Ancient Egyptian religion and mythology Books

Book SynopsisFollowing the ideological disappointment of the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, an Islamic revival arose in Egypt. Yet, far from a mechanical reaction to the decline of secular nationalism, this religious shift was the product of impassioned competition among Muslim Brothers, Salafis and state institutions and their varied efforts to mobilize Egyptians to their respective projects. By pulling together the linked stories of these diverse claimants to religious authority and tracing the social and intellectual history of everyday practices of piety, Aaron Rock-Singer shows how Islamic activists and institutions across the political spectrum reshaped daily practices in an effort to persuade followers to adopt novel models of religiosity. In so doing, he reveals how Egypt''s Islamic revival emerged, who it involved, and why it continues to shape Egypt today.Trade Review'Aaron Rock-Singer tells the story of the Islamic revival in Egypt during and after the 1970s in a way that is sufficiently subtle and new that it will lead even specialists to understand Egypt differently. The state appears, for instance, not in the guise of an authoritarian regime or repressive security services but as a set of religious actors and arenas that are very much entwined with the revival. A wide variety of other actors are not merely presented but their ideas and interactions probed in fresh and fruitful ways.' Nathan Brown, George Washington University, Washington DC'Practicing Islam in Egypt offers a riveting account of how state religious institutions, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Salafi movements competed for influence over everyday practice and public space in Egypt from the 1970s to the present. Rock-Singer's close reading of widely distributed texts and periodicals in the immediate pre-Internet era offers a rock-solid analysis that challenges conventional assumptions about the currents and counter-currents of local religious mobilization and state control, and their continuing influence on daily life and public space.' Dale F. Eickelman, Dartmouth College, New Hampshire'Upending scholarly claims of Islam's discursive continuity against secular modernity, Rock-Singer keenly details postcolonial Egyptian Islamic movements' profound contemporaneity - their affinities with the postcolonial state and non-Muslim revivals, their immersion in mass media, and much more. In reframing Islam and politics, Practicing Islam in Egypt illuminates the late modern 'return of religion' more broadly.' Emilio Ibrahim Spadola, Tufts University, MassachusettsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments; A note on transliteration and spelling; Introduction; 1. Mind before matter: visions of religious change in post-colonial Egypt; 2. Currents of religious change: ideological transmission and local mobilization; 3. Could the state serve Islam? The rise and fall of Islamist educational reform; 4. Prayer and the Islamic revival: a timely challenge; 5. Beyond fitna: the emergence of Islamic norms of comportment; 6. The ambiguous legacy of the Islamic revival: how women emerged as a barometer of public morality; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisIn attempting even a brief and imperfect outline of the history of Egyptian queens the author has undertaken no easy task and craves indulgence for its modest fulfillment. The aim has been merely to put the little that is known in a readable and popular form, to gather from many sources the fragments that remain, partly historic, partly legendary, of a dead past. To present -- however imperfectl -- sketches of the women who once lived and breathed as Queens of Egypt.

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Book SynopsisThis book began life as an extended appendix to "Supernatural Assault in Ancient Egypt" where it provided additional information on the cosmic tides that ebb and flow through us as they did the ancient Egyptians. It concerns the ritual year and offers a conventional summary of the main principles of the ancient Egyptian calendar along with examples of seasonal rites. More radically it presents new material on the older Lunar calendar of the preformal times. Here too the author offers rites for a thirteen of the most archaic Egyptian ''neters'' -- beginning with Seth, Sokar and Hathor. Over the millennia we have lost contact with these tides, and stand alienated from Nature. This first ''Eden'' is restorable by a return to these ancient principles.

