Egypt Series

Comprehensive discourse on origin, powers of amulets in many ancient cultures. Covers cross, swastika, crucifix, seals, rings, stones, etc.

"Let us walk in the gloom of the pyramids, in the cool shadows of ruined temples, aye, through the tortuous labyrinth of the Egyptian mind itself, trusting that by virtue of the light we carry we shall succeed in unravelling to some extent the age-long enigma of this mystic land." — from Chapter One. In this classic study, a noted mythologist made perhaps the first serious attempt to review the religious history of ancient Egypt in the light of the science of modern mythology. Instead of regarding Egyptian mythology and legend as unique, "classic" and inviolate, as did many Egyptologists, Spence saw Egyptian religious thought as part of world mythology, rooted in primitive conceptions common to mankind as a whole and related to those of many other cultures. In supporting this thesis, Spence offers an immensely erudite in-depth survey of the broad spectrum of Egyptian gods and goddesses, cults, and beliefs, as well as a concise review of Egyptian history, manners, customs, and archaeology. Animism, totemism, fetishism, creation myths, and other aspects of early religious beliefs are explored in an introductory chapter. The author then goes on to discuss the Egyptian priesthood, mysteries and temples, the cult of Osiris; Ra the Sun-God, Anubis, Horus, Thoth, and numerous other deities; the Book of the Dead, the birth of Hatshepsut, sacred trees, alchemy, the festival of Bast, Egyptian art, magic, and amulets, legends; and a host of other topics. Enhanced with over 50 photographs and illustrations, this book belongs in the library of any student of ancient Egypt or of early man's attempts, through mythology and legend, to give order, meaning, and purpose to his world.

Written by perhaps the most prolific, erudite Egyptologist of the 20th century, this solid guide to hieroglyphics remains the standard introduction. Budge gives the history of hieroglyphic writing, its evolution into hieratic and demotic scripts, and the fascinating tale of its decipherment by Young, Champollion, Åkerblad, and others.

Dancing was important to the ancient Egyptians. One of the few books available in English on this topic, this carefully researched, profusely illustrated work investigates the origins, nature and role of dance in Egyptian culture. Features 80 figure drawings and illustrations adapted from tomb paintings, reliefs, other authentic sources. New introduction. Bibliography.

Survey of the architectural styles and histories of Egyptian temples built thousands of years ago. Over 120 photographs and diagrams depict exteriors, interiors of many sacred structures, including the ruins of the Temple of the Sphinx, and the remarkable structures at Karnak; the Temple of Luxor; the great temples at Abu Simbel; more.

11 carefully chosen, highly readable stories — among the earliest literature known to Western man — provide a glimpse into the lives and culture of ancient Egyptians. Includes "The Scorpions of Isis," "The Princess and the Demon," "The Name of Ra," "The Regions of Night and Thick Darkness," and more.

Spanning the early dynastic period to modern times, treasury of Egyptian folklore encompasses 36 beguiling stories. First part contains tales originally written in hieratic characters; second part documents Christian influence; third part recounts stories of Muslims who succeeded Copts. 40 black-and-white illustrations.

This far-reaching, highly readable study presents a factual account of ancient Egypt's principal deities, myths, religious ideas, and doctrines — with particular emphasis on such concepts of historical significance as a profound dedication to recording their rich history and belief in an afterlife.

The majesty and splendor of ancient Egypt were largely the result of the remarkably advanced technological skills developed by its artisans and craftsmen. This fascinating, comprehensive, and detailed study of ancient Egyptian technology meticulously describes the extent to which these workers and other Egyptians developed and used the land's vast resources. First published in 1926 and later revised and enlarged, this monumental work has become a standard reference, unparalleled in any other branch of archaeology. This volume reprints the fourth edition, painstakingly revised in light of more recent research and archaeological evidence. Among the subjects examined in the thoroughly documented text are the wealth of materials and processes that were an integral part of Egyptian daily life: the use of animal products, building materials, cosmetics, perfumes, and incense; fibers, glazed ware, glass and its manufacture; metals and alloys, painting materials, pottery making, woodworking, precious and semi-precious stones; distillation of alcoholic beverages; materials used in the mummification process, and much more. Enormously erudite, with an abundance of detailed information, Ancient Egyptian Materialsand Industries is an essential reference, valuable to students of Egyptology and classical civilizations and of vital interest to anyone intrigued by the long and remarkable history of technological development.

