Among the leading Egyptologists of his day, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. He is credited with bringing his subject to a much wider audience, and his talent for exposition is reflected in this accessible autobiography, first published in 1931 and illustrated throughout. It describes life on digs in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, providing rich insights into developing archaeological methods. Petrie's most important discoveries are recounted, including his unearthing of the Merneptah Stele, some of the earliest evidence of mummification, and elements of Greek and Roman cultural influence in Egypt. Furthermore, he reflects here on his innovative practice of recording and preserving every artefact, not just obvious museum pieces. Petrie wrote prolifically throughout his long career, and a great many of his other publications are also reissued in this series.

Although some of Egypt's most important archaeological finds were made in the late nineteenth century, at a time when historical fiction was popular, the literature of Egypt had reached very few English readers. Aiming to bring ancient Egypt to life in the public imagination, eminent archaeologist W. M. Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) published in 1895 this two-volume collection of original stories, accompanied by illustrations and helpful contextualising comments. The six stories of Volume 1 include elements of both fantasy and historical fact, spanning the period from the court of Khufu during the fourth dynasty to the death of Amenemhat I, founder of the twelfth. Shedding light on contemporary life and literature, the stories represent a valuable resource for Egyptologists and folklorists. Petrie's rendering of the stories into English, based on translations of various papyri, remains accessible to all. Many more of his works, for both specialists and non-specialists, are also reissued in this series.

Although some of Egypt's most important archaeological finds were made in the late nineteenth century, at a time when historical fiction was popular, the literature of Egypt had reached very few English readers. Aiming to bring ancient Egypt to life in the public imagination, eminent archaeologist W. M. Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) published in 1895 this two-volume collection of original stories, accompanied by illustrations and helpful contextualising comments. The four tales of Volume 2 are set in the period from the reign of Thutmose III during the eighteenth dynasty to the time of Setna, a son of Ramesses II of the nineteenth dynasty. Shedding light on contemporary life and literature, the stories represent a valuable resource for Egyptologists and folklorists. Petrie's rendering of the stories into English, based on translations of various papyri, remains accessible to all. Many more of his works, for both specialists and non-specialists, are also reissued in this series.

Among the leading Egyptologists of his day, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. Pioneering in his rigorous recording of evidence, Petrie wrote prolifically throughout his long career and is credited with bringing his subject to a wider audience. A great many of his other publications are also reissued in this series. First published in 1892 and intended for non-specialists, this highly readable book summarises Petrie's recent work in Egypt, including his surveying of the pyramids of Giza and his discovery of the city of Naukratis in the Nile Delta. Illustrated throughout with detailed line drawings, this work sheds much light on Petrie's influential approach as well as the technological and artistic achievements of ancient Egyptian civilisation. It will appeal to those who wish to learn about the birth of modern Egyptology and the methods of its founding father.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. In this 1909 handbook, ranging in coverage from the prehistoric period to the Roman era, he examines a sample of the work of Egyptian painters, sculptors and diverse craftsmen, touching on such topics as statuary, architecture, jewellery, pottery and textiles. Beginning with a discussion of the meteorological, religious and political factors that influenced Egyptian artistic responses, the book contains 140 illustrations of the most striking works of each period. Many of the featured artefacts formed part of Petrie's own collection, and over a third of the photographs had not been previously published. His earlier lectures on Egyptian Decorative Art (1895), along with many of his other publications, are also reissued in this series.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. In this concise 1912 publication, aimed at non-specialists, Petrie discusses the key aspects of ancient Egyptian religion and the philosophies that underpinned it. Beginning with an explanation of the ancient conception of deities, the text explores the various types of god in the Egyptian pantheon and the ancient theory of the afterlife. It also gives due attention to such structures of belief as ritual, priesthood and scripture. The book ends with an examination of the ways in which ancient Egyptian religion spread through the ancient world and how Egyptian ideas were reused and transformed by later religions, including Christianity. Petrie wrote prolifically throughout his long career, and a great many of his other publications - for both specialists and non-specialists - are also reissued in this series.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. In the early 1890s, he carried out significant work at Tell el-Amarna, the site of the ancient capital of Akhetaten. The illustrated 1894 excavation report that he co-authored has also been reissued in this series, along with many of his other publications. Petrie played a notable part in the preservation of a number of cuneiform tablets that became known collectively as the Tell el-Amarna letters. In this 1898 work, he presents summaries of the most important documents. They offer insights into war, peace and diplomacy in the Near East during the reigns of Amenhotep III and Akhenaten in the fourteenth century BCE. Informative notes on individuals and places mentioned in the letters help set them in context, while the methods used to interpret them are also elucidated.

