Mummies, myth, and magic in ancient Egypt /

A lavishly illustrated, thoroughly entertaining history of the ancient Egyptian practice of mummification. El Mahdy explores the story behind the 1881 and 1898 discoveries of the royal mummy caches in the Valley of the Kings, as well as the discovery of Tutankhamun's resting place; the making of mummies; the theological implications of mummification; burial rites and rituals in ancient Egypt; and the various myths and folk tales that have, in the modern era, come to be associated with mummies. In so doing, she demonstrates how the study of mummies reveals much about how the Egyptians lived and died. Of particular interest are the photographs of the mummies of such mighty pharaohs of old as Seti I, Rameses II, Seqenenre Tao, and the entire Tuthmosid line; and she includes a provocative discussion on proposed attempts to clone the cells of these men--an act that would, in a sense, literally raise them from the dead. An excellent addition to all Egyptian studies collections. Mummy fact file, glossary, suggested readings; index. --Steve Weingartner

El Mahdy's previous popular work, Exploring the World of the Pharaohs (Thames & Hudson, 1987), was published under the name of Christine Hobson. The present encyclopedic work incorporates a complete bibliography on mummies, a chronology, a glossary, a list of locations of mummies, and detailed explanations of over 150 colorful and unusual illustrations. Scholars may be frustrated by the lack of references to sources of unusual facts, but outstanding chapters on the creation of a mummified corpse, research projects and current analysis, Egyptian mythology and burial practices, and animal sacrifice and mummification prove fascinating and informative for the scholar and general reader alike.-- Paula I. Nielson, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, Ut. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.