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Book SynopsisYou are in your bed. It is dark, you hear footsteps coming up the stairs and into your room. There is someone there -- a presence. They lie on you or beside you, gripping you tightly, crushing you into the bed. You can''t move. There may be a sound, a grunt or a strange smell. Time passes, you are paralysed with fear. Eventually the entity changes, expanding or contracting, moving away from you, sinking to the floor. With a great effort of will you manage to move the tip of your finger, then the hand until movement returns to your whole body and the experience ends. You have been visited by the old ''hag''. Dreams, the real theatre or perhaps battlefield of magick, influenced by cosmic tides that ebb and flow through us as they did the ancient Egyptians. Over the millennia we have lost contact with these tides, and stand alienated from Nature. To restore that first ''Eden'' we must undertake an exercise in the archaeology of knowledge. We must reconstruct the ancient Egyptian Wheel of the Year, revealing archaic, pre-dynastic Mysteries, the Lunar Mysteries of Horus and Seth.

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Book SynopsisPharaoh Akhenaten, who reigned for seventeen years in the fourteenth century B.C.E, is one of the most intriguing rulers of ancient Egypt. His odd appearance and his preoccupation with worshiping the sun disc Aten have stimulated academic discussion and controversy for more than a century. Despite the numerous books and articles about this enigmatic figure, many questions about Akhenaten and the Atenism religion remain unanswered.In Akhenaten and the Origins of Monotheism, James K. Hoffmeier argues that Akhenaten was not, as is often said, a radical advocating a new religion but rather a primitivist: that is, one who reaches back to a golden age and emulates it. Akhenaten''s inspiration was the Old Kingdom (2650-2400 B.C.E.), when the sun-god Re/Atum ruled as the unrivaled head of the Egyptian pantheon. Hoffmeier finds that Akhenaten was a genuine convert to the worship of Aten, the sole creator God, based on the Pharoah''s own testimony of a theophany, a divine encounter that launchedTrade ReviewIn the history of ideas one early figure stands out as an initiator of change, Akhenaten, king of Egypt. His attempt to simplify understanding of divine power represents a bold exercise in critical thinking. Hoffmeier's book lays out clearly and authoritatively the historical context and the nature of the prevailing concepts against which Akhenaten reacted. * Barry Kemp, Director, the Amarna Project *Hoffmeier offers a stimulating and judicious re-evaluation of the many controversial historical issues related to the Amarna Period. Particularly thought-provoking is a new interpretation of the origins of Akhenaten's religious ideas based on a phenomenology of religion approach. Akhenaten's experience is identified as a theophany and is examined against other encounters with the divine found in ancient Near Eastern sources. Exploring the questions of whether Atenism was monotheistic and whether it could have influenced Hebrew monotheism, the book will also be of great interest to Biblical scholars. * Boyo Ockinga, Associate Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney *James Hoffmeier draws upon the latest scholarly research to inform this new study of Atenism. Well-versed in the religious traditions of Egypt, Israel, and the Near East, Hoffmeier utilizes phenomenological, linguistic, and archaeological approaches to argue that Akhenaten's 'heretical' religion was a potent combination of revelation and revivalism. His own excavations of Atenist remains at the border fortress of Tell el-Borg also bring fresh evidence to bear on ever-intriguing issues. * Ellen Morris, Department of Classics and Ancient Studies, Barnard College *Hoffmeier does an excellent job placing Akhenaten and his religion in the broader context of the history and religions of the entire ancient Near East. Drawing upon texts, archaeological data (including new evidence from his excavations in the Sinai), architecture, and art, he provides innovative insight on a subject that has been extensively studied by so many others. * Emily Teeter, Oriental Institute, University of Chicago *it is an excellent and stimulating contribution and provides a truly in-depth introduction to the religion of Akhenaten's period and its origins. * Peter C. Nadig, Bryn Mawr Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Map ; 1. When the Sun Ruled Egypt ; 2. Sky and Sun Together ; 3. The Dawn of the Amarna Period ; 4. The Domain of Aten: the Temples of Aten at Karnak ; 5. Finding Aten and Founding Akhet-Aten ; 6. Aten Alone ; 7. Is Atenism Monotheism? ; 8. The Hymns to Aten: A Monotheistic Manifesto ; 9. The Influence of Atenism in Egypt and the Bible? ; Index

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Book SynopsisIntent upon letting the reader experience the pleasure and intellectual stimulation in reading classic authors, the How to Read series will facilitate and enrich your understanding of texts vital to the canon.

