Egypt: Splendors of an Ancient Civilization [Hardcover]

Alerto Siliotti (Author), Alberto Siliotti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1998

This work attempts to recreate the visual experience of an actual journey along the Nile. In nearly 300 large-format pages, printed in full colour throughout, some of the finest photographs ever taken of Egypt's monuments and fabulous treasures have been brought together for the first time. Here are the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara and the temples and tombs of Thebes. Here too are the less well known sites and cities of the Delta, the Faiyum, Sinai and Nubia. The photographs are accompanied by a wide-ranging text, giving an overview of the natural wealth of the Nile and 5,000 years of Egyptian history from the first pharaohs to the modem Arab republic. The reader is taken on a journey up the Nile, from Tanis to Abu Simbel. Each location is illustrated by a site plan and photographs not only of the principal structures but also of objects from the site. Specially commissioned and highly informative cross-sectional diagrams - including reconstructions of the tombs of Tutankhamun, Sethos and Queen Nefertari - a double fold-out map of the course of the Nile and an illustrated glossary complete this panoramic study of Egyptian civilisation. Alberto Siliotti has studied and researched ancient Egypt for many years, and has written several books on the subject. He is director of the Thebes Project, working to promote the analysis and complete computer cataloguing of the paintings in the Theban tombs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

While both these well-illustrated books concern ancient Egyptian culture and art, they are quite different in approach and audience appeal. Director of the Thebes Project, French scholar Siliotti states quite clearly that what distinguishes his survey of Egyptian monuments and art is that every object is reproduced in exquisite full-color photographs. The book is a remarkable visual resource (especially considering the price). Accompanying almost 300 photographs and a succinct, well-written text are maps, plans, and reconstruction illustrations of architectural complexes. The book is organized not in the typical chronological order but geographically, focusing on the major sites from which the objects originated. Egyptologist and Los Angeles County Museum of Art curator Thomas has produced a more scholarly study, which also functions as a catalog for an exhibition organized by the museum and traveling to Saint Louis and Indianapolis this year. The focus here is on the work of pioneering American Egyptologists and the objects they collected. The text includes an interesting essay on ancient Egypt in American popular culture. Though less of a coffee-table book than the Siliotti volume, Thomas's catalog also has excellent photographs of objects (a companion volume of the same name with ten in-depth essays is also available from Abrams, ISBN 0-8109-6313-2, $60). Both the books under review are highly recommended?Siliotti for all libraries and Thomas for academic libraries.?Eugene C. Burt, Art Inst. of Seattle Lib., Wash.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A visual feast and a welcome addition to the literature of Egyptian design. -- Interior Design

Exquisite color photographs and illustrations. -- Science News

Product Details

• Hardcover: 290 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson; First US Edition edition (September 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 050001647X
• ISBN-13: 978-0500016473
• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 10.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,594,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beautifully illustrated, June 15, 2000

By 

Francesca Jourdan (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Egypt: Splendors of an Ancient Civilization (Hardcover)

The book contains over 300 magnificent photographs and illustrations of Egypt's monuments, treasures, archaeological discoveries and travelers. The reader will see the pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the Faiyum, the Sinai, the Strait of Tiran, Nubia, Tanis, Esna, Luxor, Karnak, Philae, Dendera, Abu Simbel, Deir el-Bahri, the Valley of the Queens, Edfu, Kom Ombo and the Valley of the Kings, and will identify Ernesto Schiaparelli, Auguste Mariette, Jean-François Champollion and Howard Carter, among many famous discoverers. A history of this fascinating civilization, from ancient to modern Egypt, is included, as well as reconstructions of tombs, a bibliography and a glossary. For everyone to own.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid book on Egypt's splendors, January 11, 2001

By 

JDiver "You haven't lived until you've dived." (Roseville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Egypt: Splendors of an Ancient Civilization (Hardcover)

I first saw this book after a four-week trip to Egypt, where our travels included as much as we could see between the relocated monument Ramses II built in honor of himself at Abu Simbel to the vicinity of El-Qahira (Cairo) and its monuments and museums. This book is the one I have chosen to "keep my memories fresh" and share them with others- it is that good, and more. The illustrations are brilliant; the informative text is thorough and illuminating without being pedantic or burying the photos and drawings. I only wish the Cairo Museum had books as good as this one! If you love Egypt, this book will live an active life on your coffee table.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXTREMELY PLEASANT PICTURE BOOK, August 2, 2003

By 

Timothy Wingate - See all my reviews

This review is from: Egypt: Splendors of an Ancient Civilization (Hardcover)

I will not add too much to what the other reviewers have opined on this magnificent book. It is gorgeously illustrated with superior photographs and interesting drawings and geographical overviews.

It is the perfect book to get anyone interested in the never-ending treasures to be found in Egypt. The large-format size and the several fold-outs only add to the many and varied pleasures to be found in this book.

Also, it is somewhat scholarly and has some very useful timelines and genealogies.

Highly recommended to all Egyptophiles and lovers of antiquity alike.

Tim Wingate, CANADA