Among the leading Egyptologists of his day, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. He published these carefully illustrated lectures in 1895. Exploring the ancient Egyptians' passion for decoration, he demonstrates his view that the elaborate use of hieroglyphs and design 'made the Egyptian the father of the world's ornament'. Petrie describes and illustrates the four main areas of decoration: the geometrical use of lines, spirals and curves; the representation of natural images such as feathers and flowers; the existence of structural patterns resulting from ancient techniques of building or manufacture; and the use of symbolic emblems such as the vulture, scarab and lion. Much modern-day design, Petrie argues, is influenced by ancient Egyptian aesthetics. Many of his other publications - for both Egyptologists and non-specialists - are also reissued in this series.

A pioneer of British Egyptology, Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (1797-1875) first travelled to Egypt in 1821, the year before Champollion published his breakthrough work on the Rosetta Stone. As public interest in Egypt grew, Wilkinson studied and sketched the country's major archaeological sites, most notably the tombs of Thebes. When published in 1835, the present work was the first major book in English on the subject and the most substantial since the French Description de l'Egypte. The text and plates present a detailed picture of contemporary Egypt in relation to its ancient heritage. Wilkinson remodelled and expanded the work as Modern Egypt and Thebes (1843), and his chapter here on daily life in the days of the pharaohs formed the basis of his celebrated Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians (1837). Both titles are also reissued in this series.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. In this short but classic work of 1904, he explains his vision for the young science of archaeology. Petrie outlines his processes and goals for an excavation, offering advice on how to manage workers drawn from the local population as well as guidance on creating a thorough record of a dig, the importance of which had not been fully appreciated by many contemporary archaeologists. His methods were highly influential in their more systematic and scientific approach to archaeology at a time when many of its practitioners were more focused on acquiring attractive artefacts than advancing knowledge. The text is accompanied by 66 illustrations. Petrie wrote prolifically throughout his long career, and a great many of his other publications - for both specialists and non-specialists - are also reissued in this series.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. The two excavation reports now reissued here together were written in collaboration with other experts. The first, published in 1907, describes digs at Giza and Rifeh, including the discovery of the Tomb of the Two Brothers, a well-preserved Middle Kingdom burial. The second report, co-authored with Ernest Mackay (1880-1943) and published in 1915, covers work at Heliopolis, Kafr Ammar and Shurafa. Petrie and his collaborators describe how they came to make their discoveries, shedding light on developing archaeological practices used in the early twentieth century. Each report includes a section of valuable illustrative material, such as photographs and drawings of artefacts. Petrie wrote prolifically throughout his long career, and a great many of his other publications - for both specialists and non-specialists - are also reissued in this series.

A pioneering Egyptologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) excavated over fifty sites and trained a generation of archaeologists. Originally published between 1902 and 1904 for the Egypt Exploration Fund, this three-volume set of reports documents the excavations that Petrie initiated at one of ancient Egypt's most sacred sites, the necropolis at Abydos. These reports follow on from the findings published in The Royal Tombs of the First Dynasty (1900) and The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties (1901), both of which are reissued in this series. Volume 1 presents a detailed account of the objects found in the Osiris temenos (enclosure) and the cemetery known as 'G' during the dig of 1902. Eighty pages of plates illustrate the discoveries, which range from painted pottery to early dynastic graves. A chapter by Arthur Weigall (1880-1934) sheds light on the inscriptions.