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Book SynopsisSpanning ancient Egyptian culture (ca. 3200 B.C.E. to C.E. 400), the Handbook of Egyptian Mythology is the only complete survey of Egyptian mythology of its kind available in English. In this comprehensive introduction to Egyptian mythology, author Geraldine Pinch shows how the mythology of Ancient Egypt must be pieced together from a variety of written and visual sources. Relationships between deities changed, and the Egyptian myths were never gathered by priests into an "authorized version." Handbook of Egyptian Mythology provides a brief discussion about the nature of myths; the concept of time in Egyptian mythology; a historical overview of the sources of Egyptian myth; and a dictionary of deities, themes, and concepts, which concentrates on the prominent gods and goddesses in Egyptian myth. The book also includes references to general works on Egyptian culture, religion, and myth; translations of ancient texts; and a selection of literature influenced by Egyptian myth.Trade ReviewStudents at the high-school level and above who are doing research on Egyptian mythology will find this volume interesting and helpful . . . This volume is recommended for medium-sized and large public libraries and academic libraries with lower-division mythology and Egyptology classes. * Booklist *Well-documented and written in clear and concise prose . . . Well organized and thorough, this is an excellent introduction to the complex world of Egyptian mythology. General readers; lower-division undergraduates. * Choice *

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Trade Review'The book requires careful reading, because the style is tight and the plot is complex, but there can be no doubt that it is one of the most challenging, creative, and convincing monographs written on the Mithraic Mysteries.' John R. Hinnells, Journal of Roman Studies, 1990. 'I hope that Beck will return to this general problem of interpretation in future work on the mysteries of Mithras.' S.R.F. Price, Phoenix, 1990.

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Trade Review'...of interest to many students of antiquity.' Ronald F. Hock, The second Century, 1989.

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Book SynopsisThe famous Nile Mosaic of Palestrina, ancient Praeneste in central Italy, dating to c. 100 B.C., is one of the earliest large mosaics which have been preserved from the classical world. It presents a unique, comprehensive picture of Egypt and Nubia. The interpretation of the mosaic is disputed, suggestions ranging from an exotic decoration to a topographical picture or a religious allegory. The present study demonstrates that the mosaic depicts rituals connected with Isis and Osiris and the yearly Nile flood. The presence of these Egyptian religious scenes at Praeneste can be explained by the assimilation of isis and Fortuna, the tutelary goddess of Praeneste, and by the interpretation of the mosaic as a symbol of divine providence.Trade Review"Meyboom’s monograph remains an indispensible resource for study of the Nile Mosaic at Praeneste. Students will benefit from the clear manner in which arguments are presented, and scholars familiar with these arguments still have much to gain from sifting through the goldmine of endnotes. It remains highly recommended." Joshua J. Thomas, University of Oxford, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017.06.45

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Book SynopsisThe diffusion of the cults of Isis is recently again intensively studied. Research on this fascinating phenomenon has traditionally been characterised by its focus on L'Égypte hors d'Égypte, while developments in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt itself were often seen as belonging to a different domain. This volume tries to overcome that unhealthy dichotomy by studying the cults of Isis in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt itself in relation to developments in the Mediterranean at large. The book not only presents an overview of the most important deities, often based on new or unpublished material, but also pays ample attention to the cultural processes behind Isis on Nile, like relations between style and identity, religious choice, social- and cultural memory and Egypt’s view of its own past.Table of ContentsContributors include: Pascale Ballet, Laurent Coulon, Françoise Dunand, Geneviève Galliano , Angelo Geissen, Olaf Kaper, Pierre Koemoth, Michel Malaise, Frederick Naerebout, Klaus Parlasca, Kyriakos Savvopoulos, Marjorie Venit, Miguel John Versluys, Youri Volokhine