For millennia, Egypt, the dark land, has been considered the home of magic. The feats of her priests and magicians were renowned throughout the ancient world, from the simplest legerdemain (according to present interpretation) to the heights of necromancy and sorcery. Even their most severe critics, the ancient Hebrews, admitted the power of Egyptian magic. In the famous sorcerers' duel between Moses and Egyptian priests before Pharaoh, the Egyptians were almost as skilled as Moses. This well-known study of ancient Egyptian magic, by E. A. Wallis Budge, long curator of Egyptian antiquities at the British Museum, sums up everything that is known about the wonder-working of ancient Egypt. After a general discussion of the role of magic in Egyptian religion proper — Dr. Budge covers the powerful amulets that warded off evil spirits; the scarabs of immortality; the use of wax images and spirit placements; magical pictures and formulas; magic via the secret name; magic of sounds; rituals; curses; destruction of hostile magic; determination of fortunate dates, and many of the other practices of the ancient Nile dwellers. Dozens of magic formulas are given in full — both in the original Egyptian sounds, as far as they can be recreated — and in English; dozens of excerpts are also given from the magical papyroi, tomb inscriptions, and other sources. Many wonderful tales are told in these Egyptian stories; mind control, enforcing will upon animals, suspended animation, calling up the dead, finding ancient books of incredible magical power, and other miraculous events that we may or may not believe.

"[T]he author gives a well-integrated and thoughtful interpretation of Egyptian thought which endeavors to uncover the roots of Egyptian religion. It is at this point that Frankfort has made his great contribution." —Journal of Religion Until the publication of this masterly study, Egyptian religion was thought by most scholars to be a nearly impenetrable jungle of weird myths, doctrines, and practices, the product of numerous unrelated local cults existing side by side. Misconceptions were exacerbated by the monotheistic bias of Western thought. Henri Frankfort, former Research Professor of Oriental Archaeology at the University of Chicago and former Director of Excavations for the Egypt Exploration Society of London, presents formidable evidence to the contrary, by disregarding local differences in cults and dogmas and focusing instead on the trends and qualities that regularly recur in five important aspects of Egyptian life. Using this method, Dr. Frankfort concludes that there is one conviction underlying all Egyptian belief, i.e., that the universe is static and that only the changeless is ultimately significant. Delving into Egyptian theology, the author shows how that view informed not only religious beliefs, but also Egyptian moral and political philosophy, government and society, and literature and art. Enhanced with 32 illustrations, this book is "one of the finest elucidations of these materials that we have anywhere" (AmericanHistorical Review). Chronological Table. Index. Preface. 32 halftones.

Noted Egyptologist's careful account, written to counter flurry of misinformation after 1922 discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb, of the known facts about the reign of Tutankhamen, the cults of Amen and Aten, and Egyptian monotheism. Over 50 illustrations and hieroglyphic texts of most important hymns to Amen and Aten.

Thoth, the ibis-headed god of wisdom, inventor of the art of writing; Osiris, the dead god who arose and set the pattern for death-and-resurrection gods ever since; Isis, the great mother, wandering through the reed swamps; Anubis, conductor of the dead, with jackal head; Bast, the cat goddess; Set, the evil serpent; Ptah, the living mummy … For more than 2,500 years, since the days of Herodotus, students have found the gods of Ancient Egypt a source of fascination and wonder. Strange beings who lived in a world of their own (as opposed to the human gods of the European people), irrational powers and menaces, sometimes animal-like, sometimes superhuman, sometimes incalculable in their evil potentialities, they still have the power to move men's thought. By far the most thorough, most useful coverage of the gods of Ancient Egypt is this book by Dr. Budge of the British Museum, one of the foremost Egyptologists of the century. In it is presented practically everything known about the high gods, the local gods, demigods, demons, and mythological figures of Khem. Dr. Budge provides full information on the origins of the ancient religion; its peculiarly Egyptian aspects; evolution of cults, rites, and gods; the priesthoods; the heretical aberration of Ikhnaten and the Aten cult; the cult of Osiris; the Book of the Dead and its rites; the sacred animals and birds; heaven and hell, and much other secret wisdom that has been discovered hidden in mummy cases or written on tomb walls. The text is profusely illustrated, with many reproductions of tomb and mummy-case paintings, while many full texts are presented, with both hieroglyphs and translation. Dr. Budge's book is a standard work in the history of religion. It is also a most useful background book for anyone seriously interested in the life and thought of Ancient Egypt, an explicator of many of the obscurer passages in the Book of Dead.

