Two years after cracking the hieroglyphic code through the word Ramses on the Rosetta Stone, Jean-Francois Champollion embarked on an expedition to Egypt on 31 July 1828. France was at war with the sultan and a pandemic gripped the world. In these diaries and letters to his brother, Champollion captures in riveting detail the voyages obstacles as he unravels ancient Egypts civilisation.

Jean-Francois Champollion died as a result of going to Egypt (like more than a third of his companions) on 4 March 1832, aged 41-at the height of his success. Professor Joyce Tyldesley is Professor of Egyptology at the University of Manchester and a writer and broadcaster.