A still from the movie shows Joaquim Pheonix portraying Napoleon looking away from the camera as troops move through the desert in the background.
Joaquin Phoenix played "Napoleon" in Ridley Scott's latest biopic.
  • When Napoleon invaded Egypt, he brought dozens of scientists with him.
  • Astronomers, mathematicians, and naturalists spent three years studying the country.
  • Napoleon's invasion failed, but it led to some groundbreaking scientific work.

When General Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt in July 1798, he didn't just bring tens of thousands of soldiers, he also recruited over 150 scientists, known as savants, to accompany him.