William John Bankes

William John Bankes ( born December 11, 1786 in Kingston Lacy, Dorset, † April 15, 1855 in Venice ) was an English explorer, Egyptologist and adventurer during the first half of the 19th century. His discovery of an obelisk at Philae was instrumental in the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs by Jean -François Champollion.

Family and Education

William John Bankes Bankes family comes from the English nobility. He was the second eldest child of Henry Bankes and Frances Woodley and had five other siblings. Since his eldest brother Henry died in 1806, he became the principal heir. William John Bankes attended the Westminster School in London, studied at Trinity College, Cambridge in 1808 and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1811 and a Master of Arts.

Works

  • Travels in the East
  • Geometrical elevation of an obelisk, London 1821
England John Venn Cambridge University Press Name Authority File Italy
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