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The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt - John Ray
Profile Books - 2007. 200pp, 25 b/w illus. Hardback, £15.99.The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society. Wolfram Grajetski. Duckworth, 2006. xii, 208pp, frontis., 23 b/w pls. Paperback, £16.99
Karnak: Evolution of a Temple - Elizabeth Blyth
Routledge - 2006. xxv + 258pp, 13 b/w pls, 48 figs. Paperback, £25.99
Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt from Early Dynastic Times to the Death of Cleopatra - Joyce Tyldesley
Thames and Hudson - 2006. 224pp, 273 illus, 173 in colour. Hardback, £19.95
Magic in Ancient Egypt - Geraldine Pinch
British Museum Press - 2006. 192pp, 40 colour and 56 b/w illus. Paperback, £12.99
An Ancient Egyptian Herbal - Lise Manniche
British Museum Press - 2006. 184pp, 23 b/w illus, 96 line drawings. Paperback, £9.99
Swifter Than The Arrow: The Golden Hunting Hounds of Ancient Egypt - Michael Rice
I.B. Tauris - 2006. xix + 226pp, 38 figs, 1 map. Hardback, £18.99
Objects for Eternity: Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection - Edited by Carol A.R. Andrews and Jacobus van Dijk. Philipp von Zabern
Mainz - 2006. 278pp, 221 colour pls. Hardback, €£29.90
Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt - Nigel Strudwick
British Museum Press - 2006. 252pp, illus in colour throughout. Hardback, £20
Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from The British Museum - Edna R. Russman, Nigel Strudwick, and T.G.H. James
American Federation of Arts and University of Washington Press, Seattle - 2006. 136pp, 89 colour pls. Hardback. £21.99
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| The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt |
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| Karnak: Evolution of a Temple |
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| Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt from Early Dynastic Times to the Death of Cleopatra |
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| An Ancient Egyptian Herbal |
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| Swifter Than The Arrow: The Golden Hunting Hounds of Ancient Egypt |
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| Objects for Eternity: Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection |
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| Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt |
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Herodotus, the Greek historian who visited Egypt in the mid-5th century BC, wrote at length on many aspects of ancient Egypt in Book Two of his Histories. Renaissance scholars were especially intrigued with the unfathomable picture writing - hieroglyphs - but this was not to be deciphered until 1822, 24 years after the short-lived French conquest of Egypt. That conquest was to open the floodgates of publications on ancient Egypt, notably with the incredible volumes of the Description de l’Egypte. The flow has not abated since. One could be forgiven for thinking that there was nothing left to write about, assess or reinterpret, apart from reporting new finds and excavations, but this is not the case.
It was with the discovery by the French of the Rosetta Stone in 1799 (subsequently acquired by the British as spoils of war in 1801, and now the most famous exhibit in the British Museum), that the key to Egypt was suddenly turned. The story is well told by Professor John Ray in The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt(Profile Books). He paints a broad picture of the background of the time and the people involved in retelling the story of the race between the English physicist Thomas Young and the brilliant French scholar Jean-François Champollion to ‘crack the code’. He also explains the cryptological methods used to decipher ancient languages, which bring in Michael Ventris (who deciphered Minoan Linear B) and Yuri Knorosov (Maya hieroglyphs) - and, not least, by John Ray himself, who deciphered ancient Carian. Professor Ray sets the Stone in its context and examines its content, presenting a full translated text. His culminating chapter, ‘Whose Loot is it Anyway’, is a balanced view of the situation presently bedevilling many governments and scholars alike. As John Ray rightly says, ‘Cooperation is the price that comes with stewardship, and it is a price we should be prepared to pay, since it is also the way to deepen our knowledge’ - a powerful mantra indeed.
Of the three major periods of ancient Egyptian history: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom, the Egyptians considered the Middle Kingdom (c. 2000-1700 BC) to be the high water mark of their civilisation. Curiously, however, although noted as the classical period of Egypt’s art, history, and literature, it is the least well known of the three. Even the site of the new capital city, Itj-tawy, is not precisely identified, although it is thought to be in the region of modern Lisht. The sculpture and literature of the period is of the finest, but the other evidence is fragmentary. In his new book, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt: History, Archaeology and Society (Duckworth), Wolfram Grajetzki has drawn together an incredible amount of information from widely scattered sources to present a coherent picture of the period that will not be found elsewhere. Dividing his approach into three parts: History, Archaeology and Geography, and Society, he has produced a masterly survey that has not been bettered since Herbert Winlock’s The Rise and Fall of the Middle Kingdom at Thebes (1947). Not to be overlooked are his three invaluable Appendices listing in full the Kings, Viziers, and Treasurers of the Middle Kingdom - much of this information is very difficult to come by. Grajetzki has performed a remarkable service to Egyptology with this in depth study that will be widely consulted for many years to come.
