The tomb of Tutankhamun, with its treasures, has exerted a hold over the popular imagination ever since its discovery in 1922. This book is a detailed and comprehensive account of this great archaeological discovery. The story of the boy-king, buried in splendour at the height of Egyptian civilization; the determined quest for his tomb by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon; the unforeseen riches eventually revealed - these are important events in the history of archaeology. However, despite the publicity at the time of the discovery and since - made more intriguing by the linking of Carnarvon's early death with the legend of the pharoah's curse - it remains a story only partly told. Carter never produced a complete account of his excavations. The Tutankhamun exhibitions of the 1960's and 1970's generated a spate of books but none added significantly to what Carter had already published about the tomb. This book is a revealing account of the subject.

For centuries the pyramids have inspired passionate theories about their origins, purpose and method of construction. In this fully work on the major pyramids of Ancient Egypt, the author surveys the history, building and use of the pyramids. He examines both the practicalities and logostics of their construction and their conceptual aspects - their cosmology and iconography and their intriguing texts. Other features include accounts of the latest discoveries by international teams working on the pyramids; discussion of the latest theories; chronology and history of Egypt and the pyramids; maps and site plans; a guide to visiting; computer generated perspective views of the interior of the pyramids; and quotations from ancient texts, early explorers and archaeologists.

Christine Hobson's invaluable guide to the history, people and archaeology of ancient Egypt has now been reprinted again. Illustrations, charts, chronoolgies support the detailed and informative discussions about many of Egypt's most important sites and archaeologists, all aimed at helping the visitor to make the most from their visit. An enthusiastic foreword by T G James from the British Museum praises Hobson for providing ` the information and confidence which will make a visit to Egypt a truly enriching experience'. Full of colour pictures and attractive tinted drawings.

Gaze toward the Nile from the desert hills of Mukattam, and the vast city of Cairo unfolds before you, with its monumental architecture, teeming populace, and thousands of years of rich history. The extraordinary tapestry of Cairo's past and present comes vividly to life in this magisterial study by André Raymond, arguably the premier social historian of the Arab world. The most deeply observed and historically nuanced account ever given of the greatest Arab city of northern Africa, this book shows us Cairo from the glimmer of its beginnings in the Arab conquest of Egypt in 640 through its transformation into the modern center of Middle Eastern life today. Here are the Fatimids, the Mamluks, and the Ottomans, the invasions, dynastic changes, and religious conflicts that one after another altered and shaped Cairo's destiny. And here, alongside rulers and religious leaders, are the merchants and artisans who have given Cairene life its distinctive character over time. Raymond depicts life in Cairo through the centuries, chronicling the coming of European influence, the vagaries of social evolution, and the development of economic structure and urban design. His work reflects all facets of Cairo's historical and social reality, weaving commerce, politics, religion, and culture into a finely worked portrait of the foremost Arab city on the continent of Africa.

With its splendid illustrations and maps and its meticulous attention to the topography and archaeology of the city, this book will prove as valuable to the serious traveler as to observers of Middle Eastern history and society. It stands as the definitive work on Cairo, unparalleled in scope, depth, and detail.

This fully-illustrated catalogue offers highlights of the Egyptian collection at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. A brief history of the collection is followed by a catalogue of seventy-seven objects, which date from the early third millennium BC to the eighth century AD. Many of these objects have not been previously published. The artefacts include statues, stelae, tools, games, clothing, coffins, figured ostraca, and papyri; each item is described, and its function and symbolism are discussed. Brief texts are translated. Appendices give museum registration numbers, provenance, and bibliographies.

The Valley of the Kings and the tombs of the Pharaohs are, together with the Pyramids of Giza, among the best-known and most-visited archaeological site in the world. Their extraordinary conditiona dn beautiful decoration has led to their classification as a World Heritage Site. This book describes and illustrates each tomb, the archaeological structures and the decorations of the temples.

The Library of Alexandria, one of the wonders of the Ancient World, has haunted Western culture for over 2,000 years. The Ptolemaic kings of Egypt—successors of Alexander the Great—had a staggering ambition: to house all of the books ever written under one roof, and the story of the universal library and its destruction still has the power to move us.

But what was the library, and where was it? Did it exist at all? Contemporary descriptions are vague and contradictory. The fate of the precious books themselves is a subject of endless speculation.

Canfora resolves these puzzles in one of the most unusual books of classical history ever written. He recreates the world of Egypt and the Greeks in brief chapters that marry the craft of the novelist and the discipline of the historian. Anecdotes, conversations, and reconstructions give The Vanished Library the compulsion of an exotic tale, yet Canfora bases all of them on historical and literary sources, which he discusses with great panache. As the chilling conclusion to this elegant piece of historical detective work he establishes who burned the books.

