Product Description
Egyptology Today examines how modern scholars examine all aspects of ancient Egypt, one of the greatest of all ancient civilizations. In essays by a team of archaeologists, curators, scholars and conservators who are actively involved in research or applied aspects of Egyptology, this book looks at the techniques and methods that are used to increase our understanding of a distant culture that was as old to the Greeks and Romans as these cultures are to us.
|
|
 An excellent way to catch up on Egyptology studie ( robcurtross )
In a field where so much is known, and yet there seems to be so much yet to learn, it is useful from time to time for the general reader to catch up through a survey of current developments. Richard H. Wilkinson has done a marvelous job for ancient Egyptian studies in the well illustrated Egyptology Today.
Wilkinson contributed a well written introduction to the twelve essays, and an interesting afterword predicting future efforts and developments. The essays are written by scholars from the US, the UK, and Egypt. They describe their researches and experiences -- history of their fields, trends in methodology, current controversies, and future trends. There is an excellent index, and an extensive bibliography for further study.
Chapters cover museum display, language, literature, religion, art, artifact conservation, history, medical science, site surveys, epigraphy, and monument and site conservation.
Kent R. Weeks's essay on Egyptian archaeology provides a fair sample of the clear writing here:
"Around 1250 BC, the High Priest of Ptah at Memphis, Khaemwese, fourth-born son of Ramesses II, cleared and repaired nearly a dozen pyramids and temples at Giza and Saqqara. Even in his day, they were ruins over a thousand years old, and he restored them, he said, because he "so greatly loved antiquity" that he could not bear to see them falling into decay." Modern scholars have called Khaemwese the world's first archaeologist. Certainly, he was an enthusiastic supporter of archaeological preservation: he believed that by protecting religious buildings he honored Egypt's ancestors and ensured that contemporary religious practices would remain true to older - and therefore purer - forms of worship."
I particularly enjoyed the sidebar information which summarized various topics, for example this list of 15 people who increased our knowledge and improved archeology:
1. Giovanni Battista Belzoni (1772-1823). Italian, uncovered the entrance to the Giza pyramid
of Chephren and the Valley of the Kings tomb of Seti I and made many other discoveries.
2. Auguste Ferdinand Mariette (1821-1881) - see text.
3. Alexander Henry Rhind (1833-1863) - see text.
4. Gaston Camille Maspero (1846-1916) - see text.
5. William Matthew Flinders Petrie (1853-1942) - see text.
6. James Edward Quibell (1867-1935). British student of Petrie, excavated in the Valley of the
Kings and extensively at Saqqara.
7. George Andrew Reisner (1867-1942) - see text.
8. Hermann Junker (1877-1962). German-Austrian priest, excavated various sites, including
predynastic Merimde and, most importantly, Giza, where 15 years' work resulted in a masterful
12-volume study of its mastaba tombs.
9. Herbert EustisWinlock (1884-1950). American, worked for the Metropolitan Museum of Art
at several sites, especially the Deir el-Bahari cirque; considered one of the finest archaeologists
of his day; his discoveries were among the century's most important.
10. Howard Carter (1873-1939). English discoverer of the tomb of Tutankhamun; meticulous
record-keeper, artist.
11. Selim Hassan (1886-1961). First Egyptian professor of Egyptology at Cairo University; excavated
at many sites, but best known for his work at Giza which he published in over 12
volumes.
12. Walter Bryan Emery (1903-1971). English, worked extensively in Nubia and in Early Dynastic
remains at Saqqara.
13. Margaret Benson (1865-1916). The first woman to be granted a concession to dig in Egypt,
at the Temple of Mut in the Karnak complex.
14. Gertrude Caton-Thompson (1888-1985). English archaeologist best known for her excavations
of the prehistoric Fayum.
15. Jean-Philippe Lauer (1902-2001). French archaeologist and architect who for over 70 years
dug and studied Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom remains at Saqqara.
*****
This book is thought provoking and a scholarly, and a yet very readable, introduction for anyone interested in ancient Egypt.
Robert C. Ross 2008
|
Egyptology Today
This book is an excellent summary of the science of Egyptology with essays and reports by some of the scholars in the field today.The book is written to appeal to the lay person as well as the student or scholar. It could easily serve as an introductory text for courses in Egyptology. It is the first book that brings together in one place the current status of Egyptology.
|
|
View Larger
Add to Cart 