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Book SynopsisThis volume deals with the origins and rise of Christian pilgrimage cults in late antique Egypt. Part One covers the major theoretical issues in the study of Coptic pilgrimage, such as sacred landscape and shrines' catchment areas, while Part Two examines native Egyptian and Egyptian Jewish pilgrimage practices. Part Three investigates six major shrines, from Philae's diverse non-Christian devotees to the great pilgrim center of Abu Mina and a Thecla shrine on its route. Part Four looks at such diverse pilgrims' rites as oracles, chant, and stational liturgy, while Part Five brings in Athanasius's and an anonymous hagiographer's perspectives on pilgrimage in Egypt. The volume includes illustrations of the Abu Mina site, pilgrims' ampules from the Thecla shrine, as well as several maps.Trade Review'The volume is important and should be in every research library.' James E. Goehring, Religious Studies Review, 2000. 'Some aspects of pilgrimage addressed here, such as pilgrim chants, have only rarely, if at all, been discussed elsewhere…As we have learned to expect from David Frankfurter, this collection evidences a steadfast commitment to a "regional approach to Christianity and other developing religions". David Frankfurter is surely to be congratulated for bringing together a collection of essays representing a broad array of the fascinating new approaches to late antique pilgrimage.' Blake Leyerle, Church History, 2000. '…handsomely produced…an exciting collection.' Philip Rousseau, Journal of Ecclesiastical History.

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Book SynopsisThe famous Nile Mosaic of Palestrina, ancient Praeneste in central Italy, dating to c. 100 B.C., is one of the earliest large mosaics which have been preserved from the classical world. It presents a unique, comprehensive picture of Egypt and Nubia. The interpretation of the mosaic is disputed, suggestions ranging from an exotic decoration to a topographical picture or a religious allegory. The present study demonstrates that the mosaic depicts rituals connected with Isis and Osiris and the yearly Nile flood. The presence of these Egyptian religious scenes at Praeneste can be explained by the assimilation of isis and Fortuna, the tutelary goddess of Praeneste, and by the interpretation of the mosaic as a symbol of divine providence.Trade Review'...grâce à l'auteur...' Robert Turcan, Revue des Etudes Latines. 'Meyboom’s monograph remains an indispensible resource for study of the Nile Mosaic at Praeneste. Students will benefit from the clear manner in which arguments are presented, and scholars familiar with these arguments still have much to gain from sifting through the goldmine of endnotes. It remains highly recommended.' Joshua J. Thomas, University of Oxford, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017.06.45