Taking a wider chronological approach, Joyce Tyldesley’s Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt (Thames & Hudson) covers from Early Dynastic times to the death of Cleopatra, a span of some 3000 years of royal ladies. Some of the queens, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Nefertari, and Cleopatra are household names. But here, in splendid detail, and extremely well illustrated, are the other royal ladies. The presentation follows the style of the reviewer’s own earlier book on the pharaohs and is a very welcome pair to it - too often the royal ladies of ancient Egypt are sidelined to the greater glory of their husbands, the pharaohs, but here Dr Tyldesley brings them into the light, where their standing and often remarkable achievements are emphasised. Although Joyce Tyldesley has previously written acclaimed biographies of Hatshepsut and Nefertiti, this is the first book to present all the ladies. Also highlighted are a number of special features ranging from Childbirth to Wigs, as well as numerous genealogical tables and in depth informative sidebars. It is a readable book but, crucially, this work will be constantly referred.
In antiquity, the magicians of ancient Egypt were both feared and revered. Even in the modern era, in more esoteric literature, their powers are deemed to be paramount. In the 12 years since the first edition of Magic in Ancient Egypt (British Museum Press), Dr Geraldine Pinch has incorporated much new research and thought on her subject. As she points out, magic in its many forms and uses was very much a part of life in ancient Egypt from the pharaoh down to the humblest fellahin. The unseen ruled their world and had to be propitiated by spells, incantations and, at times, blatant bribery. Here the connections between myth and magic are examined, as well as the techniques of the magicians themselves from surviving magical texts, amulets, magic wands, and so on, all of which had a potency to their users which is sometimes difficult to comprehend in the modern world. Notable are the chapters devoted to medicine and magic (both often not widely separated in ancient Egypt), and to magic and death, where the correct spells, texts, and prayers were essential for the deceased to be able to pass through into the Egyptian next world of Kherneter.
Closely allied to magic and medicine and their uses were the ingredients that came from nature herself. Lise Manniche has written widely on aspects of ancient Egypt and here, in An Ancient Egyptian Herbal British Museum Press, she has reconstructed a herbal of 95 species of plants and trees in use before, during, and after the pharaonic period. Her sources are a combination of ancient texts, scientifically examined remains, and writings of classical authors who looked to Egypt as the paramount source of wisdom in such matters. The practical use of both herbs and flowers, as well as their decorative application and importance in rituals such as funerary and festive occasions, are all examined in detail. A section devoted to perfume has a modern tang to it, as scientists attempt to create the ancient perfumes for a receptive market.
Man’s ‘best friend’, the dog, was probably domesticated some 12,000 years ago, but think animals in ancient Egypt, and cats immediately spring to mind. They have always been associated with Egypt as sacred animals, and have had a very good press and numerous books published about them. The dogs of ancient Egypt, and there were a number of different varieties, have suffered by comparison, but now they, and particularly the Pharaoh Hound, have found their champion in Michael Rice in Swifter Than The Arrow (I.B. Taurus). He is an obvious dog enthusiast (but one should also note his several other books on ancient Egypt), and here he explores two integrated themes: the first being the place of the elegant golden hunting hounds of ancient Egypt and their owners’ attachment to them, and the second considers whether the Kennel Clubs’ recognised ‘Pharaoh Hound’ can be (as some insist) the lineal descents of their ancient counterparts. One of the finest representations of them is on the inlaid steatite disc, possibly a gaming piece, from the First Dynasty tomb, c. 3000 BC, of Hemaka at Saqqara, here most effectively on the book’s jacket.
The Pharaoh Hounds were elegant, easily recognised dogs with prick-ears, slender in build and with a golden colour. They were called tjesm and are often distinctively seen in predynastic rock art and later tomb paintings and sculpture where they are often identified by their individual names; some even had the honour, as royal companions, of suitable royal burials. Many of the most notable representations of the hounds occur in the tomb reliefs in Old Kingdom mastaba tombs where they can be seen in action bringing down their prey, or at rest being led on leads, often, curiously, by dwarfs.
Whilst Rice is obviously focussed in the book on the Pharaoh Hound and its history in Egypt, he also includes very interesting discussion and accounts of the various hounds of the Mediterranean islands, notably Malta, and their ancestry as well as excellent photos of the modern breeds. This is a most interesting and readable book not only for Egyptologists in filling a gap in the literature, but also for any dog lover with an interest in their history.
