King of Ancient Egypt
Egypt’s ancient rulers carefully constructed their image as brave, all-powerful military leaders who were pleasing to the gods. This volume, which focuses on highlights from a 2016 exhibition, is an exploration of the different ways in which pharaohs manipulated art to fashion that public persona. The authors reveal how the imagery and symbolism of traditional models were reinvented and how artistic representations of kingship played down court rivalries, civil war and delicate foreign relations.
Sunken Cities: Egypt's Lost Worlds
The BP Exhibition
Beneath the waters of Abukir Bay, at the edge of the north-western Nile delta, lie the submerged remains of the ancient Egyptian cities Thonis-Heracleion and Canopus. This volume, which accompanied the British Museum exhibition in 2016, describes the technical challenges that faced the underwater archaeologists; presents, with over 270 illustrations, the submerged buildings and artefacts, including jewellery and ceramics, that have been found; and discusses how these discoveries have transformed our understanding of the relationship between ancient Egypt and Greece.
Gifts for the Gods
Ancient Egyptian Animal Mummies and the British
Cats, birds and crocodiles are among the animals mummified in quantity by the ancient Egyptians and deposited as votive offerings. With contributions from 19 experts, this collection of illustrated essays details animals’ role in Egyptian religion and traces both the British fascination with such artefacts and the recent development of innovative techniques for studying them.
Egyptology's Greatest Discovery
In 1922, when Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamun’s intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings, the world looked on with a fascination that has lasted ever since. After setting the boy king’s short life in its historical context, this volume tells the story of the expedition, featuring photographs of the tomb’s excavation and a selection of Carter’s detailed drawings and journals, as well as presenting some of the 5,398 well-preserved objects that were found buried with the pharaoh.
Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt
From Early Dynastic Times to the Death of Cleopatra
Some ancient Egyptian queens, including Nefertiti, wife of the radical reformer Akhenaten, and Hatshepsut, who rose from the position of a conventional consort to that of female pharaoh, are still renowned today. These women are set alongside lesser-known queens in this collection of biographies, which reveals their uniquely varied roles and their importance across 3,000 years of their country’s history. The book also features timelines, genealogical tables and photographs of sites and artefacts.
The Crown of Arsinoe II
The Creation of an Imagery of Authority
Based on a meticulous examination of reliefs, this study of the unique crown of the Ptolemaic Egyptian Queen Arsinoë II identifies the symbolism embedded in each pictorial detail and indicates that Arsinoë was proclaimed female pharaoh during her lifetime.
For nearly 4,000 years Egyptians skilfully embalmed both human and animal bodies in accordance with beliefs about their destiny in the afterlife; many mummies are still so well preserved that we can extract evidence about ancient people's lives and even gaze on their faces. Presenting examples of the embalmer's art now in the British Museum, Taylor explains the mummification and burial processes and the techniques used to study mummies today.