Authoritative and up-to-date, this key single-volume work is a thematic exploration of ancient Egyptian civilization and culture as it was expressed down the centuries.Including topics rarely covered elsewhere as well as new perspectives, this work comprises thirty-two original chapters written by international experts. Each chapter gives an overvi

Studies in Memory of Barbara Adams Proceedings of the International Conference 'Origins of the State. Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt', Krakow, 28th August--1st September 2002.

The first-of-its-kind exhibit cataloged here focuses on the women of Egypt from all levels of society in works compiled strictly from American collections by American curators. Because the quantity of written records is limited (though enormous in comparison to most early societies), there is still much guesswork involved in determining the place women held in Egyptian society. It is clear that, unlike most ancient and not-so-ancient societies, Egypt conferred on women the legal right to own property and to barter their own goods, which means a larger record for current study. The essays here are both erudite and fascinating to read; the illustrations are clear and well presented in conjunction with the text. 117 colour & 112 b/w illustrations

A collection of papers from the Egyptologists' Electronic Forum (http: //welcome.to/EEF) on a variety of Egyptological topics, of interest to both professionals and laypersons. Five broad themes may be discerned: royalty in ancient Egypt, scarabs and funerary items, archaeology and early Egypt, Egyptology - past, present and future, and ancient Egyptian language, science and religion

This book assesses how Middle Eastern leaders manipulated visuals to advance their rule from around 4500 BC to the 19th century AD. In nine fascinating narratives, it showcases the dynamics of long-lasting Middle Eastern traditions, dealing with the visualization of those who stood at the head of the social order.

The beaches of the Indian Ocean stretch in a golden arc from the Atlantic to the Pacific, delimiting the entire southern boundary of the old world. On the lands adjoining this ocean and its inlets, almost every variety of human adaptation is or has been represented, as have the interactions between them. Societies of fisherman and pirates, hunters and gatherers, herdsmen and agrarian farmers, states and urban civilizations based on farming or trade, have all flourished at one time or another. Yet studies of the systems of the Indian Ocean before the spread of Islam remain in their infancy and until now the record on early Indian Ocean civilizations has been fragmented. The Indian Ocean in Antiquity brings together an international group of leading scholars to present, for the first time, a comprehensive view of the current state of research on the early populations of the area. After an introductory chapter, the twenty-six papers are grouped into four sections: The Environment and Natural Resources; The Early Civilizations; The Classical Period and Between Africa and China. They comprise the most far-reaching look at this vast region in pre-modern times that has ever been available. This pioneering volume makes an important contribution to the understanding of a region of great significance in world history, both past and future.Topics include: sea levels and other factors affecting coastal settlement; contracts between Mesopotamia and the Indus; Achaemenid, Parthian and Sasanian maritime activity; Roman interests in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean; the archeological evidence for early trade between South and Southeast Asia; the early settlement of Madagascar; the ethnographic evidence for long-distance contacts between Oceania and East Africa and recent discoveries of Christian and Hindu remains in Quanzhou.

Following the tradition and style of the acclaimed Index Islamicus, the editors have created this new Bibliography of Art and Architecture in the Islamic World. The editors have surveyed and annotated a wide range of books and articles from collected volumes and journals published in all European languages (except Turkish) between 1906 and 2011. This comprehensive bibliography is an indispensable tool for everyone involved in the study of material culture in Muslim societies.

Attested from the Fifth Dynasty until, and including, the Saite Period, the Tekenu is a puzzling icon depicted within funerary scenes in the tombs of some ancient Egyptian nobles. In this work four distinct types of Tekenu are identified and classified and then a Corpus Catalogue is formed.