Review by Choice Review
The history of pharaonic Egypt continues to fascinate the contemporary world and interest both scholars and popular authors. Howard Carter's 1922 discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen and its treasures has been frequently examined in lavishly illustrated volumes. Nevertheless, this volume, prepared to accompany the second major exhibition of Tutankhamen materials in America, is certainly among the most handsomely illustrated works to appear on Egyptian history. Garrett's photographs are stunningly beautiful and visually chronicle not only the physical setting for ancient Egyptian history but also materials from Tutankhamen's tomb and other 18th-Dynasty and 14th-century BCE artifacts. The text for this work was prepared by distinguished Egyptian scholar Hawass and examines in a perceptive, engaging manner many facets of life in ancient Egypt. It includes daily life, religion, death, burial, and belief in eternity; the life and discovery of Tutankhamen; the nature of Tutankhamen's treasures; and Tutankhamen's mummy. The richness of the photographs and the graceful description of Egypt during the 18th Dynasty make this a work of value even for those unable to visit the exhibition. ^BSumming Up: Essential. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. P. D. Thomas Wichita State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Tutankhamen's reign, though brief, is historically significant because it coincided with restoration of the traditional Egyptian pantheon, which had been suppressed in an experiment in radical monotheism under the famous pharaoh Akhenaton. But it's the trove discovered in 1922 that has elevated Tutankhamen into an archaeological superstar, invariably drawing stadium-size crowds to museums that periodically exhibit its objects. A selection of about 130 items (without the spectacular coffins but including grave goods from other kings of Tutankhamen's dynasty) will tour four U.S. cities from 2005 to 2007: this book is the sanctioned companion to the exhibition. Written by one of the premier names in Egyptology, it closely describes the physical and symbolic attributes of each object and explains its purpose in the afterlife. Hawass' text sustains his reputation ( Secrets from the Sand, 2003) as an engagingly clear public presenter of the subject, as it threads a general history of the eighteenth dynasty with dramatic narration of archaeologist Howard Carter's finding of Tutankhamen's sepulchre. An arrestingly visual album destined for high demand. --Gilbert Taylor Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
