empire.

It's all over.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Bonaparte has only just returned

to Cairo from Syria

when he learns that an Ottoman landing

has taken place at Abukir.

- [Narrator] The French presence in Egypt

is under greater threat than ever before,

but this threat coincides with a discovery

that will change our understanding

of ancient Egypt forever.

To the east of Abukir stands the fort of Rosetta.

It's in a poor state and is in need of repair

ahead of a possible Anglo-Turkish attack.

In the course of the work a heavy stell

of black granite engraved in mysterious languages

is unearthed.

By chance, the officer who finds the stone,

Captain Busha,

is a member of the sciences and arts commission,

a member of the Institute of Egypt

also happens to be on site.

No one at this time knows how to read hieroglyphics,

nor the writing that takes up the middle part of the stone.

But both men can read Greek.

The text says that this decree

is written in three languages,

hieroglyphic,

Demotic,

and Greek.

The text in hieroglyphs should therefore

be identical to the Greek text.

They realize the importance of this discovery.

In the midst of the military preparations

they wrap up the stell and ship it to Cairo.

Viliay and Julwe have reached Aswan in southern Egypt

and are wholly unaware of the recent discoveries,

the disastrous expedition to Syria,

and the new battles that are looming.

Their leader has reproached them for drawing hieroglyphs

instead of taking measurements of irrigation systems,

so the two young scientists set about this task

as quickly as they can,

whilst obstinately continuing to visit temples.

- [Translator] Julwe,

if I had made the whole trip from Paris

just to see this,

that would be enough to make me happy.

- [Translator] You know what they should do?

Toss away all the traveler's accounts

published so far.

They missed the best places.

(orchestral music)

- [Narrator] As Viliay and Julwe struggle to find

the words to describe their emotions

in the face of the beauty they've discovered,

1,000 kilometers to the north at Abukir,

canon firings.

(guns firing)

(horse neighing)

Surprisingly, the Turkish forces have not

taken the initiative to attack as soon as they landed,

they have not moved from the Bay of Abukir,

which leaves Bonaparte time to assemble his troops

and march them swiftly to Abukir

where the Turks are crushed.

(fighting)

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Abukir one

was the distraction of the French fleet.

Abukir two

sees the Ottomans driven back into the sea.

Abukir two would erase the humiliation

of Abukir one.

Th ruler of the pyramids was the winner of Abukir.

- [Narrator] Bonaparte has just shown that he is still

capable of military success,

and life in Cairo returns to normal

as if nothing happened on the road to Syria.

- [Translator] No, no, don't be fooled.

(horse neighing)

- [Translator] General, I have a report

that I'd like to get to these to France.

Would you be so good as to pass it on?

- [Translator] Never fear, Santilair,

your report will reach the Institute.

- [Translator] Thank you, General.

He's leaving.

- [Translator] What, who's leaving?

- [Translator] The General in Chief,

he's leaving to France.

- [Translator] And leaving behind his army?

- [Translator] I bet my life on it.

(sighing)

(subdued orchestral music)

(horse neighing)

(grunting)

- [Narrator] Under cover of night Moge and Beftule,

the scientific leaders,

and the artist Vive Dene,

have their personal effects taken

discreetly to Abukir.

(men shouting)

They are just waiting for one last passenger,

and an important one,

the organizer of this clandestine trip.

One year after his arrival in Egypt

Bonaparte set sail to return to France.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Bonaparte leaves the army

without telling anyone,

not even his successor,

General Clabert,

who he has appointed General in Chief in his place.

Clabert learns the news from a letter.

He's furious,

but since he is now in charge of this army,

which is still in some difficulty,

he makes an address to the soldiers

in which he hides his true feelings.

- [Clabert] My soldiers,

imperial duties dictate that the general in Chief Bonaparte

has gone to France.

Powerful reinforcements will arrive

or else a glorious peace will carry you

back to your homeland.

- [Narrator] The truth is that after

the disastrous Syria campaign

Clabert is inheriting a catastrophic situation.

He writes to the director,

pointing out the lack of weapons and munitions

and the loss of a great many men.

He overstates matters somewhat to push

his appeal for help,

describing soldiers going about naked

and with nothing to eat since the supplies were exhausted,

but this tactic will soon work against him.

