For you, it may look like a small unimportant detail, like your thumbnail. But for me, it is the whole vast world. Look at this jewel... here is the ant, here is the hyena, the jackal, the hoof of a horse, that of a gazelle, the sun, the moon, the stars, the good eye... this triangle, this is woman, and here are the eyebrows of the Malignant One, there, laughter... it is all of our lives in one piece of silver.

(Translated from the French by Helene E. Hagan, from original Tuareg words of an artisan cited by J. Gabus, 1971)
An extensive study of the symbolism of Tuareg jewelry has not yet been undertaken to date. It is this simple realization that brought the authors together in a decision to collect information on the topic, from past scholarly journals and books, contemporary articles and web sites, but also from Tuareg informants whose expert knowledge was sought. Though this book is small and does not aspire to be all encompassing, it is the first work totally dedicated to the presentation of the elaborate silver jewelry of Tuareg men and women of Northern Niger in the English language, and the only one we know that is solely dedicated to providing information concerning the function, meanings, and symbols of that jewelry.

The book introduces the reader to the culture of the Tuaregs, a remarkable group of African nomads of the Sahara Desert, which has fascinated the Europeans who came into contact with them in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In the last decade or so, as the Tuareg societies of Niger and Mali underwent major change, a number of American researchers began to document some of their ways. Research and publications in the English language are, however, lagging far behind those in the French language. Fortunately, the primary author of this book, Helene Hagan, was originally educated in the French language, and as an Amazigh (Berber) herself, is very familiar with North African scholarship in the Amazigh culture. Thus, as a bilingual anthropologist of Berber ancestry, born and raised in Morocco, and an activist for Amazigh cultural, linguistic and human rights, she benefits from a fourfold source of valuable information: French scholarship, American contemporary accounts, the latest Amazigh research emanating out of North Africa, and Northern Niger Tuareg informants she knows. This unique set of circumstances gives the book an extra dimension of depth and insight.

The book recounts the myth of origin of the Kel Tamasheq of Niger, and looks at the continuity and development of symbols from archaic inscriptions and rock art of the Sahara to present-day engravings on silver jewelry and the Tifinagh alphabet. The second chapter is entirely devoted to retracing this development and showing the correspondence between Tifinagh characters of the Amazigh alphabet and the elegant, clear lines of geometric designs, which characterize the silver jewelry of the Tuareg people. The two are deeply connected. Modern Tifinagh Calligraphic Art is also featured in this chapter.

The next chapter delves into the mystery of the famous Cross of Agadez and the various hypotheses that have been offered as to its meaning. It depicts the artisanal mode of production, and the functions the crosses hold for Tuareg people themselves. Nowadays, the production of crosses for the western world diminishes the role this cross, Tenghelet tan Agadez, had as a clan identifier. It has become, like other less well known pieces of Tuareg jewelry, a simple ornament or necklace devoid of any particular significance, and the markings on those crosses are losing some of their intentions of yore.

The book reviews specific masculine jewelry and feminine adornment in the next two chapters, and looks at the role various pieces of silver jewelry play in the relations

Born in Rabat, Morocco, Helene E. Hagan received her earlier education in Morocco and at Bordeaux University, France, where she received a Masters Degree in British and American Studies. She also holds two Masters Degrees from Stanford University, California, one in French and Education, and the other in Cultural and Psychological Anthropology. After conducting fi eldwork among the Oglala Lakota people of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, she worked as Associate Professor at the JFK University Graduate School of Psychology in Orinda, California, and owned an American Indian art gallery in Marin County. She has served as President of the non-profi t educational organization, Tazzla Institute for Cultural Diversity, since 1993. She has written numerous newspaper and magazine articles, three anthropological books on Berber (Amazigh) culture and fi lmed, edited and produced over fi fty community service television programs on a variety of topics related to American Indian and Berber culture, arts, and human right issues, through Amazigh Video Productions. Helene Hagan is a lifetime Associate Curator of the Paul Radin Collection at Marquette University Special Archives. In 2007, Helene was a guest Professor for the First Berber Institute held at the University of Oregon, Corvallis. In 2008, she created the Los Angeles Amazigh Film Festival. Other books by this author published by Xlibris: The Shining Ones: Etymological Essay on the Amazigh Roots of Ancient Egyptian Civilization (2000) Tuareg Jewelry: Traditional Patterns and Symbols (2006) Tazzunt: Ecology, Ritual and Social Order in the Tessawt Valley of the High Atlas of Morocco (2011)

Tazzunt presents a group of Berbers (Imazighen), the Ait Arbaa, who live in the Tessawt Valley of the High Atlas of Morocco, eking out a meager existence from the eroded soil of their rugged environment, by harvesting turnips, millet and maize, and one cash crop of walnuts. They depend also on a simple form of summer pasture. Tazzunt means limit: and it refers to an annual ritual which gathers around the shrine of a local Saint, Sidi Asdal, several villages of the Valley for its celebration. A ceremony, a feast, songs and dances accompany the rite.

The book is based on a French ethnographic description recorded by a member of that group, Hassan Jouad, and a Frenchman, Bernard Lortat-Jacob during the celebration of the opening of the Summer Season Festivities, the Tazzunt ceremony, in 1978. The original English analysis based on this description was a spring paper written in 1982 at the Department of Anthropology of Stanford University. Because such material is so lacking in the anthropological literature of Morocco, and given the fact that American universities are beginning to become more interested in Amazigh studies (North African Berbers and Tuaregs), this small book might be appreciated by a number of people entering that field. Hopefully, it will also be of interest to anyone else interested in ritual and religious practice in Africa.

The document opens with an introduction to the Berbers of the High Atlas of Morocco, who speak Tamazight, a form of a Berber language which has a number of different dialects through North Africa. A whole section is devoted to the analysis of their segmentary type of tribal organization, and what has been discussed in the past by anthropologists interested in segmentary structures of social organization in past anthropological literature. The various mechanisms of affiliations and alliances, recognized by Berbers (Imazighen) in this part of the world about the middle of the twentieth century, are also examined and assessed as to their function and place in the tapestry of relations not just among the Ait Arbaa, but more generally among the Berbers of that region.

The presence of marabouts, saintly men such as Sidi Asdal, the local saint of the upper Tessawt Valley, and a maraboutic complex which antedates the arrival of Islam and has been incorporated into religious practice in Moorcco, are also introduced and discussed in a separate section of the book. The concept of Baraka (blessing, and power of blessing) is introduced and analyzed. Social order and the segmentary structure of social organization are singularly modified by the presence of these powerful saintly men with Baraka as opposed to the rule of elected, temporal chiefs, or amghars. A model of equilibrium, fluidity, and flexibility emerges from such a factor at the core of a structured, hierarchical society.

The ritual of Tazzunt itself is presented, explained, and analyzed. An anthropological reflection on the importance of ritual, song and dance, rounds up the presentation. All aspects of the presentation of the ritual of Tazzunt and its meaning for the villagers and mountain people of the Tessawt Valley are backed by a series of poems and songs which were translated from their original Tamazight composition into French by Hassan Jouad, and subsequently translated from the French into English by the author of the book, Helene Hagan. The poetry is essential to the actual substance and meaning of the actions described. In addition to the importance of the poetry which accompanies the prose of the explanatory text, the author had the extraordinary luck to come across a set of photographs taken in that valley, around the very time that this document was being written. These photographs were taken by two architects, Anne and Olivier Fougerat, who were kind enough to share their beautiful photography taken in May of 1984 in the Upper Tessawt Valley of the High Atlas of Moroc

For centuries the world has been misled about the original source of the Arts and Sciences; for centuries Socrates, Plato and Aristotle have been falsely idolized as models of intellectual greatness; and for centuries the African continent has been called the Dark Continent, because Europe coveted the honor of transmitting to the world, the Arts and Sciences. It is indeed surprising how, for centuries, the Greeks have been praised by the Western World for intellectual accomplishments which belong without a doubt to the Egyptians or the peoples of North Africa.