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Book SynopsisThe reign of the “heretic pharaoh” Akhenaten—the so-called Amarna Period—witnessed an unprecedented attack on the cult of Amun, King of the Gods, with his cult center at ancient Thebes (modern Luxor). A program to reinstate Amun to pre-eminence in the traditional pantheon was instituted by Akhenaten’s successors Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemhab. Damaged reliefs and inscriptions were restored and new statues of Amun and his consorts Mut and Amunet commissioned to replace those destroyed under Akhenaten. In this study, over 60 statues and fragments of statues attributable to the post-Amarna Period on the basis of an inscription, physiognomy, and/or stylistic analysis are discussed, as well as others that have been incorrectly assigned to the era.Table of ContentsContents Preface Sources of Illustrations Introduction  Amun’s Iconography  Amunet and Her Iconography  Genres Documented among the Post-Amarna Period Statuary of Amun  Usurpation  Restoration of Pre- and Damage to Post-Amarna Period Statuary Catalogue  Alexandria, Cat. 1–2  Baltimore, Cat. 2bis  Berlin, Cat. 3  Bordeaux, Cat. 3bis  Boston, Cat. 4  Brussels, Cat. 5  Cairo, Cat. 6–20  Chicago, Cat. 21  Copenhagen, Cat. 22–23  Deir el Bahari, Cat. 23bis  Doha, Cat. 24  Hanover, Cat. 25  Houston, Cat. 26  Karlsruhe, Cat. 27  Karnak, Cat. 28–33ter  Khartoum, Cat. 34  Leiden, Cat. 35–36  London  Luxor  Mit Rahina, Cat. 46bis  Mougins, Cat. 47  New York City, Cat. 48–49  Paris, Cat. 50–54  Philadelphia, Cat. 55  Seattle, Cat. 56  Turin, Cat. 57  Warsaw, Cat. 58  Location not known, Cat. 59–65bis Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn The Sacred Landscape of Dra Abu el-Naga during the New Kingdom, Ángeles Jiménez-Higueras offers the reconstruction of the physical, religious and cultural landscape of Dra Abu el-Naga south and its conceptual development from the 18th to the 20th Dynasties (1550-1069 BC). A wider insight into the Theban necropolis is provided, including the position played by the Dra Abu el-Naga cemetery within the Theban funerary context understood as an inseparable complex of diverse components. For this study, Ángeles Jiménez-Higueras has reconciled textual and archaeological perspectives with theories relating to Landscape Archaeology, which efficiently manages to compile and to link prosopographical-genealogical, archaeological and GIS (Geographical Information System) data.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures, Maps, Diagrams and Tables Introduction  1 What This Book Is About. Structure of the Book: Aims and Research Questions  2 Theban Necropolis and Dra Abu el-Naga: Main Characteristics and Development  3 Literature Review and Brief History of the Research in Dra Abu el-Naga Part 1 How the Tomb Owners Respond to the Landscape 1 Theoretical Approach: Landscape Archaeology 2 Distribution of the Tombs of Dra Abu el-Naga in the New Kingdom  1 Parameters and Methodology 3 A Cluster of Ramesside Tombs in Dra Abu el-Naga South  1 Chronology  2 Titles  3 Kinship  4 Architectonical and Archaeological Factors  5 Concluding Remarks 4 A Seemingly ‘Unplanned’ Territory  1 The Case of the Tombs Dated from the Co-regency of Hatshepsut-Thutmose III, and the Reign of Thutmose III  2 A Case of Territoriality Identity? Outsiders: Nobles of Non-Theban Origin  3 The ‘Courtyard of Amun’, a Ritual Space in Dra Abu el-Naga Reserved for the Officials of the Amun Temple in Karnak  4 Chronological or Administrative Entities’ Organisation of the Research Area? Part 2 How the Landscape Affects the Tombs 5 Organisation of Dra Abu el-Naga and Its Religious Connection with Other Areas of the Theban Necropolis  1 Parameters and Methodology 6 Visibility Analysis between Dra Abu el-Naga and the Main Areas of the Theban Necropolis  1 A Tomb with a View: The Case of the Ramesside Cluster of Tombs in Dra Abu el-Naga South  2 Views from a Seemingly ‘Unplanned’ Territory 7 Reconstruction of the Ancient Paths and Processional Routes  1 Tombs Orientated to Processional Ways and Festival Routes  2 Distribution and ‘Urbanism of the Necropolis’ Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThe diffusion of the cults of Isis is recently again intensively studied. Research on this fascinating phenomenon has traditionally been characterised by its focus on L'Égypte hors d'Égypte, while developments in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt itself were often seen as belonging to a different domain. This volume tries to overcome that unhealthy dichotomy by studying the cults of Isis in Hellenistic and Roman Egypt itself in relation to developments in the Mediterranean at large. The book not only presents an overview of the most important deities, often based on new or unpublished material, but also pays ample attention to the cultural processes behind Isis on Nile, like relations between style and identity, religious choice, social- and cultural memory and Egypt’s view of its own past.Table of ContentsContributors include: Pascale Ballet, Laurent Coulon, Françoise Dunand, Geneviève Galliano , Angelo Geissen, Olaf Kaper, Pierre Koemoth, Michel Malaise, Frederick Naerebout, Klaus Parlasca, Kyriakos Savvopoulos, Marjorie Venit, Miguel John Versluys, Youri Volokhine