- [Translator] At the moment Bonaparte

sets foot in France,

contrary to what one might imagine,

he has after all left his army,

almost deserted as some would say,

Bonaparte is welcomed in triumph.

For months in the Republic there have been

rumors of a coup d'etat.

The director,

the ruling regime at the time,

has undergone several in the previous years,

and you have to bear in mind that the director,

Emmanuel Suays,

was just come to power,

is himself preparing a coup.

And to carry this out he needs a general,

or a saber, as he calls it.

After pondering who could act as this saber,

he learns of Bonaparte's return from Egypt

and the general who was present with him,

General Morow says,

"There's your man,

"he can lead a coup much better than me."

- [Narrator] Making the most of his prestige

and the confusion that reigns

at the highest level of state,

Bonaparte overthrows the regime and seizes power.

He now has more pressing concerns

than what's happening in Egypt.

Unaware of their leader's departure,

Villiay and Julwe let their crew return to Cairo

and stop at Thebes opposite Luxor,

where they had not enough time on the outward journey.

This time they have several weeks to explore the region.

- [Translator] This one looks quite good,

don't you think?

- [Translator] Yes.

- [Translator] In any case, much better than Dunad's.

- [Translator] Yes.

We should make some copies for the astronomers

at the commission,

they'll make a better use of it than we will.

- [Translator] I'm sure they will.

I don't know anything about astronomy.

- [Translator] How much?

Ask him how much he wants for this.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Four, this is four?

Just a head.

- [Villiay] After searching as far as we could for mummies

we turned to one of those men

who make a profession of grave robbing

to find amulets and other objects

which they sell for high prices.

- [Translator] I wouldn't mind that.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Ask him where he found them.

- [Translator] Where'd you find it?

- [Villiay] Under our questioning

he told us that one day in the nearby mountain

mummies of dogs had been found.

I promised him a rich reward if he took us

to the place where these mummies were.

- [Narrator] Villiay and Julwe hoped to find embalmed

human bodies,

but have to make do with mummified animals.

But in the course of their excavation

they make a far more important discovery.

Since the days of ancient Rome

11 tombs had been discovered

in the Valley of the Kings in Thebes

where the Pharaohs were buried.

The two young scholars find a 12th.

(insects buzzing)

- [Translator] When we return to France

we'll be missing one thing,

the name of the Pharaoh for whom this tomb was done.

- [Translator] It's no doubt written somewhere on the walls.

- [Translator] Yes, but we can't read it.

- [Translator] Don't let that stop you copying it all.

Perhaps someone will manage to decipher it.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] The young scholars are a real

gift from France given to the ancient Egyptian civilization.

Despite all the political and military difficulties

they encounter,

the young scholars find the time to make

sketches of the ancient monuments.

They analyze them,

visit them,

compare them.

And then write reports

which afterwards they present

to the Institute of Cairo.

- [Translator] We were in the middle

copying the hieroglyphs and suddenly.

- [Translator] Moge, Deno, and Detolay have left.

Why don't we return?

- [Translator] The English.

- [Translator] The English don't care a fig about us.

- [Translator] There's no point arguing.

If you want my opinion,

Bonaparte brought us here so we would boost his glory

by teaching the French about the country

he was set to conquer.

- [Translator] Liberate.

- [Translator] Oh, if you prefer,

liberate then conquer.

And now he's gone,

Clabert is keeping us here because

he doesn't want to take responsibility

for bringing Bonaparte's mission to an end.

- [Translator] If that's the case

we may be here for a while yet.

- [Narrator] Powerful reinforcements

or a glorious peace,

Clabert had promised his soldiers.

But now he's given upon those reinforcements,

so he instructs General Dezay

to negotiate with the English representative Sydney Smith,

an agreement to evacuate Egypt.

- [Translator] Don't hold out any false hopes,

Desay.

We have no fleet left and will never receive reinforcements.

How can French send aid to Egypt when it needs

all of it's forces to fight against the

anti republican coalition?

No, it's up to the army in Egypt

to find a way to return to France as soon as possible

to fight for the Republic.

We can not hope for better than an agreement

to evacuate Egypt and negotiate it with Sydney Smith.

- [Translator] General Menu was fiery opposed to this

unless it's in the frame of a peace accord

for the whole Mediterranean.

- [Translator] Neither Sydney Smith nor myself

have a mandate to negotiate an overall

peace deal in the Mediterranean.