The bestselling author of The Sign and the Seal reveals the true origins of civilization. Connecting puzzling clues scattered throughout the world, Hancock discovers compelling evidence of a technologically and culturally advanced civilization that was destroyed and obliterated from human memory. Four 8-page photo inserts.

A study of the remains of the native religious literature of ancient Egypt which have come down to us has revealed the fact that the belief in magic, that is to say, in the power of magical names, and spells, and enchantments, and formulæ, and pictures, and figures, and amulets, and in the performance of ceremonies accompanied by the utterance of words of power, to produce supernatural results.

There is no death in the Osirian religion, only decay and change, and periodic renewal; only evolution and transformation in the domain of matter and the transubstantiation into spirit. In the so-called death of Osiris it is rebirth, not death, exactly the same as in the changes of external nature. At the close of the day the solar orb went down and left the sun god staring blankly in the dark of death. Taht the moon god met him in Amenta with the eye of Horus as the light the was to illuminate the darkness of the subterranean world. from Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Mysteries of Amenta It goes unappreciated by modern Egyptologists, but it is embraced by those who savor the concept of a hidden history of humanity, and those who approach all human knowledge from the perspective of the esoteric. Gerard Massey 's massive Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World first published in 1907 and the crowning achievement of the self-taught scholar redefines the roots of Christianity via Egypt, proposing that Egyptian mythology was the basis for Jewish and Christian beliefs. Here, Cosimo proudly presents Book 4 of Ancient Egypt, in which Massey discusses the Egyptian Book of the Dead as the pre-Christian word of God, and explores the idea that Amenta, the threshold to the Egyptian underworld, is the first overt expression of a human desire for a noncorporeal afterlife. Massey goes on to connect the mystery of the mummy to the mystery of the Christ by likening the Christian dogma of physical resurrection to the Egyptian impetus for mummification. Peculiar and profound, this work will intrigue and delight readers of history, religion, and mythology. British author GERALD MASSEY (1828 1907) published works of poetry, spiritualism, Shakespearean criticism, and theology, but his best-known works are in the realm of Egyptology, including A Book of the Beginnings and The Natural Genesis.

The object of this book is to supply information about the Religion, Magic, Language, Legends and History of the ancient Egyptians. It shows insight on legends like the death of Horus, Ra and Isis, the creational myths and much more.

A secret buried for centuries

Thrust onto Egypt's most powerful throne at the age of nine, King Tut's reign was fiercely debated from the outset. Behind the palace's veil of prosperity, bitter rivalries and jealousy flourished among the Boy King's most trusted advisors, and after only nine years, King Tut suddenly perished, his name purged from Egyptian history. To this day, his death remains shrouded in controversy.

The keys to an unsolved mystery

Enchanted by the ruler's tragic story and hoping to unlock the answers to the 3,000 year-old mystery, Howard Carter made it his life's mission to uncover the pharaoh's hidden tomb. He began his search in 1907, but encountered countless setbacks and dead-ends before he finally, uncovered the long-lost crypt.

The clues point to murder

Now, in The Murder of King Tut, James Patterson and Martin Dugard dig through stacks of evidence--X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages--to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all.

This brief examination of Egyptian religion, as opposed to mythology, argues that the ancient Egyptians believed in only one god and that each of the many divinities were created to represent or symbolise different aspects of that one supreme deity. Gadalla examines the role and symbolism of each god or goddess in turn, highlighting their place within Egyptian theology. Each divinity is illustrated.

Her power was rivaled only by her beauty. Her face has become one of the most recognizable images in the world. She was an independent woman and thinker centuries before her time. But who was Egypt's Queen Nefertiti?

After years of intense research, Dr. Joann Fletcher has answered the questions countless researchers before her could not. While studying Egyptian royal wigs, she read a brief mention of an unidentified and mummified body, discovered long ago and believed to belong to an Egyptian of little importance. This body happened to have a wig, which Dr. Fletcher knew was a clear sign of power. After examining the hairpiece and the woman to which it belonged, to the astonishment of her colleagues she identified this body as the missing remains of Queen Nefertiti.

The search for Nefertiti had ended. She had been found. But the questions were just beginning.

Nefertiti first rose to prominence in Egyptology in 1912, when a three-thousand-year-old bust of the queen was unearthed and quickly became a recognizable artifact around the world. But pieces of Nefertiti's life remained missing. The world had seen what she looked like, but few knew about her place in history.

Virtually nothing is recorded about Nefertiti's early years. What is known about her life starts with her rise to power, her breaking through the sex barrier to rule as a virtual co-Pharaoh alongside her husband, Akhenaten. Upon his death she took full control of his kingdom. The Egyptian people loved her and celebrated her beauty in art, but the priests did not feel the same way. They believed Nefertiti's power over her husband was so great that she would instill her monotheistic beliefs upon him, rendering their own power obsolete. Egyptologists concur that it was these priests who, upon Nefertiti's death, had her name erased from public record and any likeness of her defaced. This ultimately led to her being left out of history for three thousand years.

In The Search for Nefertiti Dr. Fletcher, an esteemed Egyptologist, traces not only her thirteen-year search for this woman, whose beauty was as great as her power, but also brings to the forefront the way Egypt's royal dead have been treated over time by people as varied as Agatha Christie and Adolf Hitler. She also explores how modern technology and forensics are quickly changing the field of archaeology and, in turn, what we know about history.

Love history? Know your stuff with History in an Hour.

Learn about the Egyptian gods, mummification and how the Egyptians built the only wonder of the ancient world still standing – the Pyramids of Giza.

Exploring the historic rise of Egyptian civilization
and its continued influence on the world today, Ancient Egypt in an Hour is an excellent companion to a mysterious and enthralling period of history.

Know your stuff: discover ancient Egypt in just one hour.

No one ever understood the mythology and Ritual of Ancient Egypt so well as Gerald Massey since the time of the Ancient Philosophers of Egypt. This book is one of the best when it comes down to Egyptian mythology, occultism and interpretation. It's a standard work no one wants to miss. Contents: Sign-Language And Mythology As Primitive Modes Of Representation. Totemism, Tattoo And Fetishism As Forms Of Sign-Language Elemental And Ancestral Spirits, Or The Gods And The Glorified. Egyptian Book Of The Dead And The Mysteries Of Amenta The Sign-Language Of Astronomical Mythology Egyptian Wisdom. The Drowning Of The Dragon The Sign-Language Of Astronomical Mythology (Part II) Horus Of The Double Horizon. The Making Of Amenta The Irish Amenta The Upper Mount Of Glory. Egyptian Wisdom And The Hebrew Genesis The Egyptian Wisdom In Other Jewish Writings

This is part 2 of the Gerald Masseys work about the comparisons between the Judeo-Christian religion and the Egyptian religion. No one ever understood the mythology and ritual of Ancient Egypt so well as Gerald Massey since the time of the Ancient Philosophers of Egypt. This book is one of the best of its kind and a must-have for every student of Egyptian mythology and history.

