Johann Michael Vansleb
Encyclopedia
Johann Michael Vansleb was a German theologian, linguist and Egypt
traveller. He converted to Catholicism
and was a member of the Dominican Order
from 1666.
(Depending on the language of publication, his name is spelled a number of different ways including: Wansleben, Vansleben, Vanslebio, Vanslebius, Vanslep, Wanslebio, Wanslebius, J. M. Vansleb, Giovanni Michele, F. Vansleb (F for Father), P. Vansleb or Jean.)
In 1663, after a long stay in London
, Vansleb planned a journey to Ethiopia
in search of religious manuscripts for his patron Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha
. He never got beyond Egypt, however. It was while staying in Rome
, during his return voyage, that he converted to Catholicism.
In the service of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
, Vansleb made another attempt to journey to Ethiopia, and once again went no further than Egypt. Beginning his travels from Marseille
on May 20, 1671, Vansleb felt sick on arrival in Cyprus
(which he explained as caused by the plague
then scouring the island). Despite being very sick for an extended time (and preparing to leave this world, as he explains) he managed to visit Tripoli
, Damascus
, Aleppo
and Seyda during the next 10 months, finally arriving in Bogas, Egypt, in March 1672.
Vansleb travelled extensively in Egypt during the next 12 months, making a journey as far down as Sohag, and produced one of the earliest accounts of Upper Egypt: documenting the land, the people (especially the Copt
ic community), and pharaonic monuments such as the Giza pyramids
, the Sphinx
and the pyramids of Hawara
, as well as Copt
ic monuments, including the White Monastery
. One of his stated missions was to reach Esna
, but he never travelled that far up the Nile. Instead he relates a report from two Capuchin
missionary brothers, Protais and Charles-François d'Orléans, who had visited all the main sites of Upper Egypt in 1668.
Contemporary accounts relate that Vansleb's account was received with mixed feelings. Vansleb is a keen observer, repeatedly trying to get to the bottom of things, yet at other times accepting obscure and spurious explanations without much resistance, for example on the mating rituals of the Nile crocodile
.
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
traveller. He converted to Catholicism
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and was a member of the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
from 1666.
(Depending on the language of publication, his name is spelled a number of different ways including: Wansleben, Vansleben, Vanslebio, Vanslebius, Vanslep, Wanslebio, Wanslebius, J. M. Vansleb, Giovanni Michele, F. Vansleb (F for Father), P. Vansleb or Jean.)
In 1663, after a long stay in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Vansleb planned a journey to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
in search of religious manuscripts for his patron Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha
Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha
-Family and children:In Altenburg on 24 October 1636, Ernst married his cousin Elisabeth Sophie of Saxe-Altenburg. As a result of this marriage Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg were unified, when the last duke of the line died childless in 1672. Ernst and Elisabeth Sophie had eighteen children:#...
. He never got beyond Egypt, however. It was while staying in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, during his return voyage, that he converted to Catholicism.
In the service of Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert
Jean-Baptiste Colbert was a French politician who served as the Minister of Finances of France from 1665 to 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His relentless hard work and thrift made him an esteemed minister. He achieved a reputation for his work of improving the state of French manufacturing...
, Vansleb made another attempt to journey to Ethiopia, and once again went no further than Egypt. Beginning his travels from Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
on May 20, 1671, Vansleb felt sick on arrival in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
(which he explained as caused by the plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
then scouring the island). Despite being very sick for an extended time (and preparing to leave this world, as he explains) he managed to visit Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
, Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Aleppo
Aleppo
Aleppo is the largest city in Syria and the capital of Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Syrian governorate. With an official population of 2,301,570 , expanding to over 2.5 million in the metropolitan area, it is also one of the largest cities in the Levant...
and Seyda during the next 10 months, finally arriving in Bogas, Egypt, in March 1672.
Vansleb travelled extensively in Egypt during the next 12 months, making a journey as far down as Sohag, and produced one of the earliest accounts of Upper Egypt: documenting the land, the people (especially the Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic community), and pharaonic monuments such as the Giza pyramids
Giza pyramid complex
The Giza Necropolis is an archaeological site on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments includes the three pyramid complexes known as the Great Pyramids, the massive sculpture known as the Great Sphinx, several cemeteries, a workers' village and an...
, the Sphinx
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
and the pyramids of Hawara
Hawara
Hawara is an archaeological site of Ancient Egypt, south of the site of Crocodilopolis at the entrance to the depression of the Fayyum oasis. The first excavations at the site were made by Karl Lepsius, in 1843...
, as well as Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic monuments, including the White Monastery
White Monastery
The Coptic White Monastery is a Coptic Orthodox monastery named after Saint Shenouda the Archimandrite. It is located near the Upper Egyptian city of Sohag, and about four kilometers south east of the Red Monastery. The name of the monastery is derived from the color of the white limestone of its...
. One of his stated missions was to reach Esna
Esna
Esna , known to the ancient Egyptians as Egyptian: Iunyt or Ta-senet; Greek: or or ; Latin: Lato, is a city in Egypt. It is located on the west bank of the River Nile, some 55 km south of Luxor...
, but he never travelled that far up the Nile. Instead he relates a report from two Capuchin
Order of Friars Minor Capuchin
The Order of Friars Minor Capuchin is an Order of friars in the Catholic Church, among the chief offshoots of the Franciscans. The worldwide head of the Order, called the Minister General, is currently Father Mauro Jöhri.-Origins :...
missionary brothers, Protais and Charles-François d'Orléans, who had visited all the main sites of Upper Egypt in 1668.
Contemporary accounts relate that Vansleb's account was received with mixed feelings. Vansleb is a keen observer, repeatedly trying to get to the bottom of things, yet at other times accepting obscure and spurious explanations without much resistance, for example on the mating rituals of the Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
.
Works
- Ludolf, HiobHiob LudolfHiob Ludolf was a German orientalist, and born at Erfurt. Edward Ullendorff rates Ludolf as having "the most illustrious name in Ethiopic scholarship".-Life:...
, Lexicon Aethiopico-Latinum, Ed. by J. M. Wansleben, London 1661. - Nouvelle Relation En forme de Iournal, D´vn Voyage Fait en Egypte. Par le P. Vansleb, R.D., en 1672 & 1673. Paris. chez Estienne Michallet, 1677.
- The Present State of Egypt: or A New Relation of a Late Voyage into That Kingdom Performed in the Years 1672 and 1673, London, 1678. (EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
translation)
Source
- Hiob Ludolf
- The Present State of Egypt: or A New Relation of a Late Voyage into That Kingdom Performed in the Years 1672 and 1673, London , 1678.