Ever wondered what an
oxyrhynchus is? Or why the Greeks gave that name to an Egyptian town? This is the encyclopedia to consult for scholarly information on ancient Egypt. Bard, an expert on the topic, has enlisted scholars from universities, museums, institutes, and research centers worldwide to produce more than 300 signed entries covering the Paleolithic era to the Arab invasion of Egypt in A.D. 639 . She and others wrote the introductory essays, which provide general overviews of the periods covered--Paleolithic, dynastic, six subsequent kingdoms, the Ptolemaic, and the Roman periods. A detailed chronology lists the numbered dynasties and the names of kings and queens who ruled during each period. Alphabetically arranged entries treat specific sites (
Karnak), aspects of culture (
brewing and baking), famous Egyptologists (
Breasted, James Henry), structures (
Late Period private tombs), other cultures (
Macedonians), and themes (
anthropology and Egyptology).
The work is especially strong on details of specific places, such as Abu Simbel. Coordinates are given in parentheses along with a description of where the site is, relative to such known landmarks as the Aswan Dam. Sites are listed by "most popular names." Floor plans and site maps accompany many articles. Most of the evidence for these sites comes from temples, tombs, and mortuaries because ancient settlements have become very difficult to find because of changes in the Nile River, dense population along the Nile, and other reasons, such as looting. A handy map in the front matter identifies the 103 sites treated. Metric measurements are used, and some Egyptian words are transliterated. For the uninitiated, a glossary helps identify terms used in the entries, such as stela and wadi. Brief bibliographies follow each entry, and the 43-page index is the best way to approach the volume.
This outstanding work is prepared by scholars for serious students of the archaeology of ancient Egypt. Egyptologists, philologists, historians, classicists, art historians, and anthropologically trained archaeologists helped write it. Margaret Bunson's Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Facts On File, 1991) is much more accessible and more reasonably priced for public, middle-school, high-school, and college undergraduate libraries. Her black-and-white illustrations are strong and definitions are brief and clear for term-paper purposes. There are entries for such familiar topics as Nefertiti and Tuthmose (spelling used by Bard), which are accessible in Bard only through the index as part of more complex, but thorough, discussions. Bard's work, however, is well worth the cost and belongs in all college and university libraries and other libraries supporting research in ancient archaeology.
Review
[T]his title stands out as a compact, authoritative source....An excellent choice for libraries of all types.
–ChoiceAmong recent reference works concerning ancient Egypt, this title stands out as a compact, authoritative source with a wide range of information presented in scholarly but readable style. An excellent choice for libraries of all types.
–Choice, 3/00This outstanding work is prepared by scholars for serious students of the archaeology of ancient Egypt....[and] is well worth the cost and belongs in all college/university libraries and other libraries supporting research in ancient archaeology.
–Booklist/RBB, 9/99Contains valuable resources for researchers and others interested in the ancient Near East, most especially ancient Egypt. ...should become a part of every library with an interest in archaeology and ancient history..
–American Reference Book Annual, 2000...ambitious and comprehensive...assemble[s] substantial amounts of material never before collected in a single convenient volume or set of volumes.
...[a] worthy addition to school, university and public libraries, as well as to...personal libraries.
–Denise Doxey, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in Religious Studies Review, April 2002