Let's consider ourselves lucky that

that Ottomans have signed the treaty

and that the English do not hold us prisoner.

- [Translator] Very well.

Good bye, Desay.

- [Narrator] Desay and Clabert are both seeking

an honorable way to bring an end

to the French presence in Egypt.

Desay by continuing the war,

Clabert through an immediate cessation of combat.

It's the English who will force

the two men to reach agreement.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Clabert is facing a very difficult situation

since the Egyptians also realize how weak the French are

and the English and Ottomans are at the gate.

(flapping)

- [Narrator] Clabert now finds himself with three enemies,

the Mamelukes,

the Ottoman Empire,

and the English.

He must at all cost prevent the Ottomans reaching Cairo

and rallying the inhabitants to drive out the French,

whom the English could then just pick off.

The soldiers just want to return to France,

instead of which Clabert asks them to fight again.

Some 40,000 Ottomans,

joined by 20,000 Mamelukes under Ibrihambre

amassed a few kilometers from Cairo.

Clabert can only muster 11,000,

including 1,500 calvary.

The Ottomans and the Mamelukes are five or six

times more numerous than the French.

After several hours march and an initial victorious clash

with an advance guard of some 6,000 Ottomans,

the French army faces the bulk of the Ottoman

and Mameluke forces,

more than 50,000 men.

(thundering)

(men shouting)

(horse neighing)

At noon thousands of horsemen charge

towards Clabert's forces.

The engineer Maluse recalls,

"The calvary charged wave after wave.

"The Ottomans let out war cries,

"circling rapidly around us.

"They surrounded us,

"blocking out the horizon."

It goes on for hours.

Throughout the day successive waves sweep down

and attack Clabert's square formations

over and over again.

By the evening Clabert's army is still facing

charges by Ottoman and Mameluke calvary.

But the strategy of infantry squares proves effective.

Depleted,

exhausted,

the enemy leaves the battlefield at midnight.

The French have lost 600 soldiers,

the enemy more than 8,000 men.

This was one of Clabert's greatest victories.

In his memoirs Bonaparte writes of the awakening

of the lion Clabert,

ready to hang onto the Egyptian lands

until the general peace agreement settles

the fate of the expeditionary army.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] While Clabert is fighting

the Turks and the English

the Egyptians profit from the situation

and revolt against the French in Cairo.

- And so Clabert has to rush back from Heliopolis

to put down this second uprising in Cairo.

It's a very serious event,

takes Clabert 30 days I think to put it down.

He loses 500 men fighting from house to house.

- [Narrator] Subsequently he restores

order to the administration,

refills the coffers by collecting taxes,

and totally brings to heel a country

which was running away from him a month before.

Clabert no longer talks about returning to France,

knowing it to be impossible.

This suits the English,

but it's not to the liking of the Grand Vizier,

head of the Ottoman armies,

who has Clabert assassinated by a fanatical student

who himself is captured and impaled in a public square.

- [Translator] Obviously Clabert could not

appoint a successor,

and so the usual rulers applied.

The oldest of the division's generals

takes command of the army,

meaning General Manu.

- [Translator] Gentlemen, I have a message for you.

All soldiers accompanying artists or scientists

have orders to rejoin their units immediately.

Gentlemen.

- [Translator] Don't stay here,

you'll get yourself killed for nothing.

- [Translator] All troops fall in.

(shouting orders)

- [Translator] It's over.

Six months ago I was dying to see my family.

Then I found a renewed taste for work.

But now I only want one thing,

to go home to France.

- [Translator] Egypt will soon be in the hands

of the English and the Ottomans.

We have no more business here.

(dramatic orchestral music)

- [Narrator] They will have to wait

for more than a year before returning home.

And before that Manu,

who dreams of turning Egypt into a French colony,

will suffer a crushing defeat.

When the English land in Abukir is supported

by the arrival of an Ottoman army,

General Manu takes 13 days before deciding

to attack Canopus,

where the English have set up camp.

This leaves them time to organize their defense.

Manu launches a dawn attack.

By midday the French army is beaten.

- [Translator] After the battle of Canopus

Manu divides his forces.

Belia going to Cairo,

Manu to Alexandria.

And so this division is breaking up

of the army in Egypt

is the beginning of the end.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Translator] Belia has no information about

what's going on in Alexandria.