Admired long after his death by the likes of Lord Rayleigh and Einstein, Thomas Young (1773-1829) was the definition of a polymath. By the age of fourteen he was proficient in thirteen languages, including Greek, Hebrew and Persian. After studies in Edinburgh, London, Goettingen and Cambridge he established himself as a physician in London, and over the course of his life made contributions to science, linguistics and music. He was the first to prove that light is a wave rather than molecular, his three-colour theory of vision was confirmed in the twentieth century, and his work in deciphering the Rosetta Stone laid the foundations for its eventual translation. Published in 1855, this engaging biography drew on letters, journals and private papers, taking the mathematician George Peacock (1791-1858) twenty years to complete. It stands as a valuable and affectionate portrait of 'the last man who knew everything'.

'If modern Egypt is so far away that it takes three weeks to get there, ancient Egypt is infinitely more distant.' So wrote novelist, journalist, traveller and Egyptologist Amelia Edwards (1831-92) in this, the last published work of her career. Having first travelled to Egypt in 1873, in 1889-90 Edwards was invited to lecture in the United States, campaigning for the Egypt Exploration Fund, of which she was joint honorary secretary. In five months she addressed 100,000 people at over 110 meetings in sixteen states. First published in 1892, a month before her death, this book is a collection of her lectures, containing substantial illustrations, additions, notes, and references. Exhibiting both Edwards' ability to make abstruse subjects come alive without losing factual correctness, and the humour and enthusiasm with which she recounted her experiences, this book marks the culmination of twenty years' research and exploration.

Jewelry was worn by ancient Egyptians at every level of society and, like their modern descendants, they prized it for its aesthetic value, as a way to adorn and beautify the body. It was also a conspicuous signifier of wealth, status, and power. But jewelry in ancient Egypt served another fundamental purpose: its wearers saw it as a means to absorb positive magical and divine powers-to protect the living, and the dead, from the malignant forces of the unseen. The types of metals or stones used by craftsmen were magically important, as were the colors of the materials, and the exact positioning of all the elements in a design. Ancient Egyptian Jewelry: 50 Masterpieces of Art and Design draws on the exquisite collections in the archaeological museums of Cairo to tell the story of three thousand years of jewelry-making, from simple amulets to complex ritual jewelry to the spells that protected the king in life and assisted his journey to the Otherworld in death. Gold, silver, carnelian, turquoise, and lapis lazuli were just some of the precious materials used in many of the pieces, and this stunningly illustrated book beautifully showcases the colors and exceptional artistry and accomplishment that make ancient Egyptian jewelry so dazzling to this day.

The art of ancient Egypt that has been handed down to us bears no names of its creators, and yet we value the creations of these unknown masters no less than the works of later centuries, such as statues by Michelangelo or the paintings by Leonardo da Vinci. This book introduces some of the most important masterpieces, ranging from the Old Kingdom during the Third millennium BC to the Roman Period. The works encompass sculptures, reliefs, sarcophagi, murals, masks, and decorative items, most of them now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but some occupying places of honor as part of the World Cultural Heritage in museums such as the Louvre in Paris, the British Museum in London, the Egyptian Museum in Berlin, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Featured works include: Seated statue of King Djoser Wood relief of Hesire on a dining table Statue of a scribe made of various materials Funerary relief of Aschait Sphinx of Sesostris III Robed statue of Cherihotep Reliefs from the Temple at Carnac Sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut Murals from Thebes Seated figure of the goddess Sachmet Statue of Queen Teje Head of Akhenaten (Amenophis IV) Queen Nefertiti Golden mask of Tutankhamun Ramses II from Abu Simbel Horus falcon made of granite Stone relief from the temple ambulatory at Edfu About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art History series features: approximately 100 color illustrations with explanatory captions a detailed, illustrated introduction a selection of the most important works of the epoch, each presented on a two-page spread with a full-page image and accompanying interpretation, as well as a portrait and brief biography of the artist

