- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Virgin Books; New edition edition (19 Oct 2000)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1852278498
- ISBN-13: 978-1852278496
- Product Dimensions: 30.4 x 25.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,325,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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History continues to give up its secrets, and few ancient civilisations harbour secrets older or more extraordinary than that of ancient Egypt. Three years ago a donkey put its foot through a hole in the scorching sand near Bahariya Oasis, some 250 miles south-west of Cairo. What it revealed to the startled rider was a gilded arm. The archaeologists were quickly on the scene, and the find led to the discovery thus far of tombs containing over 100 mummies, many lavishly gilded, and dating from 1800 BC, when the Egyptian empire was at its most powerful, to the Greco-Roman periods. Generously illustrated, with an authoritative text by Dr Zahi Hawass - it should be since he has been in charge of the excavations - Valley of the Golden Mummies provides a comprehensive guide to one of the most significant finds of recent times. Who were the occupants of these tombs? How did they live? Some clearly were rich; others, wrapped untidily in linen, could never have afforded the shining armoury of wealth, the fine necklaces and amulets, all aimed at reaching the eternal afterlife. Cat scans and DNA tests will help prise open the secrets of Bahariya, but there may always be mysteries that elude science. Why, for example, did Dr Hawass suffer from nightmares in which he was haunted by children? He believes it was because he ordered mummies of two young children to be removed to a museum while leaving their father behind in the tomb. "They were telling me they did not want to be separated," he writes. Fanciful rubbish? Dr Hawass, for one, doesn't think so..
Product Description
In May 1996, a donkey stumbled into an opening in the sand in the Egyptian desert, revealing a vast multi-chambered tomb containing more than 10,000 mummies. The excavation, in what became known as the "Valley of the Golden Mummies", made front-page news across the world. With 250 full-colour photos of the remarkable treasures, this book documents the extraordinary finds at the site. Alongside these images, Dr Zahl Hawass, Field Director at the Bahariya Oasis project, recounts the exciting story of the excavation and the importance of this find.
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First Sentence
WHEN I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN AND A HALF in the small village of Abeedia in Damietta, I dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but what I learned during my very first week at Alexandria University, when I started reading law books, was that this was not at all what I wanted. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
WHEN I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN AND A HALF in the small village of Abeedia in Damietta, I dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but what I learned during my very first week at Alexandria University, when I started reading law books, was that this was not at all what I wanted. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book features lots of great information on the amazing discovery of a golden mummy necropolis near the village of Bahariya known as the Valley of The Golden Mummies. The book is written by one of the best Egyptian Egyptologists, Dr. Zahi Hawass, and is written using a very friendly tone, unlike so many other Egyptology books. The text is quite easy to read, and is interesting to both beginners and advanced learners. The discovery itself is very fascinating. The necropolis was found completely by chance. A donkey, walking along in the desert sand stumbled over a rock and uncovered a golden mummy mask. After this, Hawass has led the excavation at Bahariya with great success. The world media has also had many front page stories on the discovery. Inside the book, you can read about Hawass' life, how the Valley of The Golden Mummies was discovered, a day at the dig, the mummies themselves, the artifacts, and some of the surrounding sites.
Overall, the book is the best one on the market, and is well worth buying if you wish to learn more about this century's most important discovery within Egyptology.
Format:Hardcover
TThis excellent pictorial book deals with the finding,by accident,of 60+ golden mummies at the Bahariya oasis 430 miles south west of Cairo.
The book is divided into 3 parts 1)this deals with the discovery by a donkey of mummies which may eventually number 10,000 and discusses thier significance to Egyptian culture 2)this part describes the oasis both at pre-Roman times and at the present 3) part 3 records the possible social activities,structures and culture that existed 2000 years ago.
A must for those interested in Egyptology.Many of the pictures are of poor quality.
The book is divided into 3 parts 1)this deals with the discovery by a donkey of mummies which may eventually number 10,000 and discusses thier significance to Egyptian culture 2)this part describes the oasis both at pre-Roman times and at the present 3) part 3 records the possible social activities,structures and culture that existed 2000 years ago.