In this riveting account of historical and archaeological investigation, the authors present hard evidence that the Sphinx, the Pyramids, and the other monuments at Giza are of far more ancient origin than previously believed. Complete with evidence of a conspiracy between the Egyptology establishment and various confidential organizations to keep the secrets of the Pyramids from the world, The Message of the Sphinx is also a modern-day detective story. of photos.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

This book is intended to give the reader an account of the principal ideas and beliefs held by the ancient Egyptians concerning the resurrection and the future life, which is derived wholly from native religious works. The literature of Egypt which deals with these subjects is large and, as was to be expected, the product of different periods which, taken together, cover several thousands of years; and it is exceedingly difficult at times to reconcile the statements and beliefs of a writer of one period with those of a writer of another. Up to the present no systematic account of the doctrine of the resurrection and of the future life has been discovered, and there is no reason for hoping that such a thing will ever be found, for the Egyptians do not appear to have thought that it was necessary to write a work of the kind. This book sums up all thought, beliefs and myths concerning future life in ancient Egypt.

Anyone curious about hieroglyphics will appreciate this classic primer. This practical grammar comprises lists of frequently used signs and determinatives, a vocabulary of about 500 words, a series of 31 texts and extracts (with interlinear transliteration and word-for-word translation), and a few untransliterated and untranslated texts (with glossary), to be worked out independently.

Categories: Egyptology, philosophy of law, history of religions Unlike ancient Rome, Egypt did not transmit any legal system to us, but rather an idea of justice our modern minds can hardly understand. In the ancient Egyptian world, almost all the texts and inscriptions speak of justice. All the texts of wisdom teach that one has to conform to Maat, an obscure and omnipresent concept that Egyptologists have translated into the expression "Goddess of Truth and Justice." Egyptian justice is so different from ours that Egyptologists and historians of religions believe they have not yet fully understood its meaning. They regret this fact because understanding Maat would be a gateway to a deeper understanding of the ancient Egyptian world. As for lawyers, they have limited themselves to the Greco-Roman sources on the philosophy of Justice and the discoveries of Egyptologists in this philosophical field remain thoroughly ignored. Thanks to her experience in ancient history of law and her ability to understand ancient symbols, the author provides Egyptology with the missing pieces that were needed to form a coherent image of Maat. Once revealed, Maat sheds a new and unexpected light on the whole of Egyptian civilization. As a bridge between traditionally separate fields of academic research, this book is a useful and groundbreaking contribution to Egyptology, the history of religions and the modern philosophy of law.

A leading historian and bestselling author re-creates the growth, decline, and legacy of 3,000 Years of Egyptian civilization with an authoritative text splendidly illustrated with 150 illustrations in full color.

Ancient Egypt, with its legacy of pyramids, pharaohs and sphinxes, is a land of power and mystery to the modern world. In The Civilization of Ancient Egypt Paul Johnson explores the growth and decline of a culture that survived for 3,000 years and maintained a purity of style that rivals all others. Johnson's study looks in detail at the state, religion, culture and geographical setting and how they combined in this unusually enduring civilization. From the beginning of Egyptian culture to the rediscovery of the pharaohs, the book covers the totalitarian theocracy, the empire of the Nile, the structure of dynastic Egypt, the dynastic way of death, hieroglyphs, the anatomy of perspective art and, finally, the decline and fall of the pharaohs, Johnson seeks, through an exciting combination of images and analysis, to discover the causes behind the collapse of this, great civilization while celebrating the extra-ordinary legacy it has left behind.

Paul Johnson on Ancient Egypt and the Egyptians

"Egypt was not only the first state, it was the first country.... The durability of the state which thus evolved was ensured by the overwhelming simplicity and power of its central institution, the theocratic monarchy."

"The Egyptians did not share the Babylonian passion for astrology, but they used the stars as one of many guides to behavior. No Egyptian believed in a free exercise of will in important decisions: he always looked for an omen or a prophecy or an oracle."

"The development of hieroglyphics mirrors and epitomizes the history of Egyptian civilization. . . . No one outside Egypt understood it and even within Egypt it was the exclusive working tool of the ruling and priestly classes. The great mass of Egyptians were condemned to illiteracy by the complexities (and also the beauties) of the Egyptian written language."

"The affection the Egyptians were not. ashamed to display towards their children was related to the high status women enjoyed in Egyptian society."

"If we can understand Egyptian art we can go a long way towards grasping the very spirit and outlook on life, of this gifted people, so remote in time. The dynamic of their civilization seems to have been a passionate love of order (maat to them), by which they sought to give to human activities and creations the same regularity as their landscape, their great river, their sun-cycle and their immutable seasons."

November 4, 1922. For six seasons the legendary Valley of the Kings has yielded no secrets to Howard Carter and his archeological team: "We had almost made up our minds that we were beaten,” he writes, “and were preparing to leave The Valley and try our luck elsewhere; and then--hardly had we set hoe to ground in our last despairing effort than we made a discovery that far exceeded our wildest dreams."
Join Howard Carter in his fascinating odyssey toward the most dramatic archeological find of the century--the tomb of Tutankhamen. Written by Carter in 1923, only a year after the discovery, this book captures the overwhelming exhilaration of the find, the painstaking, step-by-step process of excavation, and the wonder of opening a treasure-filled inner chamber whose regal inhabitant had been dead for 3,000 years.
104 on-the-spot photographs chronicle the phases of the discovery and the scrupulous cataloging of the treasures. The opening chapters discuss the life of Tutankhamen and earlier archeological work in the Valley of the Kings. An appendix contains fully captioned photographs of the objects obtained from the tomb. A new preface by Jon Manchip White adds information on Carter's career, recent opinions on Tutankhamen's reign, and the importance of Carter's discovery to Egyptologists.
Millions have seen the stunning artifacts which came from the tomb—they are among the glories of the Cairo Museum, and have made triumphal tours to museums the world over. They are a testament to the enigmatic young king, and to the unwavering tenacity of the man who brought them to light as described in this remarkable narrative.

The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus composed the monumental universal history ‘Bibliotheca historica’, which comprises the mythic history of the non-Hellenic and Hellenic tribes. Diodorus’ great work spans the destruction of Troy, the glories of Alexander the Great, the history and culture of Ancient Egypt and the near East and the triumphs of the Roman Republic. The Ancient Classics series provides eReaders with the wisdom of the Classical world, with both English translations and the original Greek texts.  This comprehensive eBook presents the complete extant works of Diodorus Siculus, with beautiful illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)

* Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Diodorus' life and works
* Features the complete extant works of Diodorus, in both English translation and the original Latin
* Includes translations previously appearing in Loeb Classical Library editions of Diodorus’ works
* Excellent formatting of the texts
* Easily locate the books or works you want to read with individual contents tables
* Includes Diodorus' rare fragments, first time in digital print
* Provides a special dual English and Greek text of the first five complete books, allowing readers to compare the sections paragraph by paragraph – ideal for students
* Features a bonus biography – discover Diodorus' ancient world
* Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres

Please note: some Kindle software programs cannot display Greek characters correctly; however the characters do display correctly on Kindle devices.

Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

CONTENTS:

The Translations
THE LIBRARY OF HISTORY

The Greek Text
CONTENTS OF THE GREEK TEXT

The Dual Text
DUAL GREEK AND ENGLISH TEXT

The Biography
INTRODUCTION TO DIODORUS SICULUS by C. H. Oldfather

Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles

Everyone has heard of Ramesses the Great - but what is the truth behind the legend? Joyce Tyldesley's lively book explores the life and times of Egypt's greatest king. Ramesses II was the archetypal Egyptian pharoah: a mighty warrior, an extravagant builder and the father of scores of children. His momuments and image were to be found in every corner of the Egyptian empire. This is his amazing story.

'Man perishes; his corpse turns to dust; all his relatives pass away. But writings make him remembered.'

The fascination Ancient Egypt holds in our minds has many sources, but at the heart of it lie hieroglyphics. This extraordinary writing system was for many years seen as the ultimate challenge and puzzle before finally being cracked in the 1820s. Preserved carved in stone or inked on papyri, hieroglyphic writings give a unique insight into an awe-inspiring but also deeply mysterious culture.

Toby Wilkinson has translated a rich selection of pieces, ranging from accounts of battles to hymns to stories to royal proclamations. This book is both very enjoyable and an essential resource for anyone wanting to study one of humankind's great civilizations.

Subjects covered in these pages include:

Egyptian Spirituality

The Akhenaten Heresy and Its Impact on Religion and Mystical Thought

Creation Mythology of the Four Centres

The Soul and Its Journey in Egyptian Metaphysical Thought

Secrets of the Book of the Dead

The Nature of the Human Being

Ra's Journey through the Underworld and Its Initiatory Significance

Egyptian Mysteries as the Prototype of Ancient Mystery Schools

Shamans, Hierophants, and the Initiatory Process

Wisdom of the Egyptian Sages, from Ancient Egypt to the Hermetic Mystics of Alexandria

The Heart as the Spiritual Self and Monitor of Morality in Human Behaviour

KIRKUS REVIEW:

A collection of insights into the esoteric meanings of ancient Egyptian religious and spiritual practices.

This extraordinary book, the product of extensive research by author and Rosicrucian lecturer de Motte (The Grail Quest, 2003), is ideal for readers who want to go beyond ancient Egypt's pyramids, artifacts and mummies. Here, in highly readable form, the author presents the broad outlines of the ancient Egyptian spiritual belief system-from the founding cosmology of a watery, amorphous pre-creation mass to the rise of Ra, Osiris, Isis, Horus and Seth, and on to the highly developed use of symbols as keys to mystic truths, comprehended only by a chosen few. Why do ancient Egyptian renderings of human figures have bird heads? The book gives the answer: They depict, among other things, the soul in flight, freed from an earthly cage and able to access other realms of reality. The book also explains how the scarab, an insect that stores balls of dung to feed its offspring, is intimately linked to the mighty sun god Ra, who must successfully pass through the underworld each night. One of the book's main themes is the notion that, in every age, there's a body of secret knowledge about life, death and the afterlife known only to initiates and never preached or recorded. That knowledge is passed on exclusively by word of mouth over the millennia, lest it fall into the hands of those who would abuse it. In the Egyptian model, the priestly class served this function in so-called "mystery schools" with elaborate pageantry. Although de Motte's prose is highly readable, some readers may find this a difficult book to absorb. The author presents a very large amount of information here, and readers not well-acquainted with his topic may find it necessary to re-read it to keep from getting lost. Only bona fide Egyptologists can render scholarly judgment on de Motte's dazzling pages, but neophytes will appreciate the author's liberal citation of experts, even when he doesn't agree with them.

An impressive work that brings light to a mysterious ancient culture.

"[T]he author gives a well-integrated and thoughtful interpretation of Egyptian thought which endeavors to uncover the roots of Egyptian religion. It is at this point that Frankfort has made his great contribution." —Journal of Religion
Until the publication of this masterly study, Egyptian religion was thought by most scholars to be a nearly impenetrable jungle of weird myths, doctrines, and practices, the product of numerous unrelated local cults existing side by side. Misconceptions were exacerbated by the monotheistic bias of Western thought. Henri Frankfort, former Research Professor of Oriental Archaeology at the University of Chicago and former Director of Excavations for the Egypt Exploration Society of London, presents formidable evidence to the contrary, by disregarding local differences in cults and dogmas and focusing instead on the trends and qualities that regularly recur in five important aspects of Egyptian life. Using this method, Dr. Frankfort concludes that there is one conviction underlying all Egyptian belief, i.e., that the universe is static and that only the changeless is ultimately significant.
Delving into Egyptian theology, the author shows how that view informed not only religious beliefs, but also Egyptian moral and political philosophy, government and society, and literature and art. Enhanced with 32 illustrations, this book is "one of the finest elucidations of these materials that we have anywhere" (AmericanHistorical Review). Chronological Table. Index. Preface. 32 halftones.

Drawing on a wealth of archeological evidence, author Jon Manchip White presents a remarkably accurate picture of Egyptian life throughout dynastic times — from the end of the third millennium to the Greek occupation in 330 BC. Because social conditions changed little during these 3,000 years, readers get a clear idea of the roles and tasks assigned to each section of the community — to the Pharaoh and his noblemen; priests and soldiers; scribes and artists; and peasants, who formed the bulk of the population. How these people spent their leisure hours, how they dressed, what they ate and drank, forms of transportation used, how homes were built and furnished, and the activities of women and children are also thoroughly examined. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of religion in daily life, including the social significance of temples, pyramids, and tombs. Accompanying a vivid text are more than 100 photographs and line drawings. "A handy reference tool." — Horn Book.

You’ve probably heard a little bit about ancient Egypt, or at least have
an idea about it from what you’ve seen in movies. What sorts of things
do you think of when Egypt comes to mind? Mummies, kings and queens,
desert land, pyramids and funny pictures are probably some of the many
features that make you think of Egypt. Over the years, a lot of people
have studied Egypt and have done a lot of archaeological digs to find
out more about what life was like for ancient Egyptians. Ancient
Egyptian civilization began around 3500 B.C. and lasted for more than
3,000 years! If you are ready for an adventure through time, where you
can explore ancient Egypt like never before, read on for A Kid’s Guide
to Ancient Egypt.

Adults! Turn away! This book is not for you!
eKids Books is proud to present a new series of books for all the
readers who matter the most: Kids, of course! 

In this volume the myths and legends of ancient Egypt are embraced in a historical narrative which begins with the rise of the great Nilotic civilization and ends with the Græco−Roman Age. The principal deities are dealt with chiefly at the various periods in which they came into prominence, while the legends are so arranged as to throw light on the beliefs and manners and customs of the ancient people. Metrical renderings are given of such of the representative folk songs and poems as can be appreciated at the present day.

The Egyptians created a world of supernatural forces so vivid, powerful and inescapable that controlling one's destiny within it was a constant preoccupation. In life, supernatural forces manifested themselves through misfortune and illness,and after death were faced for eternity in the Otherworld, along with the divine gods who controlled the universe. The Book of the Dead empowered the reader to overcome the dangers lurking in the Otherworld and to become one with the gods who governed. Barry Kemp selects a number of spells to explore who and what the Egyptians feared and the kind of assistance that the Book offered them, revealing a relationship between the human individual and the divine quite unlike that found in the major faiths of the modern world.

