In the 1960s, fifty countries contributed nearly a billion dollars to save a dozen ancient Egyptian temples from drowning in the floodwaters of the Aswan High Dam. But the press coverage at the time overlooked the French archaeologist who made it all happen. Without the intervention of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, the temples would now be at the bottom of a vast reservoir. A willful real-life version of Indiana Jones, Desroches- Noblecourt helped preserve a crucial part of Egypt's cultural heritage and made sure it remained in its homeland.