Steve D. Fraade offers a new translation, with notes, and detailed commentary to the Dead Sea Scroll most commonly called the Damascus Document, based on both ancient manuscripts from caves along the western shore of the Dead Sea, and medieval manuscripts from the Cairo Geniza. The text is one of the longest and most important of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Its importance derives from several aspects of its contents: its extensive collections of laws, both for the sectarian community that authored it and for the rest of Israel; some of the oldest examples of scriptural interpretation, both legal and narrative, both implicit and explicit, with important implications for our understanding of the evolving status of the Hebrew canon; some of the clearest expressions, often in hortatory form, of the community's self-understanding as an elect remnant of Israel that understands itself in dualistic opposition to the rest of Israel, its practices, and its leaders; important expressions of the community's self-understanding as a priestly alternative to the sacrificial worship in the Jerusalem Temple; expressions of an apocalyptic, eschatological understanding of living as the true Israel in the "end of days;" important expressions of attitudes toward woman, sexual activity, and marriage; importance for our understanding of ancient modes of teaching and of ritual practice; importance for the study of the history of the Hebrew language and its scribal practices. The volume contains a substantial introduction, dealing with these aspects of the Damascus Document and locating its place within the Dead Sea Scrolls more broadly as well as the historical context of ancient Judaism that gave rise to this text.

Dr Carl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884) was a pioneering Prussian Egyptologist considered the founder of modern Egyptology. In 1842 he was commissioned by King Frederick Wilhelm IV to lead an expedition to Egypt and Sudan to explore and record ancient Egyptian remains. The expedition included artists, surveyors and other specialists and spent three years recording monuments in Egypt, modern Sudan and the Sinai. The expedition conducted the first scientific studies of the pyramids of Giza, Abusir, Saqqara and Dashur. First published in 1852, this volume is a translation of 40 reports in the form of letters written by Lepsius to King Frederick Wilhem IV during the expedition, and translated by Kenneth R. H Mackenzie. They provide descriptions of many ancient Egyptian monuments which have since been lost or destroyed, and provide an engaging and frank account of the difficulties of supervising an archaeological expedition in Egypt at that time.

The Italian son of a barber. A failed hydraulic engineer. A giant who performed feats of strength and agility in the circus. Giovanni Belzoni (1778-1824) was all of these before going on to become one of the most controversial figures in the history of Egyptian archaeology. A man of exceptional size with an ego of comparable proportions, he procured for the British Museum some of its largest and still awe-inspiring treasures. Today, however, the typical museum visitor knows nothing of Belzoni, and many modern archaeologists dismiss him as an ignorant vandal. In this captivating new biography, Ivor Noel Hume re-creates an early nineteenth century in which there was no established archaeological profession, only enormous opportunity. Belzoni landed in Egypt, where he was unsuccessful in selling a hydraulic machine of his own invention, and came under the patronage of diplomat Henry Salt, who convinced him to travel to Thebes in search of artifacts. Among the many treasures Belzoni would bring back was the seven-ton stone head of Ramesses II, the ""Young Memnon."" The book includes gripping accounts of Belzoni's wildly productive, and physically brutal, expeditions, as well as an unforgettable portrait of his wife, Sarah, who suffered the hardships of the Egyptian deserts and later bore the brunt of the disillusionment that came with the declining popular perception of her husband. Including numerous illustrations, many in color, this volume brings one of archaeology's most fascinating figures vividly to life.

Amelia Edwards (1831 1892) was an English novelist, journalist and travel writer. In the winter of 1873 1874 she and her companion visited Egypt, travelling up the Nile from Cairo to Abu Simbel and back. Edwards became fascinated with ancient Egypt as a result of this visit, founding the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1882 and devoting the rest of her life to Egyptology and the protection of Egypt's ancient monuments. This volume, first published in 1876, contains Edwards' engaging description of her life-changing visit to Egypt. She vividly describes ancient sites and monuments which have since been damaged or destroyed, and provides sharp observations and descriptions of contemporary Egyptian society and culture. Her animated and witty stories of her experiences, combined with over sixty illustrations created during her journey, ensured the immense popularity of this volume, which remains a charming and fascinating description of nineteenth-century Egypt.

