This fascinating study brings to life the people who lived and died at Deir el-Medina over three thousand years ago--the workers who built the tombs of the pharaohs in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Dr. Bierbrier draws on the thousands of documents, letters, literary texts, and drawings found at the site to give an intimate glimpse of life in the village.
In Rosalie David's hands, the Egyptian builders of the pyramids are revealed as simple people, leading ordinary lives while they are engaged on building the great tomb for a Pharoah. This is an engrossing detective story, bringing to the general reader a fascinating picture of a special community that lived in Egypt and built one of the pyramids, some four thousand years ago.
In this conspiracy thriller, a special investigator and a librarian search for the missing tomb of a Fourth Dynasty Egyptian pharaoh. Man fears time. Time fears the Pyramids . . . The Pyramid of Cheops. The largest and most enigmatic of them all. Possibly the greatest monument of all time and truly a tomb fit for a Pharaoh . . . Or was it? Despite finding a sarcophagus in the King’s chamber, many experts now believe that Khufu, the Pharaoh at the time was never actually buried there. But if that’s the case, where is he? India Summers returns with Brandon Walker to follow the clues left by an ancient priest, discover the true meaning of the pyramids and ultimately find the real undiscovered tomb of one of the greatest Pharaohs that ever lived. The thrilling final instalment to the India Summers Mysteries, perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Scott Mariani and Steve Berry.
More than 3000 years ago, a village was established at Thebes, on the west bank of the Nile, to house the workers who created the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. This book relates their quarrels and rivalries, sickness and health, marriages and deaths, and the effects of flood, pillage and war.
Nefertari, the favorite queen of Rameses II, was buried about 3,200 years ago in the most exquisitely decorated tomb in Egypt's Valley of the Queens. Discovered in 1904 by Italian explorer Ernesto Schiaparelli, the tomb had deteriorated to a disastrous extent when emergency consolidation began in 1986. The six-year conservation project of the GCI and the Egyptian Antiquities Organization was completed in 1992. In this fascinating exploration of the tomb, John McDonald takes the reader through each chamber, describing the hieroglyphic messages depicted in the brilliant wall paintings and discussing the images within the context of Egyptian beliefs. He also offers insights into the life of Nefertari, the development and symbolism of royal tombs, and the construction and decoration of the tombs. House of Eternity is illustrated with historic black-and-white images and more recent color photographs that reveal the vibrant beauty of the wall paintings. In November 1995 the tomb was reopened to the public. Because of the potential for damage and deterioration to the fragile wall paintings caused by increased humidity, carbon dioxide, and microbiological activity introduced by visitors to the tomb, the number permitted to enter daily is strictly controlled by the Egyptian authorities. This book results from a desire of the GCI to enrich visitors' experience by providing a detailed descriptive walk-through of the tomb while conveying a strong message regarding the need for conservation and continuous monitoring to ensure the long-term survival of the tomb's paintings. Visitors to the tomb and the armchair traveler alike will find House of Eternity to be an excellent resource for understanding Nefertari's journey to the afterlife and for appreciating the extraordinary depictions of that journey on the walls of Nefertari's tomb.
Going beyond even the expertise of archaeologists and historians, world-class engineer Craig B. Smith explores the planning and engineering behind the incredible Great Pyramid of Giza. How would the ancient Egyptians have developed their building plans, devised work schedules, managed laborers, solved specific design and engineering problems, or even improvised on the job? The answers are here, along with dazzling, one-of-a-kind color photographs and beautiful hand-drawn illustrations of tools, materials, and building techniques the ancient masters used. In his foreword to the book, Egypt's Undersecretary of State for the Giza Monuments Zahi Hawass explains the importance of understanding the Great Pyramid as a straightforward construction project.
Pharaoh's Workers focuses on the archaeological site at Deir el Medina on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor. The workers who prepared the royal tombs and lived there in what has been called "the earliest known artists' colony" left a rich store of artifacts and documents through which we can glimpse not only their working conditions and domestic activities, but also their religious beliefs and private thoughts.