[T]he drama opens in Revelation the same as in the Book of the Dead, with the resurrection and the glory of the coming Son. Behold He cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him. It is the risen Lord of Resurrection who says: I was dead, and behold I am alive evermore, and I have the keys of death and of hades (Ch. i 18). This is Horus of the resurrection risen from Amenta in his triumph over death and hell or Sut and Akar. He proclaims himself to he the all-one, Har-Sum-taui-Neb-U . Jesus, like Horus, is the faithful witness for the Father... from Egyptian Wisdom in the Revelation of John the Divine It goes unappreciated by modern Egyptologists, but it is embraced by those who savor the concept of a hidden history of humanity, and those who approach all human knowledge from the perspective of the esoteric. Gerard Massey 's massive Ancient Egypt: The Light of the World first published in 1907 and the crowning achievement of the self-taught scholar redefines the roots of Christianity via Egypt, proposing that Egyptian mythology was the basis for Jewish and Christian beliefs. Here, Cosimo proudly presents Book 11 of Ancient Egypt, in which Massey demonstrates how Scripture was created from the remains of Egypto-gnostic traditions, with little knowledge of the ancient wisdom upon which it drew, through the specific example of the Biblical story of the Book of Revelation and John the Divine. Using Egyptian mythology, Massey makes sense of the apocalyptic visions of Revelation by showing how they are actually the work of Taht-Aan, a pre-Christian John the Divine. Peculiar and profound, this work will intrigue and delight readers of history, religion, and mythology. British author GERALD MASSEY (1828 1907) published works of poetry, spiritualism, Shakespearean criticism, and theology, but his best-known works are in the realm of Egyptology, including A Book of the Beginnings and The Natural Genesis.

Here, adequately presented for the first time in English, is the fascinating story of a splendid culture that flourished thirty-five hundred years ago in the empire on the Nile: kings and conquests, gods and heroes, beautiful art, sculpture, poetry, architecture.

Significant archeological discoveries are constantly being made in Egypt. In this revision Professor Steele has rewritten whole chapters on the basis of these new finds and offers several new conclusions to age-old problems.

John Van Auken combines the collection of Egyptian past lives found in the Cayce readings with Egyptian legends that appear in papyruses, on temple walls, and in pyramid texts for a complete picture that reveals the full story of priestesses, healers, female pharaohs, and gods among humans. This book includes more than 80 illustrations with Cayce's insights into the pyramids, ancient flight, the Hall of Records, the Great Initiate, and the seven stages of soul growth.

For over a decade Nefertiti, wife of the heretic king Akhenaten, was the most influential woman in the Bronze Age world; a beautiful queen blessed by the sun-god, adored by her family and worshipped by her people. Her image and her name were celebrated throughout Egypt and her future seemed golden. Suddenly Nefertiti disappeared from the royal family, vanishing so completely that it was as if she had never been. No record survives to detail her death, no monument serves to mourn her passing and to this day her end remains an enigma - her body has never been found. Joyce Tyldesley here provides a detailed discussion of the life and times of Nefertiti, Egypt's sun queen, set against the background of the ephemeral Amarna court.

The ancient world comes to life in the first volume in a two book series on the history of Egypt, spanning the first farmers to the construction of the pyramids. Famed archaeologist John Romer draws on a lifetime of research to tell one history's greatest stories; how, over more than a thousand years, a society of farmers created a rich, vivid world where one of the most astounding of all human-made landmarks, the Great Pyramid, was built. Immersing the reader in the Egypt of the past, Romer examines and challenges the long-held theories about what archaeological finds mean and what stories they tell about how the Egyptians lived. More than just an account of one of the most fascinating periods of history, this engrossing book asks readers to take a step back and question what they've learned about Egypt in the past. Fans of Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra and history buffs will be captivated by this re-telling of Egyptian history, written by one of the top Egyptologists in the world.

"Let us walk in the gloom of the pyramids, in the cool shadows of ruined temples, aye, through the tortuous labyrinth of the Egyptian mind itself, trusting that by virtue of the light we carry we shall succeed in unravelling to some extent the age-long enigma of this mystic land." — from Chapter One.
In this classic study, a noted mythologist made perhaps the first serious attempt to review the religious history of ancient Egypt in the light of the science of modern mythology. Instead of regarding Egyptian mythology and legend as unique, "classic" and inviolate, as did many Egyptologists, Spence saw Egyptian religious thought as part of world mythology, rooted in primitive conceptions common to mankind as a whole and related to those of many other cultures. In supporting this thesis, Spence offers an immensely erudite in-depth survey of the broad spectrum of Egyptian gods and goddesses, cults, and beliefs, as well as a concise review of Egyptian history, manners, customs, and archaeology.
Animism, totemism, fetishism, creation myths, and other aspects of early religious beliefs are explored in an introductory chapter. The author then goes on to discuss the Egyptian priesthood, mysteries and temples, the cult of Osiris; Ra the Sun-God, Anubis, Horus, Thoth, and numerous other deities; the Book of the Dead, the birth of Hatshepsut, sacred trees, alchemy, the festival of Bast, Egyptian art, magic, and amulets, legends; and a host of other topics.
Enhanced with over 50 photographs and illustrations, this book belongs in the library of any student of ancient Egypt or of early man's attempts, through mythology and legend, to give order, meaning, and purpose to his world.

From the sands of Alexandria via the Renaissance palaces of the Medicis, to our own times, this spiritual adventure story traces the profound influence of Hermes Trismegistus -- the 'thrice-great one', as he was often called -- on the western mind. For centuries his name ranked among the most illustrious of the ancient world. Considered by some a contemporary of Moses and a forerunner of Christ, this almost mythical figure arose in fourth century BC Alexandria, from a fusion of the Egyptian god Thoth and the Greek god Hermes. Master of magic, writing, science, and philosophy, Hermes was thought to have walked with gods and be the source of the divine wisdom granted to man at the dawn of time. Gary Lachman has written many books exploring ancient traditions for the modern mind. In The Quest for Hermes Trismegistus, he brings to life the mysterious character of this great spiritual guide, exposing the many theories and stories surrounding him, and revitalizing his teachings for the modern world. Through centuries of wars, conquests and religious persecutions, the fragile pages of the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus have still survived. This is a book for all thinkers and enquirers who want to recover that lost knowledge and awaken a shift in human consciousness.

Standing at the very foundation of monotheism, and so of Western culture, Moses is a figure not of history, but of memory. As such, he is the quintessential subject for the innovative historiography Jan Assmann both defines and practices in this work, the study of historical memory--a study, in this case, of the ways in which factual and fictional events and characters are stored in religious beliefs and transformed in their philosophical justification, literary reinterpretation, philological restitution (or falsification), and psychoanalytic demystification.

To account for the complexities of the foundational event through which monotheism was established, "Moses the Egyptian" goes back to the short-lived monotheistic revolution of the Egyptian king Akhenaten (1360-1340 B.C.E.). Assmann traces the monotheism of Moses to this source, then shows how his followers denied the Egyptians any part in the origin of their beliefs and condemned them as polytheistic idolaters. Thus began the cycle in which every "counter-religion," by establishing itself as truth, denounced all others as false. Assmann reconstructs this cycle as a pattern of historical abuse, and tracks its permutations from ancient sources, including the Bible, through Renaissance debates over the basis of religion to Sigmund Freud's "Moses and Monotheism." One of the great Egyptologists of our time, and an exceptional scholar of history and literature, Assmann is uniquely equipped for this undertaking--an exemplary case study of the vicissitudes of historical memory that is also a compelling lesson in the fluidity of cultural identity and beliefs.

