Came across a nice (and fairly lengthy) article on Egyptomania today. A nice sketch. For those PaleoBabble faithful who want solid academic material on the wacky things people think and have thought about Egypt (including pyramidiocy and the “true” symbolic meaning of hieroglyphs), the two titles below are for you.
The Myth of Egypt and Its Hieroglyphs in European Tradition
Deals with the very wrong notions about hieroglyphs that were embraced before their decipherment, and still perpetuated by “symbolists” like John Anthony West and William Henry. Sorry guys, ancient hieroglyphs really were the basis of a phonetic language, not symbols for carrying abstract ideas (i.e., your gateway to making the Egyptians say just about anything).
The Secret Lore of Egypt: Its Impact on the West
An admirably dispassionate survey of Egyptomaniacal material from the Hermetic era through modern Afrocentrism. Aims to be informative rather than going after the Egyptomaniacs. The author is noted Egyptologist Erik Hornung (translated by David Lorton).
