Review by Choice Review
The Egyptians believed their pharaohs descended from gods and returned to the gods when they died. This theme of divine regeneration is the focus of this volume, which features 131 ancient Egyptian masterpieces--reliefs and statuary of gods, pharaohs, royalty, and high officials, along with hieroglyphic scripts, cuneiform texts, and smaller motif scenes--from the collections of the British Museum and the Cleveland Museum of Art. In their essays Vandenbeusch (British Museum, London), Semat (École du Louvre, Paris), and Maitland (National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh) examine geography, palace life, foreign relations, and religion, providing historical context for the featured artifacts. Taken together the images reveal a complex iconography of divine kingship that persisted for 3,000 years. The pharaoh, expected to appease the gods and maintain the cosmic order, was frequently depicted as an all-conquering warrior or a servant of the gods. Building temples and tombs ensured the preservation of the pharaoh's name and body, and thus continued the cycle of divine incarnation. This volume provides a useful, broad introduction to ancient Egyptian art, culture, and history, and as such could even be assigned as a supplemental textbook for undergraduate art or history courses. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. --Rachel Marie Cooke, Florida Gulf Coast University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