There's no longer any communication

between Alexandria and Cairo.

Belia and his army find themselves cut off from Cairo

and threatened with destruction.

He's forced to sign a capitulation

with the English and the Ottomans.

- [Translator] And from that moment

some 14,000 French are evacuated,

and what's more,

on English ships.

(murmuring)

- [Translator] It's essential.

- [Translator] Yes of course.

- [Translator] The examples we have?

- [Translator] Gentlemen,

I have good news.

The members of the science and arts commission

are authorized to embark for France.

(cheering)

There is, however,

one condition upon which the English insist,

you must all leave the entire collections you have gathered

and all your studies,

drawings, sketches, and copies of hieroglyphs.

(exclaiming)

- [Translator] We didn't do all that work for nothing.

- [Translator] These works are considered

as belonging to France,

but constitutes spoils of war for the English.

- [Translator] Three years work for just to nothing?

- [Translator] I'm as just as disappointed as you are,

but I could obtain nothing more.

There you have it,

you must be satisfied with returning home safe and sound,

which is something.

Thank you, Gentlemen.

- [Translator] Thank you, General Manu.

(arguing)

- [Translator] Gentlemen.

Gentlemen, please.

Like all of you,

I want to go home and see my family,

but I've collected hundreds of animals here

of all kinds

and which are unknown in Europe,

and now I'm supposed to abandon them?

I'd rather die.

- [Translator] Of course.

Admiral Manu is a terrible tactician

and a poor negotiator.

Even if he tries to salvage any of this

I doubt he can find the words to convince the English.

We must write to them.

Santiay, your quill.

- [Narrator] General Manu tries to pass off the studies

and collections as personal belongings,

not those of the Republic.

But the English general who controls

the port of Alexandria will have none of that.

The scholars issue a threat.

Rather than see our work stolen,

we will destroy it,

scatter it in the sands,

or toss it into the sea.

(orchestral music)

- [Translator] "From the science and arts commission

"of the French republic to the general commander

"of Alexandria.

"No, we will not give in.

"No, we will not allow such a sacrifice to be carried out.

"We ourselves will burn our treasures,

"count on the judgment of history,

"you too will have burned a library in Alexandria."

(agreeing)

Julwe Santila finds the right words.

The loss of the library of Alexandria,

which housed tens of thousands of papyrus scrolls,

was a symbol of cultural destruction.

The English general in command at Alexandria

does not want to be held responsible for the loss

of studies carried out by French scientists.

He gives in.

The scholars can keep their collections,

papers,

and certain antiques that they have gathered.

All these objects will be considered personal effects

that can not be seized on condition

that they may be carried by the scholars themselves.

Alas, the stone discovered at Rosetta is too heavy

to be carried by a single man

and must be left to the English.

The French scholars keep only copies.

(waves crashing)

Of the 167 scholars who initially landed in Egypt

25 have either died from sickness or been slain.

The others trickle back to France with the soldiers

on ships which by quirk of fate

fly the English flag.

(dramatic orchestral music)

When after six weeks of a harsh voyage

the member of the sciences and arts commission

arrive in Toulon on the sixth of Novemeber, 1801,

the health services send them on to Marseilles.

Since the hospitals are full of sick

and injured soldiers returning from Egypt,

the scientists are placed in quarantine

in a freezing cold warehouse

where they must remain for another month,

itching to get home.

- [Translator] Oh, I see.

- [Translator] Good god.

They're keeping us like animals.

- [Translator] We're not staying here for 40 days.

- [Translator] We're just cattle.

Fetch your desk and quill,

we must write them a letter.

(creaking)

(chains clanking)

- [Narrator] Clabert wanted all the scholars

on the expedition to bring together their work

in a single groundbreaking publication.

10 years later the description of Egypt,

the sum of all the work by the science and arts commission

marked the birth of a new science,

Egyptology.

At Napoleon's request,

the description of Egypt is published

in a sumptuous edition,

illustrated by hundreds of drawings

which would make modern and ancient Egypt

known to the French public.

It's above all reproductions of the temples,

pyramids, palaces,

and other marvels of antiquity

which will leave the greatest impression.

Bonaparte thus ensures that the disastrous

military campaign in Egypt is forgotten.

All that remains is the memory

of the scientific campaign

and all the beauty it reveals to the world.

(orchestral music)