 No study of the modern exploration of ancient Egypt is complete without the extraordinary work of Giovanni Belzoni. Once a circus strongman, trained as an engineer, he spent many years abroad in Egypt and Nubia studying the ancient ruins and shipping antiquities back to Europe. 
Though once considered a tomb robber, recent re-evaluations of Belzoni have given him credit for his remarkably keen powers of observation and, for his time, careful excavation methods and recording. 

A larger-than-life character, Belzoni was a true adventurer-explorer during a time of nationalist competition between the European powers for the best antiquities. This exciting and detailed account of his two journeys to Egypt and Nubia is a treasure of Egyptology. 

For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. 

Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

Great Egyptologist's fascinating account of the discovery of the linguistic keystone that enabled scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Work of Young, Champollion, other scholars; implications for biblical scholarship, history of ancient Near East, much more. Clear, concise, accessible to layman. 23 photographs. Bibliography.

 No archaeologist in history had ever seen an intact burial of an Egyptian pharaoh. Now Howard Carter and his team were about to open the innermost coffin of Tutankhamun.Volume II of this historical and exciting series covers the dismantling of the enormous golden shrines around Tutankhamun's sarcophagus, the opening of the sarcophagus, the mystery of the immense weight of the king's coffins, and the magical day when they became the first people to gaze on the boy king's face after more than 3,000 years. 

Remember to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover image in the upper left of this page. Buy this book today and you'll read it again and again. 

With his typical sensitive yet scientific prose, Carter draws you into this real-life story of adventure and hidden treasure. His collaborators have added sections on the objects and chemistry of the tomb, as well as Dr. Derry's examination of the mummy. 

Published for the first time for Kindle, Carter's 1927 Volume II follows the recent Kindle publication of Volume I. Both volumes have been meticulously edited with a modern Introduction and footnotes. 

Dive into the adventure. You'll read it again and again. 

For the first time, this long out-of-print volume is available as an affordable, well-formatted book for e-readers and smartphones. 

Be sure to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover above or download a sample.

The Egyptologist acclaimed for re-dating the Great Sphinx at Giza sets his sights on one of the true mysteries of antiquity: the Great Pyramid of Giza.

What is the Great Pyramid of Giza? Ask that basic question of a traditional Egyptologist, and you get the basic, traditional answer: a fancy tombstone for a self-important pharaoh of the Old Kingdom. This, Egyptologists argue, is the sole finding based on the data, and the only deduction supported by science.

By implication, anyone who dissents from this point of view is unscientific and woolly-minded-a believer in magic and ghosts. Indeed, some of the unconventional ideas about the Great Pyramid do have a spectacularly fabulous ring to them. Yet from beneath the obvious terms of this controversy, a deeper, more significant question arises: how is it that the Great Pyramid exercises such a gripping hold on the human psyche- adding cryptic grace to the back of the one-dollar bill and framing myriad claims of New Age "pyramid power"?

In Pyramid Quest, Robert M. Schoch and Robert Aquinas McNally use the rigorous intellectual analysis of scientific inquiry to investigate what we know about the Great Pyramid, and develop a stunning hypothesis: This ancient monument is the strongest proof yet that civilization began thousands of years earlier than is generally thought, extending far back into a little-known time. In tracing that story, we come to understand not only the Great Pyramid but also our own origins as civilized beings.

 

When Tutankhamen's tomb was discovered in 1922, even the most experienced archaeologists joined the international community in marveling at the incredible wealth--and seemingly bizarre rituals--of ancient Egypt. What kind of society could produce such spectacular treasures only to bury them forever?

Lost in a frenzy of speculation--anthropological, scientific, and commercial--was Tutankhamen himself. Thirty-five hundred years ago, the mightiest empire on Earth crowned a boy as its king, then worshipped him as a god. Nine years later, he was dead. Despite the young monarch's almost universal recognition in death, Egyptologists know very little about his life. Traditional histories, founded on incomplete investigation and academic dogma, shed almost no light on the details of a life as complicated and as fascinating as it was short.

In Tutankhamen: The Life and Death of the Boy-King, Christine El Mahdy finally delivers a coherent portrait of King Tut's life and its historical significance. Based on stunning tomb records, lost since their discovery, this revolutionary biography begins to answer one of the twentieth century's most compelling archaeological mysteries: Who was Tutankhamen?

‘Man, Know Thyself’ is perhaps one of the world’s oldest and most important sayings. This adage was originally coined by Imhotep the world’s first multi-genius and perhaps the greatest creative mortal individual who ever lived. Imhotep lived over five and a half thousand years ago from our present age. It must be said immediately that Imhotep was an African. He is among our first Notable Ancestors. Considering Imhotep’s instruction, it means that as individuals, as a family, collectively as a people, a community, a society or a nation, we should know ourselves; that is, who we are. This includes knowledge of who spawned us, where we have been and where we currently are. Knowing this, as our Notable Ancestor and Grandmaster Teacher (Baba) Dr John Henrik Clarke has said, will tell us who we are and where we must get to. Who we are is dependent on who we were. Who we were should determine who we should be. To emphasise the point, Marcus Garvey, another of our most important Notable Ancestors, frequently reiterated this advice when he reminded us that our first obligation is to know ourselves. He told us that we should make our knowledge about us so complete so as to make it impossible for others to take advantage of us. He told us that in order to know ourselves we must know who our Ancestors were and what they achieved. We would then realize who we are and what we are capable of achieving. This is the meaning of the African adage and Sankofa symbol of ‘looking back in order to go forward’. The importance of knowing our ancestors has been summed up in an old Native American saying that ‘It is the spirit of our ancestors that should guide our path’. There is a sense however that Africans have forgotten our ancestors. Because of this, there is no ‘spirit’ to guide us and so Africans are lost and confused. The roots of African spirituality and culture have been made redundant. Yet as Dr Clarke points out, the unbilicord that tied Africans to our spiritual and cultural roots have only been stretched. It has never been broken. It is for Africans to come to this realization and to rediscover the spirit of our ancestors. This volume lists some of our Notable Ancestors in the hope that knowledge about them and their achievements will aid some of us in understanding where we have been, who we presently are and consequently who we must become. Ultimately, it is hoped that we may use this knowledge to reconnect with the spirit of our Ancestors and let them be our guide. This volume is based on the ‘truth’ about Africans and therefore correcting what is ‘told’ about us. This ‘corrective knowledge’ of us is important because as Imhotep said; ‘Know the truth and the truth shall set you free’. This means being free to interpret our own story and to define who we are. This is crucial because although ‘history’ is a witness to the truths, ‘history’ has been ‘stolen’ by others who have hidden the truths about us. ‘History’ has never been true or kind to Africans and therefore it cannot tell us about us. Yet as Peter Tosh intimated, we cannot come to a consciousness of ourselves, of who we are, if we do not know the truths about us. ‘History’ has been described as the ‘Queen’ of the academic subjects. So important is History that it is said that ‘whoever controls history, controls the future’. In one sense education in general and history in particular is about teaching us who we are. History teaches who we are so as to help us to know where we belong in our community (or society). Africans cannot know where we belong in society however, because our story has been told by ‘others’ (those who ‘own history’). Africans are therefore unaware of who we are because what is ‘known’ about us is not the truth about us. The story of Africans, the oldest people on earth, like the history of the world, is taught by ‘others’. Yet these others came into the world thousands of years after Africans had already established great civ

Written by perhaps the most prolific, erudite Egyptologist of the 20th century, this solid guide to hieroglyphics remains the standard introduction. Budge gives the history of hieroglyphic writing, its evolution into hieratic and demotic scripts, and the fascinating tale of its decipherment by Young, Champollion, Åkerblad, and others.