Classic examination of the historical development of Egyptian decorative art, including the writing of hieroglyphs and the origin of patterns. Over 200 carefully drawn figures illustrate spirals, feathers, rosettes, lotus blossoms, basket work, cornices, gods and goddeses, scarabs, and more. Invaluable to students of fine art, art history, and the decorative arts.

In this volume, a noted Egyptologist offers a concise, scholarly exposition of Egyptian belief in Osiris, god of the resurrection; other "gods" of the Egyptians; the judgment of the dead and the resurrection; and immortality. Also, the meaning of the afterlife for ancient Egyptians and its ramifications for Egyptian society.

Great Egyptologist's fascinating account of the discovery of the linguistic keystone that enabled scholars to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Work of Young, Champollion, other scholars; implications for biblical scholarship, history of ancient Near East, much more. Clear, concise, accessible to layman. 23 photographs. Bibliography.

Volume 2 of the most comprehensive, scholarly work on Osiris. Includes translations of numerous texts, reproductions of classical Egyptian art—iconography, the Heaven of Osiris, liturgy, shrines and mysteries, funeral and burial practices, human sacrifice, judge of the dead, links between Osiris worship and African religions, much more..

Former Keeper of Egyptian and Assyrian Antiquities in the British Museum, E. A. Wallis Budge (1857-1934) was one of the great Egyptologists of the century and author of a host of books on ancient Egypt. For this collection, he carefully selected nine of the most interesting and important Egyptian legends and published them in hieroglyphic texts with literal translations on facing pages. The result is a wonderful sampling of typical Egyptian literature in the best and most complete form possible. This convenient edition enables students to study these ancient myths for their linguistic, literary, and cultural meanings — all in one inexpensive volume. The legends included are: The Legend of the Creation The Legend of the Destruction of Mankind The Legend of Ra and the Snake-Bite The Legend of Horus of Edfu and the Winged Disk The Legend of the Origin of Horus A Legend of Khensu Nefer-Hetep and the Princess of Bekhten The Legend of Khnemu and a Seven Years’ Famine The Legend of the Death and Resurrection of Horus The Legend of Isis and Osiris According to Classical Writers Any student of ancient Egyptian literature, language, or culture will welcome this classic compilation, enhanced with 19 illustrations from Egyptian art.

November 4, 1922. For six seasons the legendary Valley of the Kings has yielded no secrets to Howard Carter and his archeological team: "We had almost made up our minds that we were beaten,” he writes, “and were preparing to leave The Valley and try our luck elsewhere; and then--hardly had we set hoe to ground in our last despairing effort than we made a discovery that far exceeded our wildest dreams." Join Howard Carter in his fascinating odyssey toward the most dramatic archeological find of the century--the tomb of Tutankhamen. Written by Carter in 1923, only a year after the discovery, this book captures the overwhelming exhilaration of the find, the painstaking, step-by-step process of excavation, and the wonder of opening a treasure-filled inner chamber whose regal inhabitant had been dead for 3,000 years. 104 on-the-spot photographs chronicle the phases of the discovery and the scrupulous cataloging of the treasures. The opening chapters discuss the life of Tutankhamen and earlier archeological work in the Valley of the Kings. An appendix contains fully captioned photographs of the objects obtained from the tomb. A new preface by Jon Manchip White adds information on Carter's career, recent opinions on Tutankhamen's reign, and the importance of Carter's discovery to Egyptologists. Millions have seen the stunning artifacts which came from the tomb—they are among the glories of the Cairo Museum, and have made triumphal tours to museums the world over. They are a testament to the enigmatic young king, and to the unwavering tenacity of the man who brought them to light as described in this remarkable narrative.

