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The Suez Canal Revisited Ferdinand de Lesseps: The Genesis and Nurturing of Macroengineering Projects for the Next Century

1994; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 19; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1179/isr.1994.19.3.219

1743-2790

Jean-Paul Calon,

Maritime and Coastal Archaeology

In commemoration of the centenary of Ferdinand de Lesseps' death on 7 December 1894, an expanded version of the 1993 MIT BruneI Lecture delivered by Jean-Paul Calon is here reproduced. The benefits that humanity has derived from innovative large scale projects such as the Suez Canal – the product of Lesseps' imagination and perseverance – are affirmed and the technological progress born out of this massive constructional effort is reviewed. Finally, a plea is made for a more visionary and enlightened outlook among contemporary engineers in the light of several macroengineering projects that are ripe for development and exploitation.