The Secrets of the Sphinx Reviews

The British Museum Concise Introduction to Ancient Egypt provides a lively and accessible introduction to ancient Egyptian life and culture set in the specific geography of the land and its river, the Nile, within the historical framework of the dynastic sequence. The nearly independent chapters provide a comprehensive and entertaining survey of ancient Egypt and its rich and well-documented culture. The principal topics incorporate significant older as well as more recent scholarship, spiced with ideas based on the author’s long experience in the study of ancient Egypt, making stimulating and thought-provoking reading. In addition to individual chapter bibliographies there is a general bibliography, an annotated list of important museum collections, a king list with a selected set of illustrated royal cartouches, and a general index. Highlights include: • Lively overviews distilled from the latest discoveries and research • Maps, plans, reconstruction drawings, chronologies, site lists and recommendations for further reading • Hundreds of color and black-and-white illustrations

Ancient Egyptian religion is immensely complex in its symbolism and in its intellectual and artistic depth. From the early times, certain animals, such as the cow, the falcon, and the snake, were closely associated with religion and with kingship. These animals are among the many embodiments of maginal power. This volume looks at the Egyptian attitude to animals, the jackal deities and their relationships, and the Salakhana stelae