Collecting must be as old as humanity, when perhaps a shiny pebble was first picked up out of curiosity. Essentially, whatever we collect appeals to us and enters our psyche. Ancient Egyptian objects have been collected since Roman times - on a large scale the obelisks taken to be re-erected in the circuses of Rome, or on a smaller scale, such as the fragment of a shabti of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenophis III found in Roman Republican levels at the site of Alba Fucens outside Rome. Many private collections have been made with great discernment, many of them ending up in museums, or being the focal point of loan exhibitions to museums. It is the latter that so often helps fuel the world of scholarship, and Objects for Eternity: Egyptian Antiquities from the W. Arnold Meijer Collection (Philipp von Zabern) shown at the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam is a case in point. Comprising over 200 objects, the catalogue is exemplary of what the combination of a dedicated collector and the scholarship of dedicated Egyptologists can produce. It is edited by Carol Andrews (formerly of the British Museum) and Jacobus van Dijk, who have brought together a team of ten leading Egyptologists to produce a detailed and imaginative text on the objects, which are splendidly illustrated. Individual short essays precede a number of the thematically grouped objects, which are clear and explicit. There are some remarkable pieces included in this incomparable collection, such as the limestone head of the Princess Nebetah, daughter of Amenophis III and Queen Tiye, and a unique survival inscribed with her name (cat. 2.38); the granodiorite head of Amun, probably an early representation of Seti I but in late 18th Dynasty style (cat. 2.39, and the cover illustration); a miniature copper alloy sarcophagus with a seated lioness-headed goddess Sekhmet, unique in the genre (cat. 3.21); as well as a remarkable series of finest quality bronze statuettes of deities. The texts are fully supported by references and are followed by five detailed Appendices which give the recent collection history; C-14 readings; authenticity and material composition; drawings of stone vessels, and hieroglyphic inscriptions. In all, this represents an invaluable presentation of material and objects that will be a useful source of reference to a remarkable collection of objects that span the whole of Egyptian history from the Predynastic to Roman Periods.
There can be little doubt that Egypt must house the greatest collection of monuments in the ancient world. Yet, many of those monuments, great and towering, are in many instances still little known - they are seen, admired, partially understood, but still need to be interpreted and recorded. The great complex of temples to the god Amun (and his associated family) at Karnak is a case in point. Illustrated in many books and films, it has at last found in Elizabeth Blyth someone to tell its story in Karnak: Evolution of a Temple (Routledge). The site is probably the largest and most complicated religious place in the world - known, and yet unknown. Its story began as the obscure shrine of a local deity, which rose to be the greatest and wealthiest state temple of Egypt over the course of 2000 years. Pharaohs came and went, most tried to leave their mark on it, and that historical story is told here for the first time in English. The continuity at the site is amazing, right down to its final closure in AD 380 by an edict of the emperor Theodosius, followed by the final fall of various Christian churches and sanctuaries in the Islamic invasion of AD 642. This rich story is told in exemplary fashion, ably backed by maps, plans, and appropriate illustrations of a most tangled site - like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle with many pieces missing, destroyed over the centuries, but still with new finds being made in excavations leading to new interpretations. It can well be said that the whole history of Egypt is written largely on the walls of Karnak.
An overall view of ancient Egyptian art is provided in Nigel Strudwick’s Masterpieces of Ancient Egypt (British Museum Press), a lavish and beautifully illustrated selection of over 200 objects from the collection, which also includes items from the Sudan, and must rate amongst the world’s finest outside of Cairo. All are arranged chronologically from predynastic times through the 3000 or so years to the Coptic Christian period. Obviously major items such as the Rosetta Stone are included, but also a wealth of lesser-known but equally significant or beautiful pieces, each illustrated in full-page colour. One of the many features, so often overlooked, is the citation of provenance and history of the pieces from an exceptional collection.
Other masterpieces from the British Museum are featured in Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian art from the British Museum (University of Washington Press) by Edna R. Russmann, the guest curator of the exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum, New York, along with essays by the Consulting Curator, Dr Nigel Strudwick and T.G.H. James, formerly Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum. The catalogue accompanies a major travelling exhibition organised by the American Federation of Arts and the British Museum, and is scheduled for display in five further major American cities until June 2008. It would have been preferable if the succinct captions were in a larger type size and also if more information were provided about the pieces, since most are keyed into the textual body, but only in passing references. The production is extremely lavish, but suffers from the design penchant of presenting everything as cut outs - destroying the modelling and further appreciation of the objects, and simply presenting a series of bland, blank page backgrounds. The exhibition will obviously be a splendid success and is further evidence of the dedicated outreach programme in lending objects that the Department of Egypt and Sudan is following at the British Museum. |
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