Tracing the temples of ancient Egypt from their origins through their decline and to their modern-day study, this book is both an authoritative reference and an entertaining collection of "factfiles, " photographs, plans, and specially commissioned perspective views. 500 illustrations, 150 in color.
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Following the format of other "Complete" books in Thames & Hudson's informal series, Wilkinson, director of the University of Arizona's Egyptian Expedition and coauthor of The Complete Valley of the Kings, pulls together a huge amount of data to give a clear and concise look at the development, rise, decline, and excavation of Egyptian temples. His coverage ranges from the earliest predynastic sites to Roman, Christian, and Islamic adaptations of the temples. When theories are in dispute (as they often are), Wilkinson says so and then explains his preference. The illustrations, elevations, plans, and reconstructions make even the most complicated temple plans clear. An indispensable work for a student of Egyptian life or architecture, this unique and excellent resource is essential for large high school and all public, academic, and specialized libraries.DMary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"Laden with photographs ... this stunning reference reviews the construction, decoration, symbolism, and function of every surviving Egyptian temple."
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42 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Useful Gazeteer,
By
This review is from: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)
Richard Wilkinson has written one essential book - "Reading Egyptian Art" which belongs on the shelf of anyone who is interested in Ancient Egypt. "Temples of Ancient Egypt," although worthwhile, is not that book. Temples is a gazeteer, which is to say, a book that describes the essential sites in Egypt, arranged by geography. This is all very well, and competently done, but Baines and Malek ("The Cultural Atlas of the World: Ancient Egypt") have done it first, and better.
56 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mediocre Survey,
This review is from: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)
This book is worth half its price for the photgraphic survey of Egyptian temples alone. In this manner it maintains the quality of its predecessors, 'Complete Valley of Kings,' etc. However, from a scholarly standpoint, the book was a bit disappointing. For example, the title "Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt," is simply an overstatement. Many small but significant sites are completely left out (Kom Mer, El Qua'la, etc.) Further, the author frequently makes no attempt to mention which god or goddess owned the temples in his survey. For example, he could have noted that the great lost temple at Antaeopolis was dedicated to Antiwey...a Horus/Set fusion. He could have noted the Temple of Nephthys and Anukis at Kom Mir, etc. Indeed, in most of his articles, he merely skims over the temples without any depth (save for the most famous ones: Philae, Karnak, Edfu, etc.). I found the information to be very basic, and had been looking forward to greater scholarly detail about the history of each temple, the deity of each temple, and more obscure temples mentioned (which are often just as fascinating as the great sanctuaries). There are also a number of errors in the information. All in all, a lavishly illustrated book for the average Egyptophile, but not very satisfying to the advanced Egyptophile. If you're going to spend a great deal of money, I would recommend Stephen Quirke's absolutely fascinating 'The Temple in Ancient Egypt.'
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Temples and More,
By C. A. Ausec (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)
This book is an excellent addition to the "Complete Tutankhamun", "Complete Pyramid", and "Complete Valley of the Kings" series. As a student of Egyptology, with a special interest in the religious aspects of the society, I found this book to be an excellent addition to my reference library. It is filled with color photographs, charts and information in a clear easy to follow layout. This book features not only information on the architectural lay out of individual temples and sanctuaries of Ancient Egypt, it also provides a valuable overview to evolution of the temple in Egypt, the function of the temple in Egyptian society, Egyptian deities and cults as well as the role of kings and priests. The blending of information on the symbolism, function and architectural aspects of temples makes this a "must have" reference, which I will go back to again and again. If you have an interest in Ancient Egyptian society this book is for you.
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