Take a spectacular armchair voyage to one of earth's most magnificent and ancient sites--shown in a resplendent oversized volume, lavishly illustrated with more than 800 pictures (including archeological reconstruction drawings); 6 gatefolds; and the finest paper. Conducted by a team of world-acknowledged experts, who provide the most up-to-date information available, it's the perfect mix of artistic brilliance and scholarly research. The Valley of the Kings and the tombs of the nobles are, together with the pyramids of Giza, among the world's most visited and best-known sites. Although millions come each year to gaze upon these ancient wonders, a significant portion of this remarkable place remains unseen by most. For the first time, an illuminating and spectacularly produced guide brings together both the artistic and the architectural features of the tombs and maps them out fully. The only photographer granted full access to the site over the past decade provides unrivaled color images of the funerary temples and private necropolises, and in addition, an exploration of their structures and embellishments features plans, photos, drawings of motifs, and hieroglyphs. To complete the presentation: walking itineraries in the Theban mountains, shown from many unusual vantage points. A visual treat, and an extraordinary adventure, for real and virtual travelers alike.
Thebes is one of the largest and best-known archaeological sites in the world, located about 560 miles south of Cairo on the banks of the Nile River. On the east bank, beneath the modern city of Luxor, lie the remains of an ancient town that from 1500 to 1000 B.C. was one of the most spectacular in Egypt, with a population of perhaps 50,000. Within it the Egyptians built the huge temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, two of the largest religious structures ever constructed. On the west bank lies the Theban necropolis, in which archaeologists have found thousands of tombs, scores of temples, and a multitude of houses, villages, shrines, monasteries, and work stations. This profusely illustrated, oversize book contains more than 800 pictures of this prodigious site. The illustrations include archeological reconstruction drawings and six gatefolds. The text, by 14 leading Egyptologists, offers a concise history of the site. For readers interested in this remarkable civilization, this book is the next best thing to being there.
George CohenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedNot since Kamal el-Mallakh's The Gold of Tutankhamen (1978) has such a lavish book on Ancient Egypt been offered that will appeal to both general readers and scholars. Weeks (Egyptology, American Univ., Cairo), who discovered the tomb of the sons of Rameses II, as described in his The Lost Tomb (LJ 10/1/98), has assembled an international team of experts to interpret for the nonspecialist the wonders of the Theban necropolis on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern Luxor. Unlike John Romer's recently reprinted popular classic Valley of the Kings, the title in this case is somewhat misleading since, in addition to the most significant tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the survey similarly covers the Valley of the Queens, the royal valley mortuary temples, and the tombs of the nobles, all dating to the New Kingdom (ca. 1570-1070 B.C.E.). The large trim size gives best advantage to the more than 800 incomparable color illustrations, some on fold-out pages. Plans and cutaway reconstructions help orient the reader for an exciting virtual tour. The bibliography is scholarly but also contains popular titles. A spectacular achievement; highly recommended for all public and academic libraries. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
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