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Book SynopsisIn Ancient Egyptian Letters to the Dead: The Realm of the Dead through the Voice of the Living Julia Hsieh investigates the beliefs and practices of communicating with the dead in ancient Egypt through close lexical semantic analysis of extant Letters. Hsieh shows how oral indicators, toponyms, and adverbs in these Letters signal a practice that was likely performed aloud in a tomb or necropolis, and how the senders of these Letters demonstrate a belief in the power and omniscience of their deceased relatives and enjoin them to fight malevolent entities and advocate on their behalf in the afterlife. These Letters reflect universals in beliefs and practices and how humankind, past and present, makes sense of existence beyond death.Trade Review"This book is beautifully illustrated and includes a chart of extant letters to the dead and a glossary. All the texts quoted are translated, with full explanatory notes. While intended for specialists, it is by no means esoteric, providing us with a variety of perspectives on the ancient Egyptians." - Wilfred G.E. Watson, in The Society for Old Testament Study Book List 2022Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Figures Abbreviations Introduction  1 What Are the Letters to the Dead?  2 What Can We Infer from the Letters to the Dead? Part 1 The Senders 1 Orality and Intertextuality  1 Orality  2 Intertextuality 2 Where Were the Letters Composed, Performed, and Deposited?  1 Geospatial Indicators  2 The Use of Bowls and the mnṯꜣ.t Vessel Part 2 The Recipients 3 Characteristics and Abilities of the Akh  1 The Akh in the Letters to the Dead  2 Akh as Advocate  3 Adversaries and Malevolent Akh 4 Literacy in the Afterlife Part 3 Textual Analysis of the Letters to the Dead 5 Transliteration, Translation, and Text Notes  1 Cairo Linen  2 Qau Bowl  3 Chicago Jar Stand  4 Letter N3737  5 Letter N3500  6 Hu Bowl  7 Boston Jar Stand  8 Stela of Nebetitef and the Misplaced Letter to the Dead  9 Louvre Bowl  10 Berlin Bowl  11 Cairo Bowl  12 Qubbet el-Hawa Bowl  13 Papyrus Berlin 10481 and 10482  14 Horhotep Ostracon  15 Oxford Bowl  16 Moscow Bowl Conclusion Supplementary Texts Summary Chart of Extant Letters to the Dead Glossary Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis novel work uses case studies of both familiar and unfamiliar materials, expanding consideration of ancient Egyptian elite culture to encompass lived experience and exploitation of the natural environment.The opening chapter sets out the conceptual ground for the analyses that follow, arguing that the relatively ephemeral activities under investigation were centrally important to the actors. The first and largest study treats human organization of the landscape and its use to create and transmit elite meanings, especially through pictorial and encyclopaedic forms, and to mobilize emotional values. Next, a treatment of the planning of primarily third millennium settlements on the floodplain argues that Egypt offers a partly rural perspective that provides an alternative to the urban focus of many early civilizations but has parallels in elite culture in much of the world. The third study discusses how a single year's events were orchestrated to culminate in a celebratory hunt in which the king, his court, and high officials participated. The concluding chapter presents an initial synthesis of Egyptian treatments of elite experience, drawing in particular upon additional evidence from literary texts and attitudes to travel.Trade ReviewOne of the best aspects of this book [is] a stubborn focus not just on the evidence for elite experience in ancient Egypt, but on the human beings who lived this experience. If the point of archaeology is to move beyond the archaeological evidence toward an understanding of the people who produced this evidence, then this book is an admirable success;Ancient Near Eastern Studies;In the Introduction this carefully produced book sets out the methodological approach and the obvious challenges in a context where those expressing experience were limited by rules set up to define what was appropriate for being displayed (decorum). But as this book deals with sociology rather than the consumption of aesthetics, its author also convincingly shows that the leisured classes were striving for enjoyment, celebration and appreciation of the finer things of life;Egyptian ArchaeologyTable of ContentsPrefaceList of FiguresConventionsChronological TableMap1. Contexts and Representations of High Culture2. Egypt as a Physical, Social and Represented Landscape3. A Planned World? The Early City, Patterns and Meanings of Settlement4. Celebration in the Landscape: A Hunting Party under Amenemhat II5. Elite Experience

