DEATH & THE AFTERLIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT by
John H. Taylor is
one of the best current books on death (and life) in ancient Egypt.
Taylor, who is an Assistant Keeper in the British Museum's
Department of Egyptian Antiquities, begins with a discussion of the ka,
the ba, and how one achieves akh. Rather than just
providing a cursory summary, Taylor illustrates the meaning of the
beliefs with writings taken from tombs, letters, texts, etc. This
broader perspective makes the beliefs much easier to
understand.
He
presents the facts of death in ancient Egypt, including: living past
the age of 30 was unlikely; dying abroad was considered a terrible
tragedy (unless the body could be returned to Egypt posthaste); and
drowning in the Nile was considered good luck. He even tackles the
subject of curses and punishment: what would be the worst thing that
could happen to a criminal? Execution by burning was considered one
of the most serious punishments (his body reduced to ashes, the
criminal was deprived of an eternal life); sometimes criminals were
allowed to commit suicide.
His
description of mummification practices is one of the clearest and
best organized currently available (it's a nice match to Ikram
and Dodson's The Mummy in Ancient Egypt. And his
chapters on tombs, magic, and coffins are thorough and incorporate
current research and thought.
The
only problem (and it's considerable from an academic standpoint) is
that Taylor does not provide any notes for his 263 page book (two
pages of references are provided...but if you want to know where a
certain idea or anecdote comes from, you will never know).
Considering that this book has all the trappings of a scholarly
work, there is simply no excuse for this arrogance.
Despite
this drawback, I recommend the book. Though not intended for
children, it would be an invaluable resource for educators or anyone
interested in learning more about ancient Egypt. Taylor explains
concepts and processes especially well (even if he doesn't document
his sources).
Over
160 color and 38 b&w well-chosen illustrations, primarily
photographs from the collections of the British Museum.
