Students can navigate up and down the Nile River, becoming entranced by the mysteries of ancient Egypt. They can read about the beliefs and religious practices of early Egyptians, their inventions and architecture, as well as the daily life of both slaves and nobles. They can design a pharaoh's headdress and necklace, recreate an ancient marble game, mummify a replica of a stuffed cat, and learn the art of writing hieroglyphs. Each artfully rendered craft represents a historical window into the vanished world of the ancient Egyptians.
Many traditional crafts practiced in contemporary Egypt can be traced back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Scenes inscribed on the walls of ancient temples and tombs depict the earliest Egyptians making pottery and papyrus and working with stone, wood, and other materials. The eleven chapters of this volume explore these and other crafts that continue to flourish in Egypt. From copper and glass works to jewelry, woodwork, and hand-woven carpets and fabric, each chapter offers an in-depth look at one material or craft and the artisans who keep its traditions alive. The authors, drawing on historical sources and documentary research, sketch the evolution of each craft, looking into its origins, the development of tools and methods used in the craft, and the diverse influences that have shaped the form and function of craft items produced today, ranging widely through the pharaonic, Coptic, Islamic, and modern periods. This historical examination is complemented by extensive field research and interviews with craftsmen and women, which serve to set these crafts into a living cultural context and offer a window into the modern craft economy, the lives of craftspeople, and the local communities and traditions they express and sustain. The volume is amply illustrated with vivid photographs of contemporary craft items and artisans at work, from the coastal town of Damietta to the far-flung deserts and the ancient alleyways of Cairo. It is a narrative and visual tour that provides valuable insight into contemporary Egypt as seen through its material culture and the legions of unsung artists who nourish and enrich it.
A panoramic view of life in the ancient Nile valley examines the activities, lifestyle, and culture of each stratum of Egyptian society from pharaoh to slave
Lavishly illustrated in color, this book presents a spectacular collection of archaeological and artistic treasures covering the extent of Egyptian art from the Predynastic Period of the fourth millennium B.C. to the Greco-Roman period of the fourth century A.D. The volume features more than 130 objects ranging from architectural elements of a royal palace and funerary chapel to delicate jewelry and textile fragments, and contains many objects never previously shown in print. In an introductory essay David P. Silverman documents major expeditions to sites in Egypt and Nubia and summarizes the new information gleaned about ancient Egyptian civilization. Donald B. Redford provides a general treatment of ancient Egypt history. The objects themselves are introduced with concise essays by recognized Egyptologists: Edward Brovarski, Rita E. Freed, Arielle P. Kozloff, David O'Connor, Edna R. Russmann, William K. Simpson, and Josef W. Wegner. Contributors-- Edward Brovarski, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Rita Freed, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Arielle Kozloff, Cleveland Museum of Art David O'Connor, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University Donald Redford, University of Toronto Edna. R. Russman, Brooklyn Museum of Art David Silverman, University of Pennsylvania William Kelly Simpson, Yale University Josef W. Wegner, University of Pennsylvania
Few studies of ancient Egypt cover so broad a scope as this exceptional insight into everyday life in ancient Egypt. The text is complemented by many illustrations of artefacts, works of art, and scenes of life in ancient Egypt as recorded in tomb reliefs and paintings on papyri. Werner Forman’s superb photographs were taken specially for this volume in Egypt and in the great public and private collections.
Examines the objects and artifacts, the representations in art, and the examples of documentation that reveal the day-to-day life of ancient Egyptians.
The African country of Egypt was the center of one of the first human civilizations. Just looking at photographs of ancient Egyptian pyramids, jewelry, and even mummies shows how imaginative and intelligent the ancient Egyptians really were. Today, Egypt is still a source of beauty and creativity. The crafts featured in this book include a tambourine, a papyrus scroll, and even a death mask! Readers are sure to enjoy learning about the Egyptian culture while learning about traditional Egyptian crafts at the same time. Colorful photographs and step-by-step instructions accompany the curriculum-based text to reinforce learning.
Ancient Egypt has always been a source of fascination to writers, artists and architects in the West. This book is the first study to address representations of Ancient Egypt in the modern imagination, breaking down conventional disciplinary boundaries between fields such as History, Classics, Art History, Fashion, Film, Archaeology, Egyptology, and Literature to further a nuanced understanding of ancient Egypt in cultures stretching from the eighteenth century to the present day, emphasising how some of the various meanings of ancient Egypt to modern people have traversed time and media. Divided into three themes, the chapters scrutinise different aspects of the use of ancient Egypt in a variety of media, looking in particular at the ways in which Egyptology as a discipline has influenced representations of Egypt, ancient Egypt's associations with death and mysticism, as well as connections between ancient Egypt and gendered power. The diversity of this study aims to emphasise both the multiplicity and the patterning of popular responses to ancient Egypt, as well as the longevity of this phenomenon and its relevance today.