A must for those interested in Egyptology.Many of the pictures are of poor quality.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
A great book on the amazing discovery of a necropolis
25 Oct 2000
Format:Hardcover
This book features lots of great information on the amazing discovery of a golden mummy necropolis near the village of Bahariya known as the Valley of The Golden Mummies. The book is written by one of the best Egyptian Egyptologists, Dr. Zahi Hawass, and is written using a very friendly tone, unlike so many other Egyptology books. The text is quite easy to read, and is interesting to both beginners and advanced learners. The discovery itself is very fascinating. The necropolis was found completely by chance. A donkey, walking along in the desert sand stumbled over a rock and uncovered a golden mummy mask. After this, Hawass has led the excavation at Bahariya with great success. The world media has also had many front page stories on the discovery. Inside the book, you can read about Hawass' life, how the Valley of The Golden Mummies was discovered, a day at the dig, the mummies themselves, the artifacts, and some of the surrounding sites.
Overall, the book is the best one on the market, and is well worth buying if you wish to learn more about this century's most important discovery within Egyptology.
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful!
6 Oct 2000
Format:Hardcover
The discovery of the Valley of the Golden Mummies is one of the most exciting archaeological finds in recent memory (especially for all of us who dreamed of being Howard Carter when we were young), and this book makes you feel like you're there. The reproductions are glorious! My only criticism (and it's slight) is that I would have liked the text to be more extensive and thorough. But I suppose that there will be other reading books on the site since it seems that new chambers filled with mummies are being uncovered every day. Other recent and wonderful books on ancient Egyptians prior to mumification are _Chronicle of a Pharaoh_ by Joann Fletcher (lots of juicy details about the private life of the fascinating Amenhotep III) and _Conversations with Mummies_ by Rosalie David. I highly recommend both.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Experience an Ancient Excavation Thru Breathtaking Photos
7 Jan 2004
Format:Hardcover
Zahi Hawass was director general of Giza, Saqqara, Imbaba, and Bahariya Oasis who was concentrating his excavations at the Giza Pyramids, particularly the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders, when the Golden Mummies were discovered in the Bahariya Oasis in 1996. Then on, his efforts shifted to this new discovery. So far, over 100 complete Greco-Roman period mummies have been uncovered at Bahariya ranging in status from wealthy gold-encased merchants to the carelessly prepared poor. Hawass believes up to ten thousand mummies will eventually be discovered in a fifty year excavation (pg. 16). Many questions may be answered from these discoveries concerning the influence of Greek and Roman rule on Egyptian life (pg. 18).
Hawass gives the reader some insight on what it is like to be part of the excavation. Digging up black sand, for example, is an indication that one is getting close to a mummy (pg. 33). He describes the overpowering smells one experiences when uncovering a mummy that has been under the sand for thousands of years and what it is like to be brushing away and then to suddenly be greeted by the stare of an obsidian eye (pg. 53). He describes a mummy being prepared for transport and his own experience with the curse of the mummies forcing him to send the father of two child mummies to the museum to reunite the family (chapter 6).
Besides the golden mummies, other amazing discoveries in Bahariya are detailed in this book including an ancient wine factory (the first of its kind to be discovered), temples to the God of Bes and Hercules, and the only temple honoring Alexander the Great known to exist. Hawass describes the history of Bahariya as well as daily life as it exists today. Then, of course, there are the hundreds of breathtaking color photographs of the unique mummies, temples, and artifacts found at the sites. Because the sites described in this book are still under excavation, the defnitive book on the Valley of the Golden Mummies is yet to come and, if the author is correct, will take fifty years to complete. Still, the book offers interesting info on the sites up to this point in time although some of the copious details of mummies and artifacts gets tedious, especially in the last chapters. The book is 223 pages and includes an index, bibliography, and chronology of Egyptian rulers.
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