Edition - April, 2011
Book Review: Description de l’Egypte (Taschen 25th Anniversary Series)
Description de l’Egypte, Gilles Neret, Taschen 25th Anniversary Series (paperback edition), 2007. If you are interested in the images contained in Description de l’Egypte, the book produced by Napoleon’s “savants”, and particularly the illustrations of Pharaonic Egypt, this is a very good place to start. If you want an in-depth analysis of the background to Description, its purpose and a good sample of all the original sections and topics then you may be disappointed. [more…]
By Book Review: The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife
The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife by Erik Hornung (Translated by David Lorton) Cornell University Press ISBN-13: 978-0801485152 Originally written in German, this book is such a valuable source of information about ancient Egytian funerary texts that it was translated into English by David Lorton for publication by Cornell University Press. The funerary texts […] [more…]
Book Review: House of Eternity – The Tomb of Nefertari
House of Eternity – The Tomb of Nefertari by John K. McDonald Thames and Hudson 1996 ISBN: 9780500279243. The tomb of Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II, is arguably the most beautiful of the New Kingdom tombs in Egypt, with its glorious scenes painted in vivid and vibrant colours on a pure white background. The lovely […] [more…]
Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus
Introduction. The Eye of Ra, Eye of Horus and wedjat eye are all different names given to representations of eyes with similar distinctive markings which appear throughout Ancient Egypt on tomb and temple surfaces, on objects and in the form of jewellery and amulets. The underlying beliefs and ideas associated with these representations are often confusing, particularly given that the different forms of the eye are not always well characterized and distinguished from each other. [more…]
A beginner’s guide to dating the Predynastic – Part 2
Introduction. The topic of relative dating was dealt with in Part 1, a previous post. A relative sequence was available for the period between the Badarian and the period when unification was thought to have taken place. However, although this sequence has formed the framework for all other sequences, no calendar dates were available. [more…]
Topos and Mimesis – Ancient Egyptian perceptions of Ethnicity.
Introduction. Two recent books have included papers dealing with the topic of Ancient Egyptian perceptions of ethnicity: Schneider, T. 2010, Foreigners in Egypt: Archaeological Evidence and Cultural Context (in Wendrich 2010, p. 143-164) and Smith, S. T., 2007, Ethnicity and Culture (in Wilkinson 2007, p. 218-241). Both authors address the latest anthropological and archaeological literature on ethnicity and both use excavated frontier settlements as case studies. [more…]
Book Review: Treasures of Ancient Egypt – From the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Treasures of Ancient Egypt: From the Egyptian Museum in Cairo By Alessandro Bongioanni Paperback ISBN-13: 978-8854401853 For anyone planning to visit or re-visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo this book is an invaluable resource and would make a good souvenir. The book has been produced to very high standards. The excellent photographs by Araldo De […] [more…]
A beginner’s guide to dating the Predynastic – Part 1.
Introduction. Predynastic chronology may not be the stuff of glossy magazines and coffee-table books and for those trying to get to grips with it, it can prove to be a challenge. Many people trying to understand how the Predynastic fits together have commented on the apparently conflicting dates for the earlier Predynastic period in various different books. [more…]