Salt of Egypt rises out of the pyramid graffiti

Behind the enigmatic graffiti carved by passing travellers on the monuments of Egypt lie many fascinating lives and long-forgotten stories of adventure and scholarship. As British consul general in Egypt from 1816 until his early death in 18, Henry Salt was the pivotal figure around whom swirled the luminaries of a heroic age of exploration and scientific inquiry. He funded men such as Giovanni Belzoni, ex-circus strongman, who excavated and plundered temples and tombs on the cusp of the decipherment of hieroglyphics and before scientific archaeology. At Sir Joseph Banks's suggestion, Salt amassed antiquities for the British Museum but, since he had a meagre salary and no pension, the sale of his three great personal collections represented financial security while satisfying his genuine interest in the rediscovery of ancient Egypt, the exploration of Nubia and the key to decipherment.

Intrigued by the graffiti of Salt and his devoted servant, the swashbuckling renegade seaman and serial deserter Nathaniel Pearce, Deborah Manley and Peta Ree have brought their world vividly to light. Unlike the earlier biography of Salt by the close friend of Salt's youth, J. J. Halls, this book examines the crises and criticisms of his career. It re-evaluates his reputation from an amiable figure of flawed intellect and judgement, to that of a talented, enterprising and intellectually able diplomat.

Salt was born in 1780 into a family of modest means and trained as a painter but, despite his talent, failed as a portraitist and was prone to bouts of lassitude and disabling illness. In 1802 he offered to accompany Lord Valentia as artist and secretary on a tour of India and a survey of the Red Sea coast, intended to open Abyssinia to British trade and influence. As a result, in 1809, Salt was chosen for a solo government mission to Abyssinia, returning in triumph having displayed inner resources of courage and diplomacy while documenting the ancient sites, inscriptions and local languages. His servant Pearce escaped execution by the skin of his teeth to find himself "our man in Abyssinia" - the first European to settle and learn the language. Salt published the findings of his mission, along with 24 views, accomplished landscapes acknowledged as rivalling the work of Thomas and William Daniell.

Once installed in Egypt, he accompanied distinguished travellers up-country and into Nubia, published an erudite essay on hieroglyphs, and investigated the pyramids and the sphinx. Relations with Belzoni, who opened the great temple of Abu Simbel and the magnificent tomb of Seti I, but refused to see himself as an employee, were tempestuous. Salt's later years were dogged by dispiriting ill-fortune: the death of his young wife and baby, separation from his young daughter, and the obduracy of the British Museum in strained and prolonged negotiations over the price of his collections (one subsequently enriched the Louvre).

He died in his own bed and is largely forgotten, while the names of many who disappeared in fruitless quests into the interior of Africa survive. He deserves this enjoyably readable rediscovery.

Patricia Usick is honorary archivist, department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan, British Museum.