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Book SynopsisThe Egyptian Book of the Dead, and other papyri and paintings, have long held a fascination for modern people but are easily dismissed as superstitions and fanciful poetry. In recent times, however, serious interest in them has reawakened. What is their origin and could they still hold wisdom for us today?Frank Teichmann has researched Egyptian civilisation for over forty years and in this beautiful, highly illustrated book he shows that a deep understanding of the sacred mysteries of Egypt is key to illuminating the texts and images of the time. Egyptian mystery centres were places of spiritual initiation where trainees had powerful, direct contact with spiritual beings. It was then their task to bring their new-found knowledge to the wider population, through the use of texts like the Book of the Dead.The sacred mysteries that the trainees experienced are also borne out by the spiritual research of Rudolf Steiner. Teichmann explores the mysteries in compelling detail, to show their enduring significance in the present day.Trade Review'This book is beautifully illustrated with 200 colour photographs and is as solid as an Egyptian statue…'-- Margaret Jonas, New View

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Book SynopsisSchweizer guides the reader through the Amduat, offering a psychological interpretation of its principal textual and iconographic elements. He draws on Jungian archetypes to identify similar expressions about the afterlife in other world cultures.Trade ReviewThe Sungod's Journey Through the Netherworldis a unique examination of the Egyptian concept of the afterlife. It provides a window into the thought processes of this ancient civilization and their mythology.. Indeed this book opens new possibilities for examining the psychological foundations of ancient mythologies and the texts that describe them. -- Robert D. Bates * Near East Archaeological Bulletin *

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Book SynopsisUsing as his sources the Egyptian texts and the testimony of classical authors, Serge Sauneron illuminates the role of the priesthood in Ancient Egypt.Trade Review"Lorton's new translation fills a substantial need for students of Egyptian religion. The book is aimed at non-specialists as well as students and is written in a highly accessible style."—Denise M. Doxey, Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Religious Studies Review, Vol. 27, No. 3, July 2001"This 1957 classic originally written in French is finally made available in English, thanks to David Lorton's excellent translation. Widely illustrated in black and white, this book should be recommended reading for everyone."—Frankie's Bibliography of Ancient Egypt.

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Book SynopsisIn the winter of 1922-23 archaeologist Howard Carter and his wealthy patron George Herbert, the Fifth Earl of Carnarvon, sensationally opened the tomb of Tutenkhamen. Six weeks later Herbert, the sponsor of the expedition, died in Egypt. The popular press went wild with rumours of a curse on those who disturbed the Pharaoh''s rest and for years followed every twist and turn of the fate of the men who had been involved in the historic discovery. Long dismissed by Egyptologists, the mummy''s curse remains a part of popular supernatural belief. Roger Luckhurst explores why the myth has captured the British imagination across the centuries, and how it has impacted on popular culture. Tutankhamen was not the first curse story to emerge in British popular culture. This book uncovers the ''true'' stories of two extraordinary Victorian gentlemen widely believed at the time to have been cursed by the artefacts they brought home from Egypt in the nineteenth century. These are weird and wonderfulTrade Review[An] alluring book ... The story of the mummy's curse, unsurprisingly, is far more revealing of attitudes and anxieties prevalent in 19th century Britain than of anything in Ancient Egypt. * Thomas Jones, London Review of Books *The Mummy's Curse is a thoughtful and thorough exegesis of an enduring popular myth. * Irish Times *A fascinating account ... There are some absolutely laugh-out-loud moments in this consistently insightful and well-written study ... This is the kind of academic volume which impresses you with the ideas found on each page, and at the same time sparks off new ideas in the reader. * Stuart Kelly, The Scotsman *Here is a topic with a variety of themes, some farcical, some darkly serious, some complex, and others which are beyond silly. It takes a particular skill to balance such a range of ideas, and Roger Luckhurst possesses this skill. * John Ray, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPART ONE: CURSE STORIES; PART TWO: CONTEXTS

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