Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt [Hardcover]

Salima Ikram (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

The invention of mummification enabled the ancient Egyptians to preserve the bodies not only of humans but also of animals, so that they could live forever. Mummified animals are of four different types: food offerings, pets, sacred animals, and votive offerings. For the first time, a series of studies on the different types of animal mummies, the methods of mummification, and the animal cemeteries located at sites throughout Egypt are drawn together in a definitive volume on ancient Egyptian animal mummies. Studies of these animals provide information not only about the fauna of the country, and indirectly, its climate, but also about animal domestication, veterinary practices, human nutrition, mummification technology, and the religious practices of the ancient Egyptians.
Contributors: Edda Bresciani, Aidan Dodson, Salima Ikram, Dieter Kessler, Abd el-Halim Nur el-Din, Paul Nicholson, Donald Redford, Susan Redford, Roger Lichtenberg, and Alain Zivie.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

SALIMA IKRAM is associate professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo. She is co-author of The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity (The American University in Cairo Press, 1998).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: The American University in Cairo Press (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9774248589
• ISBN-13: 978-9774248580
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,238,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and informative, October 2, 2005

By 

Amateur Egyptologist (London, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

An excellent book by a professor of Egyptology at the American University of Cairo. It deals with all the reasons why animals were mummified in ancient Egypt, why these mummies acccmpanied their masters into their tombs, and also the hoaxes that were sometimes perpetrated on unsuspecting pilgrims who thought that they were actually purchasing mummies of animals to offer to the gods. Salima Ikram is the leading authority on the subject of animal mummies. She has written widely on the subject, lectured on it at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum in London, and several other well-known institutes, and appears frequently on TV (I have seen her on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, etc, etc.) She has established a room for animal mummies in the Egyptian museum in Cairo, the first of its kind in the world.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt, October 6, 2007

By 

C. Daymon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

A fantastic book on the subject of animal mummies in ancient Egypt. It is written by some of the top Egyptologists in this field of study and can provide huge amounts of information on all that you would want to know about this ancient practice...from the reasons behind animal mummies (why they were scared etc.), the actual process of making them and the areas where these votive offerings were placed (i.e. holy sites such as Saqqara, Tuna al-Gebel and so fourth). It's a highly academic book and perfect for all Egyptologists out there or those who immerse themselves in the study of ancient Egypt. There are a number of beautiful picture within the book as well. Overall, it's a wonderful book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Divine Creatures, April 9, 2010

By 

M. Patricia Cochlin "PastHunter" (USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt (Hardcover)

Ikram is sensational. The diversity of information found in this book is wonderful. The book is an excellent source for animal cult studies and animal mummification with color photos and multiple illustrations.