Imagine there are legions of Egyptophiles who, in a twinkling, can point to a particular book which went a long way to kindle their initial interest or, otherwise, sparked a desire to learn more about pharaonic civilization. Many would likely refer to some work about the finding of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. For this reviewer, however, that special eye opening volume has to be Herbert E. Winlock's Excavations at Deir el Bahri, 1911-1931 (Macmillan: New York, 1942). This enjoyable and engaging popular book is the first Egypt-related title I can vividly recall reading from cover to cover at an early age. Its chapters are comprised of articles revolving around Winlock's intriguing discoveries in the Theban Necropolis, and which appeared over the years scattered in the Bulletin of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Since the Bulletin wasn't readily available to the educated general public at the time, these papers were brought together and revised, and then were conveniently published here in chronological order.

Professor John A. Wilson described Winlock's ability to write up potentially dull, dry field accounts in this way: 'He had a gift for presenting his reports as exciting detective stories.' That knack is clearly evident on the pages of Excavations. In turning to the book again, I found that it still sparkles with the exhilaration of fresh discovery: the Heqanakht papers, wooden models of Meketre, slain soldiers of the Middle Kingdom, tomb of Queen Meryetamun, among others. This is achieved without all the over-sensationalism which mars the chronicling of several of the important very recent archaeological finds in the country.

Surprisingly, Excavations has been out of print for nearly sixty years, but it can now be had once again. This, unfortunately, comes at a hefty cost indeed. And at this price, glossy paper ought to have been used for reproducing the plates, as in the first edition. As a result, the photographs no longer appear to be sharp. In reprinting the book, the original title has also been altered, presumably to capitalize on the instant name recognition afforded by the famous female pharaoh, Hatshepsut. In any event, this new one doesn't accurately reflect the aims of Winlock's varied Theban explorations on behalf of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. I doubt that he would be pleased with the change.

PFH

Title: In Search of the Woman Pharaoh

Hatshepsut:Excavations at Deir el-Bahri 1911-1931.

Author: H.E. Winlock.

Publisher: Kegan Paul: London, New York and Bahrain, 2001.

ISBN:071030708X(HB)

Price: £85/$144.50

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'At the hospital the mummy of Hornedjitef was unpacked from his crate and laid on the table section of the scanning machine. When the doctors and nurses at the hospital saw the mummy they were very excited because they had never been so close to an ancient Egyptian mummy before!'

Unlike the medical staff about to scan Hornedjitef, Joyce Filer's career has been spent closely examining and interpreting ancient human remains, particularly Egyptian mummies and Nubian burials. However, her own continuing excitement and interest in the research shines through clearly in her new publication from the British Museum Press. The result is a super book that packs a deceptively effortless punch, not only regarding mummies but also relating to Egyptology in general.

Although it's for children, I suggest that anyone reading The Mystery of the Egyptian Mummy will acquire some previously unknown facts in a painless way. Described in the text as 'an archaeological story and also a detective story', Hornedjitef's tale is an excellent introduction to the 'who, what, where, when, why, how' of modern mummy investigations. Although I was aware of mummies being used in medicine and to create brown pigment, along with various other past indignities to the Egyptian dead, I didn't know - or perhaps remember - about the French King Francois I who 'always travelled with a bag of crushed mummy powder and rhubarb'. Yes, to eat in order to absorb its magical properties. It's not a fact I'll now forget in a hurry and it did raise the question of why rhubarb and mummy? What strange synthesis results? Don't go there for too long.

The book benefits, of course, from the fact that the British Museum is not only a storehouse of artefacts but also of records of their acquisition and of resources to enable the use of the latest investigative techniques. The author has made, it seems to me, the best possible use of all this but far more importantly, knows how to present a story in a concise, appealing and very personal way.

