Review: Memphis Under the Pharaohs (Dorothy L Thompson)
I was looking forward to reading the second edition of Memphis Under the Ptolemies by Dorothy Thompson. There is an allure, almost a mystique, to Memphis. I wanted to say I enjoyed the book. Sadly I cannot. It became something of a chore, but one rewarded by a great chapter later in the book. An unexpected treasure. Many other reviewers have considered the book in the context of its standing as an academic work. Most students and scholars are likely to have access to the book through their faculty library. In approaching my own review I have therefore considered it more from the viewpoint of enthusiastic amateurs or distance learning students who do not have access to a specialist library. [more…]
The new Ancient Egypt and Sudan galleries at the Ashmolean, Oxford
The Ashmolean Museum, a neoclassical edifice built by Sir Charles Cockerel in 1845, has invested both money and creativity in a refurbishment of the entire museum and art gallery. The effect, bright and open, a sympathetic blending of old architecture and new design, is inviting and attractive. The Ancient Egypt and Sudan galleries were the last to receive the modernization treatment. Costing over £5 million and designed by Richard Mather, they were re-opened in November 2011. [more…]
Colloquium Overview: Recent Archaeological Fieldwork in Sudan
By Patricia Spencer. The 2012 all-day colloquium of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society (http://www.sudarchrs.org.uk/) was held in the Stevenson Auditorium of the British Museum on Monday 14 May. This annual event concentrates on presenting up-to-the-minute reports of archaeological fieldwork, both that carried out by SARS itself and by other expeditions, British, Sudanese and from elsewhere, working in Sudan. [more…]
Book Review: A Companion to Ancient Egypt
It is not within the scope of this short article to review the entire two-volume edited collection of papers in A Companion to Ancient Egypt edited by Alan B. Lloyd, particularly as I have only read around 45% of the papers published within it. On the other hand, I have been using the two volumes quite extensively recently and thought that it might be useful to any readers who are considering splashing out the eye-watering sum for this encyclopaedic work if I offered some thoughts on the subject as a whole, rather than looking at individual articles. I have read at least one article in every section. [more…]
By Andrea
Documentary Review: The Man Who Discovered Egypt
Review by Andrea Byrnes. In Magazine Articles on Egyptological. april 3rd 2012. The Man Who Discovered Egypt 28th March 2012, BBC4 Cast: Presenter – Chris Naunton Director – Deborah Perkin Executive Producer – Christina Macaulay Producer – Deborah Perkin Introduction The man in ‘The Man Who Discovered Egypt’ was Sir William Flinders Petrie, […] [more…]
Lecture Review: The re-excavation of the tomb of Horemheb in the Valley of the Kings by Professor Geoffrey Martin
Professor Martin is currently engaged in assembling the results of his work re-excavating the tomb of Horemheb for publication, and it became clear from his lecture that this work is long overdue and will be welcomed by the academic community. Martin described re-excavation as a new type of archaeology, geared specifically to finding information that previous excavators may have missed. He cited Kemp’s work at Amarna as an example of this. [more…]
Book Review: Judgement of the Pharaoh
In Judgement of the Pharaohs Tyldesley has tackled a subject that challenges the populist view of Ancient Egypt as a perfect world untroubled by social problems. Tyldesley begins by explaining how she described the idea for her new book to a colleague who said “Crime and punishment in ancient Egypt – surely there wasn’t any?” If an archaeological colleague was so quick to question that perfection of the Egyptian idyll, it is just as well that Tyldesley begins by assuring the reader that there was plenty of crime to be punished. [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: Glass Faience and Pottery Making at Amarna (Paul Nicholson)
O45.1: An Ancient Industrial Estate Review by Kate Phizackerley. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, Edition 3, 7th December 2011 Introduction As described in the overview of the 2011 AWT Conference which I co-authored with Andrea Byrnes (see bottom of this review), Dr Paul Nicholson spoke about his excavation of the Amarna site designated O45.1, which […] [more…]
AWT Conference 2011 Review: Curse of the Pharaoh’s DNA (Jo Marchant)
Review by Kate Phizackerley. Published on Egyptological, Magazine Reviews, 7th December 2011 (Edition 3). Introduction Many people were looking forward to hearing Jo Marchant speak about the DNA tests undertaken by Drs Zink, Pusch et al, and she didn’t disappoint. She was an outstanding speaker. She opened her talk by describing DNA itself, a […] [more…]
Book Review: Gifts of the Nile – Ancient Egyptian Faience (Florence Dunn Friedman)
Faience was celebrated in the exhibition “Gifts of the Nile, ” which was organized by The Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design in Cleveland (U.S.), where it opened in 1998 before it then travelled to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth in Texas (U.S.). Published to accompany the exhibition, the book Gifts of the Nile brings together academic insights, an exhibition catalogue, and colour plates. [more…]