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 The Mummy in Ancient Egypt by Salima
Ikram and Aidan Dodson is absolutely the
best and most comprehensive book on Egyptian mummification. This oversized 352-page book covers
the
full 3,000 years of Egyptian burial rites in depth: how mummies were made, wrapped,
adorned and sheltered for eternity. Unlike other books which cover the
subject in a fairly general way, Ikram and Dodson truly delve into the subject:
both the text and the illustrations treat the reader to a thorough look at the
subject. Separate chapters on mummification, coffins, sarcophagi, jewelry and
amulets--not to mention wrappings
on the mummies themselves--take the reader who may have a general knowledge of
the subject to concrete examples and detailed descriptions and accounts related
to the topics.
I highly recommended
this book for its scholarship and its exquisite art (485 photos and drawings--many very rare, or at
least rarely published). If I could only have one book on the subject, this
would be the one I would select. Ikram is a professor of Egyptology at the University of Cairo;
Dodson teaches archaeology at the University of Bristol. They have organized
their material well and written about it with flair. Ages 11-Adult (though younger children couldn't read it, they would
appreciate much of the artwork).
Table
of Contents
1 The
Ancient Egyptian Burial
2 The
Resurrection of the Mummies
3 Mummies
and the Art of Mummification
4 Amulets,
Jewelry and Other Ornaments
5
Wrappings
6 Masks
and External Ornaments
7 Coffins
8
Sarcophagi
9 Canopic
Equipment
Back
Matter: Timeline, Glossary, Cemeteries of Egypt, Maps, Gazetteer
of Royal Cemeteries, Kings of Egypt (their mummies, coffins and
sarcophagi), Mummies in the Media, Index
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