Undying Curiosity
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In 1801, the nominations to the French Insti- comprehensive, multidisciplinary study of Oriens et tut des sciences et des arts, the former French his achievement and that of his colleagues Occidens 22 Academy, included Immanuel Kant, Jo- as members of the Danish Expedition to hann Gottfried Herder, Thomas Jefferson, Arabia. It is an examination of an encounter Friedrich Klopstock, Arthur Young, Joseph between the Northern European Enlighten- Priestly and Carsten Niebuhr. The first six ment and the cultural, physical and ecologi- are seminal figures of the 18th Century, but cal domains of the Middle East, and of the who was Carsten Niebuhr and why was he knowledge in many scholarly fields that this considered worthy of membership in Eu- encounter produced. Drawing on extensive rope’s most prestigious society? The answer archival research, including field journals is that it was Niebuhr who gave to European and correspondence, it paints in the context readers perhaps the most accurate, multi- of the 18th Century, a vivid picture of the faceted and open-minded portrait of the ideas behind, the field experience of, and Lawrence J. Baack Middle East published in the 18th Century, the scientific results produced by what the an account that is still highly respected for London Times has called “One of the most its scholarship today. This book is the first extraordinary journeys of all time.” Undying Curiosity Carsten Niebuhr and The Royal Danish Expedition to Arabia (1761–1767) Undying Curiosity www.steiner-verlag.de 22 History Oriens et Occidens 22 Franz Steiner Verlag Franz Steiner Verlag ISBN 978-3-515-10768-6 Lawrence J. BaackLawrence Lawrence J. Baack Undying Curiosity ORIENS ET OCCIDENS Studien zu antiken Kulturkontakten und ihrem Nachleben Herausgegeben von Josef Wiesehöfer in Zusammenarbeit mit Pierre Briant, Amélie Kuhrt, Fergus Millar und Robert Rollinger Band 22 Lawrence J. Baack Undying Curiosity Carsten Niebuhr and The Royal Danish Expedition to Arabia (1761–1767) Franz Steiner Verlag Cover illustration: Carsten Niebuhr in the attire of a distinguished Arab in Yemen, the clothing a gift from al-Mahdī ‛Abbās, Imam of Yemen, drawn in Copenhagen, from Carsten Niebuhr, Reisebeschreibung nach Arabien und andern umliegenden Ländern, 2 vols. Copenhagen (1774–1778), Vol. I, Tab. LXXI. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek: Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über <http://dnb.d-nb.de> abrufbar. Dieses Werk einschließlich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Jede Verwertung außerhalb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist unzulässig und strafbar. © Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2014 Druck: Offsetdruck Bokor, Bad Tölz Gedruckt auf säurefreiem, alterungsbeständigem Papier. Printed in Germany. ISBN 978-3-515-10768-6 (Print) ISBN 978-3-515-10773-0 (E-Book) To Jane, With much Love in celebration of our Golden Wedding Anniversary September 12, 2014 Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................. 11 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 15 Chapter One The Idea of the Expedition: “Benefit for the World of Scholarship” ............................................................. 25 Michaelis’ Proposal: Arabia and the Search for Meaning in the Bible ................................................................................................. 26 Johann David Michaelis and the Georgia Augusta University, Göttingen ................................................................................................... 30 Why Denmark and Johann Hartwig Ernst von Bernstorff? ....................... 36 Assembling the Team: The Philologist – Frederik Christian von Haven ................................................................................................... 44 The Cartographer and his Teacher: Carsten Niebuhr and Tobias Mayer........................................................................................ 46 The Botanist – Peter Forsskål: An “Apostle” of Linnaeus ............................ 55 Fragen an eine Gesellschaft gelehrter Männer: A European Exercise in Inquiry ................................................................. 63 Bernstorff the Manager. Driving the Project: New Suggestions, Additions and Problems ............................................................................. 68 8 contents Niebuhr and his Instruments: A Detour on the Lunar Distance Method and the Problem of Determining Longitude ................................ 74 Changing the Route and the Royal Instructions ........................................ 81 Chapter Two Exploration and Death. Learning about Egypt, the Red Sea and Yemen ........ 92 The Outbound Voyage – Copenhagen to Alexandria ................................. 93 Introduction to Egypt: Alexandria, the Nile and Arrival in Cairo ............ 114 Niebuhr – Ethnography, Map Making, the Great Pyramids and Hieroglyphs ....................................................................................... 119 Forsskål – The Flora Aegyptiaco. ................................................................. 136 Haven – Manuscripts and Hebrew Codices ............................................. 139 Frustration and Failure in the Sinai .......................................................... 143 Sailing the Red Sea – Discovering Marine Life and Creating a Chart ...................................................................................................... 156 Scientific Discovery in Yemen: Exploring the Tihāmah and the Coffee Mountains ........................................................................ 172 A Tragic Ending in Yemen: al Mukhā, San‘ā’, Bombay ............................. 182 Chapter Three The Solitary Explorer. The Long Road Home: India, the Persian Gulf and the Lands of the Middle East ............................. 203 Rejuvenation and Inspiration: A Brief Exposure to the Culture of Western India ....................................................................................... 204 The Voyage from Bombay to al Başrah: Oman, Persepolis and Pirates of the Persian Gulf .................................................................................... 215 “Do not order me to travel too hastily. Now is the time when I can learn something.”: The Lands and Peoples of Iraq and the Levant ........... 235 From Caravans to Kings: The End of the Expedition ............................... 275 Chapter Four Presenting the Expedition to the World and the Expedition’s Significance for the 18th Century.................................... 284 The Struggle to Publish the Findings of the Expedition .......................... 286 From Geography to Philology: The Results of the Expedition ................. 295 Geography .......................................................................................... 297 Cartography ....................................................................................... 314 contents 9 Astronomy ......................................................................................... 316 Antiquities ......................................................................................... 322 Botany and Zoology ........................................................................... 331 Philology ............................................................................................ 326 The Evaluation of Niebuhr’s Works in the 18th-Century and Since .......... 340 Epilogue – Niebuhr’s Return to a Rural Tradition: The Meldorf Years, 1778–1815 ..................................................................... 343 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 354 List of Illustrations, Maps and Charts ............................................................. 402 Bibliography of Published Sources .................................................................. 404 Index................................................................................................................ 432 Acknowledgments study of this nature, touching upon many disciplines and drawing on the resources of many intitutions in many locations, is not pos- sible without the very kind and expert help of many individuals, and it is a pleasure to acknowledge their assistance here. First, I would like to thank my long-time mentor in the study of history, Peter Paret, Mellon Professor in the Humanities, Emeritus, at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and Spruance Professor of International History, Emeritus, Stan- Aford University, for his interest early on in this project. Our stimulating discussions about the topic’s major themes, his insights into the key issues and questions of the study and his critical review of the entire manuscript added greatly to the final work. Dieter Lohmeier, former Professor of Modern German Literature at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel and Director, Emeritus, of the Schle- swig-Holsteinischen Landesbibliothek, has also been of immense help during the research and writing of this book. I am very grateful for his generosity in sharing his extensive knowledge of the details of the topic and its primary sources. His careful reading of the entire manuscript and our discussions of some of the problems in- herent in the subject