This volume has benefited from the collegial support of The Wake Forest University Studium.

The Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest cultural adornments of the late ancient world. It contained thousands of scrolls of Greek, Hebrew and Mesopotamian literature, as well as art and artifacts of ancient Egypt. This book brings together a distinguished array of scholars to bring this great institution—tragically destroyed—back to life.

The last ten years have seen some of the most remarkable archaeological discoveries ever made in Alexandria, the legendary Egyptian city founded by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. Presented here is a full account of these extraordinary finds and of the exciting expeditions that led to their discovery. Located on the northwestern end of the Nile River Delta, Alexandria was the greatest of Hellenistic cities and was a major center of Jewish and Christian culture. Athens' equal and political rival to Rome, Alexandria awed ancient travelers with its wealth, size, and cultural prestige. But unlike Athens and Rome, practically no visible trace of this splendid city remains, and, despite over a hundred years of archaeological efforts, the results have generally been considered meager. Recent excavations, however, have yielded an unexpected wealth of information. Directed by the French archaeologist Jean-Yves Empereur and conducted with the most modern methods, these digs have greatly enriched our knowledge of the art and architecture of Alexandria and of the lives and living conditions of its inhabitants.

An ancient church in the Coptic Monastery of St Antony at the Red Sea contains a unique cycle of 13th-century wall paintings. They constitute by far the most complete and best-preserved iconographic programme of Christian paintings to come from medieval Egypt. Ignored for centuries because they were covered with soot and overpainting, these compelling images have recently undergone conservation. This volume reproduces the cleaned paintings. It also describes and analyzes the amalgam of Coptic, Byzantine and Arab styles represented, and the social world of the artists that created the images. This book celebrates a unique program of conservation work conducted by the American Research Centre in Egypt.

This sumptuously illustrated book is a wonderful introduction to the enormous and varied legacy of ancient Egypt. Created to accompany one of the greatest loan exhibitions ever to have been mounted from the collections of the British Museum, Eternal Egypt illustrates the development and achievements of ancient Egyptian art over a period of more than 3,000 years. Almost all of the artifacts have been drawn from the Museum's permanent exhibitions; many are among the finest examples of their kind to have survived from antiquity. Handsomely produced, this book reveals these objects—including sculpture, relief, papyri, hieroglyphic writing, jewelry, painting, cosmetic objects, and items of funerary equipment—as a means of extraordinary artistic expression rather than simply as historical documents. The book and the exhibit, which will travel to eight U.S. cities over the course of three years, provide a remarkable opportunity to explore the creative genius of one of the world's most extraordinary civilizations.

Eternal Egypt features the unique and innovative aspects of art from each period, as well as characteristic styles, forms, and genres. Edna Russmann, one of the world's leading authorities on ancient Egyptian art and curator of the exhibition, offers a wide-ranging and authoritative introductory essay that covers archaism, portraiture, and stylistic innovation in Egyptian art. The text also relates the history of the British Museum collection of Egyptian antiquities, showing how these exquisite art works came together. Each piece in the exhibition is given a separate explanatory entry in the book. With its superb color photographs and accessible yet informative text, Eternal Egypt marks a substantial step forward in scholarly understanding of its subject, embodying the results of the very latest research and containing many new and original insights and observations. It will be a must read for anyone with a passion for ancient Egypt.

Published in association with the American Federation of Arts by arrangement with the British Museum Press

This volume accompanies an exhibition of the same name, which includes artefacts from nearly 2000 years before the Christian era. Objects such as coffins, tombs, masks, jewellery, papyri, sarcophagi and monumental and small-scale sculpture reveal the reverence and awe with which the Egyptians considered the mystery of death. The essays in this book explore Egyptian art history, customs and worship, with specific focus on the Amduat, a book devoted to the pharaoh's 12-hour journey to the afterlife. Additional writings detail the background of the collection and focus upon the role of art in ancient Egypt.

The fascinating Amarna Period of ancient Egypt comes to life through more than 250 beautiful works of sculpture, architectural elements, ceramic ware, jewelry, clothing, tools, and furniture from renowned international collections. Essays by leading Egyptian scholars describe this time of unprecedented change in art and architecture, technology, the role of women, and religion.

This book is the official companion to the National Geographic Exhibition of the same name. Featuring hundreds of full colour photographs, the volume delves into the rich treasure trove of objects from the reigns and tombs of fabled Egyptian kings and queens. Statues, furniture, urns and other funerary implements to ease the passage to the afterlife, jewellery and bas-relief panels are all included, and each photograph is accompanied by a precise description of materials, subject and significance. Zahi Hawass' text chronicles pharaonic history, and presents fascinating chapters on everything from everyday life, to elaborate ceremonies and an account of Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb in 1922.