For 30 centuries, before Greece's glory or Rome's grandeur came into being, mankind played out a drama along the banks of the Nile which for sheer splendor, mighty works, and significance to civilization, is unique. The lure of Egyptology is as old as the Pyramids themselves; what is new is the modern work done in the field. Few books make so up-to-date and thorough a survey of what is known, in a form suited for the general reader, as this fine work, first published as recently as 1952, and now with a new Introduction for this edition by the author. Central to all facts about ancient Egypt is the Nile; this is where the author starts us in our understanding of the civilization. With a vivid picture of the land, cut off by deserts on all sides, but watered and sheltered like a 675-mile oasis, we see how the culture sprang up; how it produced the astonishing figure of the Pharaoh, half-god, half-king, yet living, loving, mortal man; we learn all that modern scholarship has discovered about him. Closely allied to the Pharaoh were the priests and the state officials, form the Vizier to the Chancellor to such lesser officials as the Director of the King's Dress; the facts about their interrelationships, roles, and modes of life make for the most interesting kind of reading here. Not surprisingly, architects and craftsmen played a highly important part in what was, despite its pomp and magnificence, an eminently practical culture; and White gives us a fine account of their methods and meaning to the life of Egypt. A complete chapter is devoted to the commoner, the peasant, the man who brought food for all from the soil along the river and on whose labor all of Egypt's achievements were built. One of the most valuable portions of this book is its historical section. In three chapters we are given, in vivid capsule form, the entire history of ancient Egypt from prehistoric times to the end of the dynasties. A fold-out chart enables the reader to relate the various periods quickly. Maps of the ancient region are provided; and for this edition an expanded, updated bibliography has been compiled.

A superb cross-section of literature produced over 4,000 years ago, translated by the author and including extracts from The Book of the Dead, legends of the gods, historical and autobiographical literature, tales of travel and adventure, fairy tales, moral and philosophical literature, poetical compositions, and much more.

Indispensable reference by noted Egyptologist contains every word of ancient Egyptian text, vital repository of Egyptian religious doctrine, grouped according to hieroglyphic symbols in the standard scholarly system of Roman alphabetization. A phonetic version and definition are provided for each word, along with a helpful Index to English equivalents of Egyptian words in the text. Second, revised edition.

Drawing on a wealth of archeological evidence, author Jon Manchip White presents a remarkably accurate picture of Egyptian life throughout dynastic times — from the end of the third millennium to the Greek occupation in 330 BC. Because social conditions changed little during these 3,000 years, readers get a clear idea of the roles and tasks assigned to each section of the community — to the Pharaoh and his noblemen; priests and soldiers; scribes and artists; and peasants, who formed the bulk of the population. How these people spent their leisure hours, how they dressed, what they ate and drank, forms of transportation used, how homes were built and furnished, and the activities of women and children are also thoroughly examined. Special emphasis is placed on the importance of religion in daily life, including the social significance of temples, pyramids, and tombs. Accompanying a vivid text are more than 100 photographs and line drawings. "A handy reference tool." — Horn Book.

Focusing on the monuments on either side of the Nile, the author describes Egyptians, their writing, religion and gods, plus historic locales and objects: Alexandria, Cairo, the Rosetta Stone, the pyramids, the Sphinx; the statue of Rameses II, the temples at Luxor and Karnak, major sites where royal mummies were discovered, and more.

Classic exploration of the Great Pyramid's construction and objectives combines imagination, erudition. Physical form; when it was built, and by whom; roles as an astronomical observatory, source of inspiration for religious teachings, scientific and mystic implications. Unabridged republication of the classic 1877 edition.

Anyone curious about hieroglyphics will appreciate this classic primer. This practical grammar comprises lists of frequently used signs and determinatives, a vocabulary of about 500 words, a series of 31 texts and extracts (with interlinear transliteration and word-for-word translation), and a few untransliterated and untranslated texts (with glossary), to be worked out independently.