In this rigorously researched and thoughtful study, a leading Jesus Seminar scholar reveals the dramatic story behind the modern discovery of the earliest gospels, accounts that do not portray Jesus exclusively as a martyr but recover a lost ancient Christian tradition centered on Jesus as a teacher of wisdom.

The church has long advocated the Pauline view of Jesus as deity and martyr, emphasizing his death and resurrection. But another tradition also thrived from Christianity’s beginnings, one that portrayed Jesus as a teacher of wisdom. In The Lost Way, Stephen Patterson, a leading New Testament scholar and former head of the Jesus Seminar, explores this lost ancient tradition and its significance to the faith.

Patterson explains how scholars have uncovered a Gospel that preceded at least three of those in the Bible, which is called Q. He painstakingly demonstrates how historical evidence points to the existence of this common source in addition to Mark—recognized as the earliest Gospel—that both Matthew and Luke used to write their accounts. Q contained a collection of Jesus’s teachings without any narrative content and without accounts of the passion, though being the earliest version shared among his first followers—scripture that embodies a very different orientation to the Christian faith.

Patterson also explores other examples of this wisdom tradition, from the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas; to the emergence of Apollos, a likely teacher of Christian wisdom; to the main authority of the church in Jerusalem, Jesus’s brother James. The Lost Way offers a profound new portrait of Jesus—one who can show us a new way to live.

The ancient Egyptians were avid model makers. Many of their miniature masterpieces were replicas of boats, lovingly handcrafted from the finest woods and often decorated with rich materials such as ivory. Amazing examples of Egyptian maritime art and technology, many of these models remain intact today, displayed and admired in museums and private collections centuries after they were masterfully crafted.
Concise, authoritative, and easy to follow, this unique guide shows modern shipwrights how to build three ancient Egyptian boat models following the same expert techniques used by craftsmen thousands of years ago. A beginner's skill level is all that's needed to expertly construct the royal sailing ships of King Khufu (ruled ca. 2551–2528 B.C.), Queen Hatshepsut (ruled ca. 1479–1458 B.C.) and the great Ramses II (ruled ca. 1279–1213 B.C.). Learn how to select the proper wood and gather the appropriate tools and materials. Follow simple guidelines for every aspect of construction, from hull to sails to rowing oars—even building the display stand. Replicate the paints and colors used for the original Egyptian models. And discover ancient free-hand painting techniques, including how to create authentic hieroglyphic symbols to decorate your project. A profusion of detailed patterns and diagrams—plus photographs of each finished model—accompany the text, guiding crafters step-by-step to shipbuilding success.

The story of Egypt is the story of history itself—the endless rise and fall, the life and death and life again of the eternal human effort to endure, enjoy, and understand the mystery of our universe. Emerging from the ancient mists of time, Egypt met the challenge of the mystery in a glorious evolution of religious, intellectual, and political institutions and for two millenniums flourished with all the vigor that the human heart can invest in a social and cultural order. Then Egypt began to crumble into the desert sands and the waters of the Nile, and her remarkable achievements in civilization became her lingering epitaph. John A. Wilson has written a rich and interpretive biography of one of the greatest cultural periods in human experience. He answers—as best the modern Egyptologist can—the questions inevitably asked concerning the dissolution of Egypt's glory. Here is scholarship in its finest form, concerned with the humanity that has preceded us, and finding in man's past grandeur and failure much meaning for men of today.

John Anthony West's revolutionary reinterpretation of the civilization of Egypt challenges all that has been accepted as dogma concerning Ancient Egypt. In this pioneering study West documents that: Hieroglyphs carry hermetic messages that convey the subtler realities of the Sacred Science of the Pharaohs. Egyptian science, medicine, mathematics, and astronomy were more sophisticated than most modern Egyptologists acknowledge. Egyptian knowledge of the universe was a legacy from a highly sophisticated civilization that flourished thousands of years ago. The great Sphinx represents geological proof that such a civilization existed. This revised edition includes a new introduction linking Egyptian spiritual science with the perennial wisdom tradition and an appendix updating West's work in redating the Sphinx. Illustrated with over 140 photographs and line drawings.

Bringing together a wide variety of material in many different languages that exists from the substantial body of work left by this large empire, The Persian Empire presents annotated translations, together with introductions to the problems of using it in order to gain an understanding of the history and working os this remarkable political entity.

The Achaemenid empire developed in the region of modern Fars (Islam) and expanded to unite territories stretching from the Segean and Egypt in the west to Central Asia and north-west India, which it ruled for over 200 years until its conquest by Alexander of Macedon.

Although all these regions had long since been in contact with each other, they had never been linked under a single regime. The Persian empire represents an important phase of transformation for its subjects, such as the Jews, as well as those living on its edges, such as the European Greeks.

This, the first volume of Sir E. A. Wallis Budge’s The History of Ethiopia: Nubia and Abyssinia, first published in 1928, presents an account of Ethiopian history from the earliest legendary and mythic records up until the death of King Lebna Dengel in 1540.

Using a vast range of sources – Greek and Roman reports, Biblical passages, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ethiopian chronicles – an enthralling narrative history is presented with clarity. This reissue will be of particular interest to students of Ancient Egyptian culture, religion and history.

Explore the daily lives of ancient Egyptians in this exciting new update of one of the most successful Daily Life titles. Through reconstructions based on the hieroglyphic inscriptions, paintings from tombs, and scenes from temple walls, readers can examine social and material existence in one of the world's oldest civilizations. Narrative chapters explore the preparation of food and drink, religious ceremonies and cosmology, work and play, the arts, military domination, and intellectual accomplishments. With material garnered from recent excavations and research, including new content on construction, pyramid building, ship building, and metallurgy, this up-to-date volume caters to the ever-evolving needs of today's readers. A timeline, an extensive research center bibliography, and over 20 new photos make this a must-have reference source for modern students of ancient history.

Explore the daily lives of ancient Egyptians in this exciting update of one of the most successful Daily Life titles. Through reconstructions based on the hieroglyphic inscriptions, paintings from tombs, and scenes from temple walls, readers can explore social and material existence in one of the world's oldest civilizations. Narrative chapters explore the preparation of food and drink, religious ceremonies and cosmology, work and play, the arts, military domination, and intellectual accomplishments.

With information garnered from recent excavations and research, including new content on construction, pyramid building, ship building, and metallurgy, this up-to-date volume caters to the ever-evolving needs of today's readers. A timeline, an extensive research center bibliography, and over 20 new photos make this a must-have reference source for modern students of ancient history.

DIV20 Egyptian texts — dating from c. 2400 BC to 250 BC — on historical, religious, funereal, other topics printed in hieroglyphics together with transliterations and a complete vocabulary. Also included are full English translations of 8 of the texts. "The Tale of Two Brothers," "The Possessed Princess of Bekhten," many more.
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". . . gracefully written" - The New York Times

Award-winning historian Lionel Casson paints a vivid portrait of the people of ancient Egypt - from peasants and pharaohs to soldiers and scribes and artists and priests - and what life was like beyond the splendors and treasures that remain with us today.

