All Things Ancient Egypt. An Encyclopedia of the Ancient Egyptian World Volume 1: A–K

Written by specialists in the field of Egyptology, this book is a readable introduction to ancient Egypt, covering all anticipated subjects and stressing the monuments and material culture of this remarkable ancient civilization. The rich natural resources of ancient Egypt provided a wealth of raw material for its structures, sculptures, and art, while its geographic isolation helped to ensure the survival of its rich culture for centuries. While other references focus on the people and battles central to Egyptian history, this reference explores the material culture and social institutions of ancient Egypt. The book focuses on pharaonic Egypt, covering the period from roughly 5000 BCE to the beginning of the Greco-Roman Period in 320 BCE. At the front of the work, a timeline provides a quick look at the major events in Egyptian history, and an introduction surveys ancient Egypt's physical geography and history. Alphabetically arranged reference entries written by expert contributors then provide fundamental information about the buildings, jewelry, social practices, and other topics related to the material culture and institutions that made up the Egyptian world. Excerpts from primary source historical documents provide evidence for what we know about ancient Egyptian culture, and suggestions for further reading direct users to additional sources of information. Presents a timeline to succinctly identify key events in the history of ancient Egypt Provides an introduction of the physical geography of ancient Egypt and an overview of the history of that civilization Offers alphabetically arranged reference entries written by expert contributors for fundamental information about the material culture and social institutions of ancient Egypt Features excerpts from primary source documents to give readers first-hand accounts of ancient Egyptian civilization Cites works for further reading to complement a bibliography at the close of the work Cover Volume 1 Title Copyright Contents Guide to Related Topics Preface Acknowledgments Introduction Timeline of Ancient Egyptian History A Abu Ghurab Abu Simbel Abusir Abydos Administration Afterlife Agriculture Amulets Amun Animals Animals, Sacred and Mummies Army Art Astronomy Aten Autobiographical Inscriptions Primary Document—Excerpt from the Autobiography of Ankhtify Primary Document—Excerpt from the Inscription of Intef B Barque, Sacred Basketry and Cordage Beads Beer Beni Hasan Birds Book of the Dead Bread Bubastis C Calendar Canopic Jar and Box Chariot Childbirth Cities and Villages Clothing Coffin Texts Primary Document—Excerpt from CT 335, a Coffin Text Spell Coffins and Sarcophagi Color Symbolism Colossi of Memnon Cosmetics and Toiletries Cosmology Crime and Punishment Primary Document—Account of the Trial of Tomb Robbers from the Amherst Papyrus Crowns Cult Ritual, Temple D Dahshur Dance Decipherment Deification Deir el-Medina Demons Dendera Dental Health Deserts Diplomacy Primary Document—Excerpt from an Egyptian Treaty with the Hittites Disease E Edfu Education Elephantine Ethics Ethnicity F Faience Families Felines Female Figurines Fish Flowers Food Footwear Foreign Relations and Treaties Foreigners Forts and Fortifications Foundation Deposits Funerary Books, Royal Furniture and Woodworking G Gardens Gebel Barkal Gender and Sex Giza Glass Goddesses, Minor Gods, Minor God’s Wife of Amun Gold Graffiti H Hair and Wigs Harem Primary Document—Interrogation of Prince Pentawer Regarding His Involvement in a Harem Conspiracy Primary Document—Marriage of Queen Tiye and Amenhotep III Hathor Hawara Headrests Heliopolis Hierakonpolis Horus Houses Human Sacrifice Hunting I Iron Isis J Jewelry K Kadesh, Battle of (ca. 1274 BCE) Primary Document—Description of a Hittite Attack during the Battle of Kadesh Karnak Kerma King Lists Kingship Kingship Myths Kush Volume 2 Title Copyright Contents Guide to Related Topics L Labor Lahun Language and Script Law Leather Libraries Lisht Literacy and Orality Literature, Fiction Primary Document—Excerpt from the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor Lower Egypt M Maat Magic Marriage and Divorce Mathematics Medicine and Doctors Megiddo, Battle of (ca. 1457 BCE) Primary Document—Account of the Battle of Megiddo Meidum Memphis Mining Mummies, Royal Mummification Music and Musical Instruments Myth Myths, Creation N Nile River Primary Document—Thutmose III Returns from a Campaign Nomes and Provincial Administration Nubia Primary Document—Senusret III’s Conquest of Nubia O Obelisk Primary Document—Text from Obelisk of Hatshepsut Primary Document—Text from Stela at Mortuary Temple of Amenhotep III Primary Document—Text from Obelisk of Senusret Offerings, Votive Officials Opening of the Mouth Opet Festival Oracles Osiris P Palaces Personal Names Philae Island Police Pottery Predynastic Period (ca. 5300–3000 BCE) Priestesses Priests Ptah Ptolemaic Egypt (305–30 BCE) Punt Pyramid Construction Pyramid Texts Pyramids Q Quarrying Queens Primary Document—Hatshepsut Becomes Regent for Thutmose III R Ra Religion, Personal Roman Egypt (30 BCE–395 CE) Royal Regalia Royal Titulary S Sakkara Scarab Scribes and Scribal Equipment Primary Document—Excerpt from a Text Encouraging Scribes in Their Work Sculpture and Sculptors Sea Peoples Primary Document—Account of the Sea Peoples’ Attack on Egypt Seals and Sealing Sed Festival Seth Ships and Shipping Silver Sledge Sphinx, Great Sports and Games State Formation Sticks and Staves T Tanis Tattoos Taxation Tell el-Amarna Primary Document—Akhenaten’s Oath from the Boundary Stelae at Tell el-Amarna Tell el-Dab’a Temples, Mortuary Temples, Ptolemaic-Roman Temples, State Thebes, East and West Thoth Tomb Models Tomb of Tutankhamun Tomb Robbery Primary Document—Confessions of Eight Tomb Robbers Toiletries Tombs, Private Transportation U Upper Egypt V Valley of the Kings Valley of the Queens Villages Vizier Votive Offerings W Weapons and Armor Weaving and Looms Weighing of the Heart Wine Wisdom Literature Primary Document—Excerpt from the Instruction of Ptahhotep Primary Document—Excerpt from the Words of Neferti Women Bibliography About the Editor and Contributors Index The rich natural resources of ancient Egypt provided a wealth of raw material for its structures, sculptures, and art, while its geographic isolation helped to ensure the survival of its rich culture for centuries. While other references focus on the people and battles central to Egyptian history, this reference explores the material culture and social institutions of ancient Egypt. The book focuses on pharaonic Egypt, covering the period from roughly 5000 BCE to the beginning of the Greco-Roman Period in 320 BCE.0 At the front of the work, a timeline provides a quick look at the major events in Egyptian history, and an introduction surveys ancient Egypt's physical geography and history. Alphabetically arranged reference entries written by expert contributors then provide fundamental information about the buildings, jewelry, social practices, and other topics related to the material culture and institutions that made up the Egyptian world. Excerpts from primary source historical documents provide evidence for what we know about ancient Egyptian culture, and suggestions for further reading direct users to additional sources of information "An innovative reference series, All Things encyclopedias examine the material culture, beliefs, customs, people, and institutions that made up their subject's world, giving readers a window into the larger historical context for the topic. The heart of each book is a collection of alphabetically arranged entries. Cross-references direct students to entries on similar topics, and lists of works for further reading point them to useful sources of additional information. An end-of-work, selected, general bibliography lists the most important print and electronic resources for student research." -- Back cover