One of the strengths of the book is the way in which potentially complex arguments are succinctly and clearly summarised; for instance, on page 30, we learn that 'One of Hornedjitef's titles says that he was "overseer of the abattoir" but this does not mean that he killed animals. He was in charge of checking that the meat was kept clean and used properly in religious ceremonies'. In this way young readers obtain a brief insight into the difficulties not only of translation but also of interpretation and application. I would say this book is practical, then; while reading a fascinating story about Hornedjitcf, a lot of more general Egyptological knowledge is acquired and the final sentence opens up future possibilities to encourage them: 'Perhaps you would like to visit him one day and continue this investigation for yourself?'

Curiously enough, while reading this book I had a flashback to being about seven years old when I saw the 'enormous black outer coffin' of Hornedjitef for the first time. It was genuinely awesome, scary and mysterious. It's taken a long time but this book explains some of the mysteries of his life and death without taking away any of the interest or the desire to find out more.

MAB

Title: The Mystery of the Egyptian Mummy

Author: Joyce Filer

Publisher: British Museum Press

ISBN: 07141 3000 1 (HB)

Price: £10.99

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A popular new book appears every now and then which can justly be described as throwing fresh light on an old or a much neglected area of Egyptology. Such is the case with J. Peter Phillips' informative The Columns of Egypt. As duly remarked in Rosalind Janssen's foreword, this study is the first in-depth investigation devoted to the wide variety of designs of columns in ancient Egypt since that of Ludwig Borchardt's essential, but now difficult to come by, Die aegyptische Pflanzensäule (Wasmuth: Berlin, 1897). In his expert presentation of this rich corpus of material, the author has successfully struck a happy balance between the needs of academic and general-interest audiences alike.

The volume opens with a useful system for the classification of the different styles of columns and the terminology utilized to describe them. Then, in successive chap-ters, there follows a concise chronological survey of the forms and functions of Egyptian columns, ranging in date from the earliest settlers in the Nile Valley to those erected during the Graeco-Roman Period and beyond. Evidence has been garnered from all corners of the country and Nubia. This comes predominantly, of course, from temples and tomb-chapels, but other sources are utilized as well.

There is a chapter on the kinds of columns of houses and palaces. The real highlights of this work are the lavish 633 b&w photographs and line-drawings. These reflect the depth and breadth of Phillips' research on the ground in Egypt. He does not claim to have examined every extant ancient Egyptian column (p. vii), but there can be little doubt of his going a long way to meet that end. It is, therefore, to be regretted that Columns couldn't have had a sprinkling of representative colour illustrations. It seems to call out for some. Moreover, colour was certainly a factor in the symbolism of towering columns. It is likely that the high costs of printing was a factor here. Altogether, however, the author is to be congratulated on a job well done. It is a most welcome addition to the English-language literature on Egyptian architecture.

PFH

Title: The Columns of Egypt

Author: J. Peter Phillips

Publisher: Peartree Publishing: Manchester, 2002.

ISBN: 0954349717 (HB); 0954349709(PB)

Price: HB £24/$50.00; PB £18/$39.95

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The recently revived Bibliotheca Alexandrina, which celebrated its formal inauguration on 16 October 2002, is more than merely a modern public library in this bustling Mediterranean city. It aims to reawaken a touch of the intellectual glory of its celebrated ancient predecessor, and sets out to do so by incorporating a number of other learning institutions into it. Thus, this cultural centre is home to a freshly established planetarium, science museum, international school of information studies, laboratory for conservation and restoration, and more. The complex can also boast of Egypt's newest location for the exhibition of antiquities, The Archaeology Museum. The book under consideration here is the first official publication devoted to a selection of its principal holdings. It is divided into ten chapters, which deal with the historical background of the city and the variety of objects displayed. It is an attractive and well-made volume, and contains an array of striking colour photographs. It is a pleasure to read or just leaf through.

As Dr. Hawass explains in the introduction (p. 11), 'During the planning of the Museum, the Supreme Council of Antiquities appointed a group of Egyptologists to travel all over Egypt, from Luxor to the Faiyum, searching site magazines in order to find objects to illustrate the social and cultural histories of the cosmopolitan inhabitants of ancient Alexandria.' It currently houses 1079 pieces that range in time from the Predynastic to the Islamic Period. The vast majority of these, only befittingly, originate from the age of the Greek-speaking Ptolemaic kings and Roman rulers. At some point in the selection process of choosing items for display, it was evidently decided to include some which had previously been on view in other museums. For example, BAAM 594 was for many years exhibited in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo (JE 86115), BAAM 607 was formerly in the out of the way Mallawi Antiquities Museum (No. 175), and BAAM 859, until not long ago, in the Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria (GRM 32044). These are the few which have immediately caught my eye, there could well be others.

