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

Ancient Egypt is renowned as a sophisticated---and very distant---civilization where the ancient Egyptians worshipped a vibrant pantheon of gods and built some of the most elaborate monuments in human history. Yet, at the same time, ancient Egypt seems strangely familiar. Women, as well as men, went to work, made fun of those in authority, drank too much, and made fools of themselves. Even the ancients thought Egypt and its women unusual: Herodotus, the Greek historian claimed that the Egyptians in their manners and customs seem to have reversed the ordinary practices of mankind. For instance, women attend market and are employed in trade, while men stay at home and do the weaving... The goddess Hathor, the most important goddess of ancient Egypt, in many ways exemplified contradictions in the way ancient Egyptian women were considered. She was a goddess of love, beauty and gentleness, but at times she could also be a blood-lusting monster. Hathor was also a goddess of worlds not quite our own, and perhaps the ancient Egyptians also saw their women as other-worldly? Carolyn Graves-Brown tells the story of the women of ancient Egypt, from goddesses to dancing girls, queens to housewives and offers a reconstruction of this most exotic and intriguing, yet oddly familiar, society.

Goddess of the sky. The mother of mothers. The Eye of Ra. Goddess of beauty. The powerful goddess Hathor had many roles in Ancient Egypt. In this empowering and engaging narrative, learn about this Egyptian deity's past as the deadly Sekhmet and how she was reborn as the benevolent Hathor. Find out where she fits in a family of gods. Additional facts explore Hathor's role in Ancient Egyptian culture and how the goddess's influence appears in popular culture today.

Joseph Rykwert is one of the major architectural historians of this century. THE DANCING COLUMN is his most controversial and challenging work to date. A decade in preparation, it is a deeply erudite, clearly written, and wide-ranging deconstruction of the system of column and beam known as the "orders of architecture". Rykwert traces the analogy between columns and/or buildings and the human body. 315 illustrations.

The Ptolemaic period witnessed an enormous increase in the number of hieroglyphic signs and iconographic elements (composite crowns, scepters, and cult objects). The ancient scribes exploited this complexity when composing the reliefs used in temple decoration, selecting particular words, hieroglyphic signs, and iconographic elements in order to create interconnected multiple layers of meaning, forming a tapestry of sound and sight. The Theology of Hathor of Dendera examines these techniques on both micro- and macro-levels, from their smallest details to their broadest thematic connections, foregrounding individual techniques to determine the words and phrases singled out for emphasis. By synthesizing their use in the three-dimensional space of the most important cult chamber in the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, this new method of analysis not only reveals the most essential characteristics of the local theology, but also shows how the ancient scribes envisioned the universe and the place of humankind within it.

First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.