The Royal Tombs of Egypt: The Art of Thebes Revealed [Hardcover]

Zahi Hawass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2006

A lavishly illustrated survey of the remarkable wall paintings in Egypt's Valley of the Kings, all specially photographed and accompanied by a detailed analysis of ancient Egyptian society and beliefs.

The Valley of the Kings is famous throughout the world as the burial place of the great New Kingdom pharaohs. It was here, in 1922, that Howard Carter stumbled upon the virtually intact tomb of the boy-king, Tutankhamun. And here, in recent months, that archaeologists discovered a new tomb with its wooden sarcophagi, painted funeral masks, and alabaster jars.

The royal tombs, tunneled into the Theban cliffs, represented both gates to the Netherworld and the womb of the Great Goddess. Many of them contain wall paintings of the king with various gods and goddesses, as well as papyri, mummies, decorated coffins, and other artifacts.

This is the first book to reproduce the wall paintings and murals in full. It explores in great detail the most deeply-held beliefs of the ancient kings and queens who are buried here, beliefs that provided the impetus for the building, decoration, and equipping of these magnificent tombs. Beautifully illustrated in full color, with thirty foldouts, it allows the reader to join the pharaohs of the New Kingdom on their journeys to immortality. 300+ color illustrations, including 30 foldouts.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Zahi Hawass is Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities and Director of Excavations at the Giza pyramids. He is a co-organizer of the current touring King Tut exhibition and wrote the catalogue that accompanies it.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 316 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (November 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0500513228
• ISBN-13: 978-0500513224
• Product Dimensions: 12.7 x 10.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #905,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking, October 3, 2007

By 

Aaron de Souza - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Royal Tombs of Egypt: The Art of Thebes Revealed (Hardcover)

As a lover of all things Egyptian and a trained Egyptologist I had high expectations for this book.... and it delivered in every way. The fold-out pages give a fantastic view of the insides of the tombs that the average tourist isn't permitted to take photos of. And instead of viewing a small section at a time you have entire vistas laid out for you. The high quality photography shows the smallest details so clearly that you can see the individual bushstrokes and even places where the painter accidentally dripped some paint and forgot to clean it up. Every time I turned a page memories of my time in Egypt came flooding back.

If I have to make one complaint it would be that there are not enough images of the tomb of Nefertari, and perhaps also the tomb of Seti I. The images that there are are quite selective and do not give an overall impression of their beauty. Admittedly, the focus is on the Valley of The Kings, but Nefertari was a queen and henceforth royal, too.

All in all, this is a MUST have book for anyone who loves Egypt.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, September 9, 2007

By 

John S. Uebersax - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Royal Tombs of Egypt: The Art of Thebes Revealed (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book. There are dozens, if not hundreds of books filled with pictures of Egyptian art these days -- but this back far surpasses all the others I've seen.

Don't judge this book by the cover on the Amazon page. The cover is rather bland, colorwise, in contrast to the spectacular color illustrations.

The description says there are 30 foldouts -- but it doesn't say that these are huge foldouts--several pages long.

The thoughts that ran through my mind as I looked at the book were, "this is a cultural achievement -- the greatest tribute to the Royal Tombs of Egypt yet paid in modern history" and "surely this is a labor of love by Zahi Hawass, Director of Egyptian Antiquities."

For $65 (the original US price), this book is a bargain -- and even more so with the discounted price (as of this writing) of only $41.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Royal Tombs is a Trip in Time., April 12, 2007

By 

Mark D. Peterson "Hapsburg" (Mascoutah, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Royal Tombs of Egypt: The Art of Thebes Revealed (Hardcover)

Nothing short of exceptional!!! I had heard that the book was a bit tricky to read - what with many foldout pages - but I didn't find that to be the case at all. This might be the situation for someone who is leafing through the book quickly - but this a book that needs to be savored. The photography is fantastic - you get a REALY good idea of what the insides of the Royal Tombs look like. I have no complaints, gripes, nit picks, etc. - This is a book to own and re-read and puruse for years to come.