Giovanni Belzoni

Lore & Background

Belzoni was born in Padua on 5 November 1778, the son of a barber who sired fourteen children. His family was from Rome, and at age 16 he went to work there, saying he studied hydraulics. He intended to take monastic vows, but the French occupation of Rome in 1798 drove him away. Standing 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall, he and his wife joined a travelling circus, performing feats of strength as a strongman at fairs and on London streets. He also experimented with magic lanterns in his shows. Although the experiment with his engine was successful, the pasha did not approve the project. Belzoni conducted three major expeditions. He also discovered the entrance to the Pyramid of Khafre.

Reader's Guide

Belzoni’s career in Egypt began after he failed to interest the Pasha in a hydraulic machine he had invented. Through the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, he was introduced to Egyptology and hired by the British consul Henry Salt. His first major task was the removal of the colossal bust of Ramesses II from the Ramesseum at Thebes. Weighing over seven tons, the piece took seventeen days and 130 men to drag to the Nile using levers, rollers, and ropes; the route required breaking column bases and making a detour when the load sank into sand. This bust, known as the Younger Memnon, was shipped to England and remains on prominent display at the British Museum. During this same expedition, Belzoni attempted to enter the Great Temple at Abu Simbel, which Burckhardt had discovered but could not access because only the tops of its four colossal heads were visible above the sand. After seven days of effort, he failed and moved on to Elephantine Island and Philae, where he secured an inscribed obelisk for the British. He also excavated at Karnak and explored the Valley of the Kings, discovering his first tomb, that of Pharaoh Ay. On a subsequent expedition for Salt, Belzoni cleared the sand from the entrance of Abu Simbel, enabling entry to the temple. He also discovered and documented the tomb of Seti I, including its bas-reliefs and alabaster sarcophagus, a site still known as Belzoni’s Tomb. He was the first to enter the Pyramid of Khafre at Giza and the first modern European to visit the Bahariya Oasis. Howard Carter, later the discoverer of Tutankhamun’s tomb, called Belzoni one of the most remarkable men in the entire history of archaeology.

Did You Know?

• Belzoni stood 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) tall and performed as a strongman in a travelling circus before becoming an explorer.
• Belzoni discovered the tomb of Seti I on 18 October 1817, and the alabaster sarcophagus was later purchased by architect John Soane.
• He was the first person in modern times to enter the Great Temple at Abu Simbel, clearing its entrance on 2 August 1817.
• Howard Carter, discoverer of Tutankhamun's tomb, called Belzoni 'one of the most remarkable men in the entire history of archaeology.'