This newly established collection also comprises artefacts which were discovered during the course of excavations for the building of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in 1993-1995. The most remarkable of these is a roundel from a mosaic floor with a small household dog sitting next to a bronze vessel (BAAM 859). For it, see already S. Walker and P. Higgs (eds.), Cleopatra of Egypt (London, 2001) pp. 88-89. Still other works have recently been plucked from the bottom of Alexandria's harbours. The absolute gem of the Museum is a magnificent headless black basalt statue of a woman (BAAM 842), possibly the goddess Isis, striding forward. It was recovered from the depths of Aboukir Bay. This book amply demonstrates that the Archaeology Museum should be on everyone's itinerary when travelling to Egypt's great second city.

PFH

Title: Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The Archaeology Museum

Editor Zahi Hawass

Publisher: The Supreme Council of Antiquities: Zamalek, 2002.

ISBN: 9773053261 (PB)

Price: £26.50/534.95

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In anticipation of the opening of the more than $230 million Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the city's celebrated Graeco-Roman Museum underwent needed renovation, upgrading its aged facilities. .Founded in 1892, the Museum has long 'been highly appreciated by scholars and enthusiasts fascinated with Egypt's post-pharaonic history (332 BCE-CE 642). Comparatively modest in size, it is com-posed of some twenty-seven rooms of antiquities, which surround two lovely inner gardens. The objects on display here were primarily uncovered in and around this formerly magnificent capital, and date from the time of its founding to the early Christian Period. The Graeco-Roman Museum offers visitors a splendid introduction to the world of Greek and Roman ancient Egypt. The publishers of this new title, together with a just released CD-ROM on its treasures, hope that these will help bring the Museum even greater public awareness. The history of Alexandria has been brought into sharper focus in recent years by the surprising underwater discoveries made off its shores beginning in 1994 and 1995. These on-going explorations have been extensively covered by the world press, in film documentaries, and are already the subject of many popular books. All of this attention bodes well for the future of the Graeco-Roman Museum. I must admit to having visited the Museum only a few times over the years. The large parade of captivating coloured terracotta statuettes on exhibit there, alone, made the trip from Cairo worth it.

As with J.-Y. Empereur's useful hand-book, A Short Guide to The Grceco-Roman Museum, Alexandria (Harpocrates: Alexandria, 2000), the present volume is also an attractive guide to the collections. It is much more comprehensive, however, and is of the coffee-table variety, not to be carried when walking through the galleries. It's too large for that. The book aims to place the pieces of the Museum into their correct historical and cultural contexts by presenting readers with a sweeping synthesis of life and times in ancient Alexandria. It contains a copious selection of high-quality colour photographs. The work resonates with enthusiasm for its subject and there is also a thoroughness to details. This is evidenced by the many maps and plans, inclusion of Museum accession numbers, chronological table, glossary, and lengthy bibliography which accompany the text.

PFH

Title: Alexandria, Graeco-Roman Museum: A Thematic Guide.

Editor: Fekri Hassan

Publisher: National Centre for Documentation of Cultural and Natural Heritage and The Supreme Council of Antiquities: [Cairo?], 2002.

ISBN: 977305327X (PB)

Price: £26.50/$34.95

Addendum: Since the review of Bibliotheca Alexandrina: The Archaeology Museum was written, the Egyptian press has reported (September 2003) the opening of the new museum, The Alexandria National Museum, located in a restored palace. From initial reports, it would appear that some of the antiquities described in this book are now actually kept in this most recently founded museum. - PFH

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The Review Panel for this issue is:

Miriam A. Bibby Patrick F. Houlihan

Reviews Index