Fulgence Fresnel

He was a pupil of Sylvestre de Sacy (1768–1838) in Paris, and in 1826 he undertook studies of the language and history of the Arabs at Maronite College in Rome.

Fresnel was appointed French consular agent in Cairo in 1837, and then consul in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah.

[4][5] The expedition suffered misfortunes from ill health, uncertainties due to the Arab unrest in the Ottoman Empire and ultimately critical financial issues.

[10][11] Subsequent efforts to recover the over 200 cases of lost antiquities at Al-Qurnah, including a Japanese expedition in 1971-2, have as yet been unsuccessful.

[15] A detailed report by Maurice Pillet on the travails and eventual unravelling of Fresnel's mission to Babylon was published in 1922.