Gottlieb Schumacher (1857 1925) was an American-born German civil engineer, architect and archaeologist who was influential in the early archaeological explorations of Palestine. His parents were members of the Temple Association, a Protestant group who emigrated to Haifa in 1869. After studying engineering in Stuttgart between 1876 and 1881, Schumacher returned to Haifa and assumed a leading role in surveying and construction in the region. This volume, first published in 1888 for the Palestine Exploration Fund, contains the results of Schumacher's survey of the Jaul n region of Syria, now known as the Golan Heights. Schumacher provides an engaging and detailed description of the geography and archaeological remains of the region, with the culture, society and customs of both the settled inhabitants and nomadic Bedouin also described. The book is richly illustrated with over 140 figures of ancient artefacts and remains, together with a detailed map of the region.

This book is an attempt to explain, in lay terms, the world that Jesus took as his reference point. The kinds of houses in which he dwelt; the education he received; the clothes he would have worn; the language he spoke; the terrain and climate; the agricultural methods; the cultural assumptions; the religious customs; the festivals; the Temple; the synagogue; the scriptures; the opposition and the political currents - all of these formed the soil in which Jesus the man was nurtured. Each chapter covers a distinct aspect, and opens a whole new range of understanding which we are likely to miss. For instance, a rich symbolism concerned with water and light, and linked with the Feast of Tabernacles, underlies John 7 and 8, but much of this will probably escape us. Previously published by Monarch and then Moody, this classic reference work has been unavailable for several years.

Carl Richard Lepsius (1810-1884) was a pioneering Prussian Egyptologist considered one of the founders of modern Egyptology. He was commissioned to lead an archaeological expedition to Egypt by the Prussian King Frederick Wilhelm IV in 1842. This 1858 English translation presents an 1856 publication that contained one of the first detailed discussions of the obscure 22nd Dynasty of ancient Egyptian kings. The 22nd Dynasty were descendants of Libyan settlers who ruled between c.943 and 716 BCE in the Third Intermediate Period of Egyptian history, a period characterised by episodes of political instability. Lepsius discusses the chronology of succession in the 22nd Dynasty with reference to texts uncovered by himself and the French archaeologist Auguste Mariette. Although some of Lepsius' assertions regarding the origin of the 22nd Dynasty are now known to be incorrect, his book is still a valuable account of the early historiography of the 22nd Dynasty.

Thomas Young (1773-1829) was an English physician who was one of the first modern scholars to attempt to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and made significant contributions to a variety of other academic disciplines. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1794 and in 1803 published an article establishing the wave theory of light. Young became interested in hieroglyphs in 1814, when he was sent a fragment of papyrus from Egypt. After acquiring a copy of the Rosetta Stone inscriptions Young made rapid progress, publishing his results in 1816 and 1819. When Champollion published his groundbreaking work on hieroglyphs in 1822 Young believed that Champollion had based that work on his earlier translations without acknowledgement, which Champollion denied. This book was published in 1823 in an attempt by Young to lay 'public claim to whatever credit be my due', and provides a summary of his hieroglyphic research.

Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (1857 1934) was a prominent English Egyptologist who was Keeper of the Department of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum between 1893 and 1924. He was knighted in 1920 for his contributions to Egyptology. First published in 1893, this book contains a detailed discussion of the funerary rituals and objects which were used in Egyptian religion to allow the deceased to live again in the Duat (the afterlife). Budge provides detailed descriptions of common religious texts, religious rites and the major deities involved in these. He also includes interpretations for other artefacts which commonly accompanied a burial, including shabiti statues and amulets. His comprehensive study represents the state of Egyptian funerary archaeology before major archaeological finds of the twentieth century challenged its interpretations. The text reissued here is taken from the expanded and revised second edition, published in 1925.