The enduring popularity and fascination with the art of Egypt is at the heart of this volume. This completely new survey sets out to shatter any conventional beliefs that Egyptian art is obsessed with funerary themes and full of static renderings of the human form. The authors present this art, which has a 7,000 year history, as a product of a civilization wholly different from our own. One hundred of the most significant pieces from the Brooklyn Museum of Art are chronologically organized, revealing how Egyptian 'art' developed and progressed.

The first-of-its-kind exhibit cataloged here focuses on the women of Egypt from all levels of society in works compiled strictly from American collections by American curators. Because the quantity of written records is limited (though enormous in comparison to most early societies), there is still much guesswork involved in determining the place women held in Egyptian society. It is clear that, unlike most ancient and not-so-ancient societies, Egypt conferred on women the legal right to own property and to barter their own goods, which means a larger record for current study. The essays here are both erudite and fascinating to read; the illustrations are clear and well presented in conjunction with the text. 117 colour & 112 b/w illustrations

A fascinating mix of archaeology, history, and medical imaging shedding new light on ancient Egyptian animal mummies, this fully illustrated volume explores the important role granted to animals in Egyptian life--they were seen as equals to humans within creation, endowed with souls. By providing vital background information, backed up with scientific examination of the techniques of mummification, this new book is the first proper, accessible survey of this fascinating side of ancient Egyptian life. It is full of amazing images of mummies, sculptures, and small decorative objects. Accompanies a major travelling exhibition - Bowers Museum, Santa Ana, CA, March 22-June 15, 2014; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN, October 18, 2014-January 18, 2015; Brooklyn Museum , NY, Summer/Fall 2015.

This brand new book draws on important ancient Egyptian monuments from the superb collection of the Brooklyn Museum to illustrate Egyptian strategies for defeating death and living forever. The book answers the questions at the core of the public's fascination with ancient Egypt, and explains the their beliefs about death and the afterlife, the process of mummification, the conduct of a funeral, and the different types of tombs. At the same time, curator Edward Bleiberg offers a fresh take on the subject by addressing the practical and economic considerations an ordinary ancient Egyptian faced when preparing for the next life. Contents of book Foreword; A Brief Chronology of Ancient Egypt; To Live Forever: Egyptian Funerary Beliefs and Practices; Egyptian Beliefs About the Afterlife; Mummification and Rank; The Elite Funeral; Tombs over Time; How Much Did a Coffin Cost? The Social and Economic Aspects of Funerary Arts in Ancient Egypt and more.

Lavishly illustrated in color, this book presents a spectacular collection of archaeological and artistic treasures covering the extent of Egyptian art from the Predynastic Period of the fourth millennium B.C. to the Greco-Roman period of the fourth century A.D. The volume features more than 130 objects ranging from architectural elements of a royal palace and funerary chapel to delicate jewelry and textile fragments, and contains many objects never previously shown in print. In an introductory essay David P. Silverman documents major expeditions to sites in Egypt and Nubia and summarizes the new information gleaned about ancient Egyptian civilization. Donald B. Redford provides a general treatment of ancient Egypt history. The objects themselves are introduced with concise essays by recognized Egyptologists: Edward Brovarski, Rita E. Freed, Arielle P. Kozloff, David O'Connor, Edna R. Russmann, William K. Simpson, and Josef W. Wegner. Contributors-- Edward Brovarski, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Rita Freed, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Arielle Kozloff, Cleveland Museum of Art David O'Connor, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University Donald Redford, University of Toronto Edna. R. Russman, Brooklyn Museum of Art David Silverman, University of Pennsylvania William Kelly Simpson, Yale University Josef W. Wegner, University of Pennsylvania