The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt is the only book available providing detailed historical coverage of Egypt from the early Stone Age to its incorporation into the Roman Empire. The lively essays and beautiful illustrations portray the emergence and development of the distinctive civilization of the ancient Egyptians covering the period from 700,000 BC to ad 311. The authors - each working at the cutting edge of their particular fields - outline the principal sequence of political events, including detailed examinations of the three so-called Intermediate Periods previously regarded as 'dark ages'. Against the backdrop of the rise and fall of ruling dynasties, this Oxford History also examines cultural and social patterns, including stylistic developments in art and literature. The pace of change in such aspects of Egyptian culture as monumental architecture, funerary beliefs, and ethnicity was not necessarily tied to the rate of political change. Each of the authors has therefore set out to elucidate, in both words and pictures, the underlying patterns of social and political change, and to describe the changing face of ancient Egypt, from the biographical details of individuals to the social and economic factors that shaped the lives of the population as a whole.

Classic exploration of the Great Pyramid's construction and objectives combines imagination, erudition. Physical form; when it was built, and by whom; roles as an astronomical observatory, source of inspiration for religious teachings, scientific and mystic implications. Unabridged republication of the classic 1877 edition.

An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power.
 
Hatshepsut—the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne—was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father’s family. Her failure to produce a male heir, however, paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing king. At just over twenty, Hatshepsut out-maneuvered the mother of Thutmose III, the infant king, for a seat on the throne, and ascended to the rank of pharaoh.

Shrewdly operating the levers of power to emerge as Egypt's second female pharaoh, Hatshepsut was a master strategist, cloaking her political power plays in the veil of piety and sexual reinvention. She successfully negotiated a path from the royal nursery to the very pinnacle of authority, and her reign saw one of Ancient Egypt’s most prolific building periods.

Constructing a rich narrative history using the artifacts that remain, noted Egyptologist Kara Cooney offers a remarkable interpretation of how Hatshepsut rapidly but methodically consolidated power—and why she fell from public favor just as quickly. The Woman Who Would Be King traces the unconventional life of an almost-forgotten pharaoh and explores our complicated reactions to women in power.

 "Let me try and tell the story of it all. It will not be easy, for the dramatic suddenness of the initial discovery left me in a dazed condition, and the months that have followed have been so crowded with incident that I have hardly had time to think."Among the hundreds of books written about ancient Egypt and Tutankhamen, you won't find an equal to Howard Carter's powerful book about his discovery. His great work in many ways remained unfinished. 

He left us, however, this remarkable document of discovery. The book is Carter's personal story of the greatest adventure of his life--one that has not been surpassed in nearly a century of archaeology. 

In 1904, retired American lawyer, Theodore Davis, famously declared that The Valley of the Kings in Thebes had given up all of its secrets, leaving nothing more to be discovered. He relinquished his exclusive rights to dig in The Valley. 

But as Howard Carter states in this volume, "The history of The Valley has never lacked the dramatic element." Some 18 years later, Carter made the richest archaeological discovery in history within yards of where Davis had dug. 

The world immediately became obsessed with everything Tutankhamen. From architecture, to household goods, to fashion, a early 20th-century surge in fascination with ancient Egypt took hold across the globe. 

Howard Carter, too, had been obsessed with finding Tut. The discovery would consume the rest of Carter's life. After becoming known to the world, Howard Carter died in relative obscurity in 1939. 

This is not a dry scientific treatment of the excavation or the artifacts. What he imparts with this book is a sense of excitement, wonder, and mystery set expertly into a concise context of history and Egyptology, captivating layperson and specialist alike, young or old. 

Intertwining notes on Egyptian gods, religion, mythology, and magic, Carter spins an alluring real-life tale, setting the context for Egyptian history and Tutankamun. 

For the first time this amazing work is available for Kindle. With a new Introduction and updated footnotes, you'll have more context to follow this book than Carter's original readers did. Much information that was yet to be understood or discovered in 1922 is included in the Introduction. 

Care has been taken to create a well-formatted book for Kindle. It includes images from the original publication. You can even take it with you on your smartphone if you have the Kindle app installed, and then refer to it while visiting the Tutankhamun exhibit in one of the cities it visits in North America. 

Remember to LOOK INSIDE by clicking the cover image in the upper left of this page. Buy this book today and you'll read it again and again.

The discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 was perhaps the world’s most important archaeological find.  The only near-intact royal tomb to be preserved in the Valley of the Kings, it has supplied an astonishing wealth of artifacts, spurred a global fascination with ancient Egypt, and inspired folklore that continues to evolve today.  Despite the tomb’s prominence, however, precious little has been revealed about Tutankhamen himself.  In Tutankhamen, acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley unshrouds the enigmatic king.  She explores his life and legacy as never before, and offers a compelling new window onto the world in which he lived.

Tutankhamen ascended to the throne at approximately eight years of age and ruled for only ten years.  Although his reign was brief and many of his accomplishments are now lost to us, it is clear that he was an important and influential king ruling in challenging times.  His greatest achievement was to reverse a slew of radical and unpopular theological reforms instituted by his father and return Egypt to the traditional pantheon of gods.  A meticulous examination of the evidence preserved both within his tomb and outside it allows Tyldesley to investigate Tutankhamen’s family history and to explore the origins of the pervasive legends surrounding Tutankhamen’s tomb.  These legends include Tutankhamen’s “curse”—an enduring myth that reaffirms the appeal of ancient magic in our modern world

A remarkably vivid portrait of this fascinating and often misunderstood ruler, Tutankhamen sheds new light on the young king and the astonishing archeological discovery that earned him an eternal place in popular imagination.

Large state temples in ancient Egypt were vast agricultural estates, with interests in mining, trading, and other economic activities. The temple itself served as the mansion or palace of the deity to whom the estate belonged, and much of the ritual in temples was devoted to offering a representative sample of goods to the gods. After ritual performances, produce was paid as wages to priests and temple staff and presented as offerings to private mortuary establishments. This redistribution became a daily ritual in which many basic necessities of life for elite Egyptians were produced.

This book evaluates the influence of common temple rituals not only on the day to day lives of ancient Egyptians, but also on their special events, economics, and politics. Author Katherine Eaton argues that a study of these daily rites ought to be the first step in analyzing the structure of more complex societal processes.

Ambitious, intelligent, and desired by men and emperors, Cleopatra VII came to power at a time when Roman and Egyptian interests increasingly tended to concern the same object: the Egyptian Empire itself. Cleopatra lived her whole life at the center of this complex and persistent power struggle, and her death simultaneously heralded the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the loss of Egyptian political independence, and the beginning of Caesar Augustus's Roman rule in Egypt. Cleopatra's legacy has since lost much of its former political significance, as she has come to symbolize instead the potent force of female sexuality and power. In this engaging and multifaceted account, however, Stanley M. Burstein displays Cleopatra in the full manifold brilliance of the several cultures, countries, and people that surrounded her throughout her compelling life, and in so doing develops a stunning picture of a legendary Queen, and a deeply historic reign.

Designed as an accessible introduction to Cleopatra VII and her time, this book offers readers and researchers an appealing mix of descriptive chapters, biographical sketches, and annotated primary documents. An overview of the Ptolemaic Dynasty is presented in the introduction, and is followed by chapters on Cleopatra's life, the reality of Ptolemaic Egypt, Cleopatra's multicultural Egyptian society, and Alexandria's culture and conflicts. The narrative chapters conclude with a section discussing Cleopatra's significance as a person, a queen, and a symbol. An annotated bibliography and index are also included in this work.