The British Museum Book of Ancient Egypt

A fully revised and updated edition of the British Museum's authoritative guide to the civilization of the pharaohs. This thoughtful and highly readable book covers every aspect of the culture, from early prehistory, through the three millennia of pharaonic history, to the years of late Roman antiquity when Christianity replaced the Ancient Egyptian religion and the hieroglyphic script died out. The expert authors draw on the most recent discoveries and research, as well as the vast Egyptian collections of the British Museum, to illustrate the many facets of this magnificent ancient kingdom. Individual sections are devoted to the natural setting of the Nile valley; the social and economic life of its inhabitants, with an historical outline; the religious beliefs presented in ancient art and texts; the funerary practices of the Ancient Egyptians; their distinctive and harmonious art and architecture; technical achievements in working local and imported materials; and the world around th