Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction

by Matthew de Lacey Davidson
published on 07 January 2026

This is a stunning and daring work. Not only does it provide a behind-the-scenes view of archeological work, but it also gives a detailed account of an extraordinary female pioneer in Egyptology.

Ordinarily, when one considers a book about ancient Egypt, one might think about discussions surrounding the culture, language, religion, and surviving architecture. Not so, in this case. Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt's Ancient Temples from Destruction discusses the beginnings of modern Egyptology and how one of the most exceptional people in the field during this time was a Western woman who managed to overcome almost every obstacle thrown in her path.

This is not a conventional biography. The protagonist, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, the daughter of a lawyer, became fascinated at the age of nine by the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter. She would eventually receive encouragement to study at the École du Louvre and went on to receive a Diploma in Archeology.

During the 1920s, at a time when women's enrollment in higher education institutes was rare, Desroches-Noblecourt was not the only woman studying at the Sorbonne University, the École du Louvre, or other prestigious institutes. However, she was the first to pursue a career in Egyptology. As the author notes, the French writer Robert Solé has stated that the field of Egyptology had long been rather insular, where those involved did not get along well. Solé wrote, “The most prestigious positions are too rare not to arouse jealousy and sometimes real loathing” (21).

Regardless, Desroches-Noblecourt’s extraordinary academic performance sufficiently impressed some of the management at the Louvre so that, at the age of 21, she was offered a curatorial position cataloguing Egyptian artifacts, most of which had never been opened since their arrival at the Louvre almost a century before Desroches-Noblecourt worked there. In addition, in 1938, she was the first woman to lead an archeological dig, and she later joined the French Resistance and assisted in hiding the Louvre’s Egyptian treasures in the free areas of France.

Perhaps the greatest of all of Desroches-Noblecourt’s assets was her diplomatic skills. She navigated all sorts of difficult political personalities, in spite of the warring attacks against Egypt by her native country and other Western powers. Her diplomacy paid off as she became one of the few Westerners trusted by the Egyptian government. Sarwat Okasha, the son of an Egyptian general, became an ally in the saving of ancient Nubian temples and antiquities slated for destruction by the proposed Aswan High Dam. She then recruited UNESCO to help save the endangered structures. Even Jacqueline Kennedy assisted (in addition to financial contributions from many different countries).

Needless to say, the book's narrative holds readers from the first to the last word. While comparisons have been made between Desroches-Noblecourt and Indiana Jones, the reality is a little less cinematic. Sometimes saving antiquities involved just trying to find a typewriter with Roman characters.

The author, Lynne Olson, is an exceptional historian who finds connections with Desroches-Noblecourt’s predecessors (such as Amelia B. Edwards) and with all the gnarly and turbulent political events that transpired during the early 20th century. Olson used to be a journalist for various newspapers, like the Associated Press, and has now written ten trade history books, focusing on topics like World War II. While Empress of the Nile does not take on a deliberately feminist narrative, one would have to be made of stone not to be moved by the fact that Desroches-Noblecourt started her extraordinary career in an unpaid position (for which she was told to be grateful), and how her male colleagues objected to her inclusion in digs because they might be forced to not wear their pyjamas while they ate breakfast.

Olson weaves all these dramatic narratives together in an engaging tapestry without being pedantic. This takes considerable skill. In addition, while Olson does not shy from using what might for some be a challenging vocabulary, this is a book from which anyone from any background can read and walk away, and be more informed about an extraordinary female pioneer in Egyptology.

Few books can grab the reader so well from beginning to end, as this one does, while being just the right length. And for those who are interested, there are copious notes and a large bibliography。

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