An Ancient Egyptian Herbal [Paperback]

Lise Manniche (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2006

Revised edition. A reconstructed herbal of 95 species of plants and trees known to be used before, during and after the pharaonic period in Egypt. The author, a skilled Egyptologist, draws on classical and other texts, and explains the special properties of each plant, quoting authentic recipes for cosmetics and remedies. This updated edition includes an extended section on perfume, which draws on the latest research into the ingredients and uses of Egyptian scents.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr Lise Manniche, a leading Egyptologist, is the author of many books, including City of the Dead and Music and Musicians in Ancient Egypt. She also regularly broadcasts on television programmes such as Gardener's World. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: British Museum Press (Distribution); 1st University of Texas Press ed edition (December 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292704151
• ISBN-13: 978-0292704152
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, fun & full of information!, November 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Ancient Egyptian Herbal (Paperback)

This is one of my all-time favorite research books on ancient Egypt. For anyone interested in the use of plants, perfumes, cosmetics, and/or medicines in ancient Egypt, this book is a must! Dr. Manniche talks about every plant used in ancient Egypt that has been identified, and also talks about the gardens so beloved by the ancient Egyptian people. I developed a talk on Egyptian cosmetics for use as a museum docent, and much of it is heavily based on Dr. Manniche's book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting!, October 31, 1999

By 

Tristan Nelson (Utah) - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Ancient Egyptian Herbal (Paperback)

I was first drawn to this by the title and the wonderful line drawing reproductions throughout. The photos and text are incredibly interesting. I especially liked the 'recipes' for perfumes, hair restorers...lots of things. My son did a project for his Humanities class based on the book. He followed the instructions for making a necklace of persea leaves and lotus flowers like found on King Tut. Only he used laurel leaves and petunias. He also made up one of the perfume recipes (although substituting slightly) and the deodorant cakes made of carob and clay. He got an 'A' on the project and the teacher said 'good research'. I really liked the listing at the end, for herbals and foods.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the best allround work on ancient egyptian plants and usage., November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: An Ancient Egyptian Herbal (Paperback)

An ancient egyptian herbal by Dr. Lise Manniche, is a delightfull piece of litterature for both everyday people and egyptologist. It has a nice introduction concerning various aspects of plant usage in different areas of the egyptian society. The herbal itself is a goldmine for any egyptologi reader, and every plant type is supplied with name/names in english, latin, Modern arabic and where the names are reasoneble recogniced also in ancient egyptien, coptic and greek.