Volume4, NumberI - February1993
THE OSTRACON
EGYPTIAN STUDY SO CIETY @ Drl|| Int
PI'BIICATIONS COMMITTEE ElizabethClark Fnnk Pettee Judycreertfield MaryPratchett SandyKerns CherylPrey€r DavidPepper Jill Taylor ESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE Dr. Donald Ryan Dr. J. Donald Hughes ESS STAFF LIAISON Dr. Roben Pickering TEE OSTMCON is publishedquarterlyby mombersof the Eglptian StudySooiety.TheESS,e supportgroupofthe DENVERMUSEUMOF NATURAI HISToRY, is a non-profitorgonizationwhos€purposeis to studyancientEg)pt. Articlesarecontributodby memberson a voluntary basis, Membcrparticipationis encouraged.Nothing may be printedin wholeor in ps.t withoutwrittedpermission. @1993EgyptianStudySociety PublicationofTItE OSTMCONis supportedby a grarltfrom THE PEIW FOANDATION
IN THIS ISSUE PAGE ARTICLE 1 RevisitingRamses II 5 7 8
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by Dr. J. DonaldHughes The Oriental Instilute Museum byMaryVaught TheBook ofAm-Duat by JoanMner LectureNotes: Tut: Why llas He So Famous? by BartaraBecker The First Intermediate Period by DorothyLovely Houseof Scrolls Travel Guides by RichardHarwood TV Review by GraemeDavis
REMEMBERING RAMSES OUR FAVORITE PIIARAOH by Dr. J. DonaldHughes About the Author: Dr. Donald Hughes, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Denver, has beena popular lecturer at a number of ESSmeetings. He has taught a number of classesat the DMNH including the RamsesII Interpreters' Classfor that exhibit. Don has traveled extensivelywhile conducting researchfor his many boolcs and articles including trips to India, Greece,Russia,and Finland in just this last year! His latest book, PAN'S TRAVAIL, concerning problemsof ancient Greeceand Rome, environmental will be releasedthisfall. Don has also beenvery octive in the ESS. Ramses II is oftencalled"Ramsesthe Great." It couldbe said with good reasonthat he was the greatestpharaoh everto reign in Egypt. When he was bom, few people would havethought he would ever rule the country since he was only the son of a generalwho was not even a memberof tlre royal family. When Ramseswas eight years old, the pharaoh, Horemheb,died without heirs, shortly after appointing Ramses'grandfather,Pramesse, as his successor.Pramessetook the nameRamsesI and becamethe founderof the lgth Dyrqsty but died after a reign of less than two years. Suddenly,young Ramses' father,Seti I, was pharaohandhe was next in line for the throne. He had an older brotherwho diedas an infant, an older sister, Tija (but girls rarely inherited power in Egypt),anda youngersister,Hentrnira. Ramses'father, Seti, and mother,Tuya, lived in a palace near ths easternedge of the Delta, a rich agricultural regionfamousfor its deliciouswines, wheretheir family originated. The favorite local god was Set, one of the most powerful of the many gods of Egypt, and Seti was namedafter him. This northemprovincewas the closest part of Eg]?t to Canaan(Palestine)and Syria - lands whereeadierpharaohshad madegreatconquestsoverthe precedingtwo centuries. Theselands were importantto Egypt as a sourceof fine timber and other productsthat Egypt lacked. However,therewas trouble brewingthen, just as in modemtimes. The inhabitantswere impatient with Egyptianrule, andthe powerful Hittite Empireto the north was eager to take advantageof this ald make conquestsof its own. The Hittites were not the only enemiesto threaten Seti's kingdom, however. The Libyans often made raids on Egypt out of the westâ‚Źm desert,and the Nubians kept constant pressureon the southemborder,far up the Nile. 1
Seti wantedRamsesto be a great warrior, like himself and his father, so young Ramseswas madean honorary commander-in-chiefand taken into battle against the Libyanswhenhe was only 15. Soonafterwards,Ramses went with his father to Syria and saw him capture the mighty city of Kadesh. Then, at the age of 17, Ramses was officially declaredCrown Prince and receivedthe formal nameshe would later useas pharaoh. He married the beautiful young woman,Nefertari, who remainedhis favonte wife throughouther lifetime. In her honor, he had hierogllphspaintedthat describedher as "possessor and love," and declaredthat "for her of charm,sweetness, saketle very sun doesshine!" Sinceit was the custom for princesto marry more than one wife, Ramsesalso marriedIstnofret. When his father died, Ramsesalready had at leastfive sonsand two daughters. He was also a real commanderby then, trusted with the defenseof the Delta coast against the pirates who roamed the MediterraneanSea. He had led an army into Nubia, takingtwo of his youngsonswith him. Ramseswas 25 years old when his father died (1230 BCE). He had the sadduty of laying his mummyto rest in the finest tomb in the Valley of the Kings and completinga memorialtempleto Seti in Abydos,a place sacredto the god Osiris, protectorofthe dead. RamsesII was now king of Egypt, a living god, and Nefertari was Queenand First Wife. A stonesculpturâ‚ŹshowstJrenew pharaohmaking an offering to the god Amun, kneeling low amid leaves of the sacred ished-tree, each one supposedlyinscribed with the pharaoh'sname at his coronatiohby Seshat,goddessof libraries. Kings of Eglpt had absolutepower, but they were supposedto follow the principles that govemedeven gods and treat their peoplefairly. As a hieroglyphictext advised: "Do justice while you endureupon the earth." Tlie new king andqueenmadetheir first public appeamncein Thebesat the great Festival of Opet, a three-weekcelebrationheld in September,where they heard a h)'mn chantedby the priestsin honorof Amun-Re,greatestgod of Egmt; Splendidlyyou gleam,O Amun-Re, All yourlolk honoryou: AII of Egtpt celebrates, Asyour oldestSonandHeir bringsyou to Thebes. Let him ruleforever over the TwoLands, May hisyearsalwaysbepeaceful. Grunthim life, health,andplosperiA, Granthim to arisegloliously as theJoyfulRuler... Soonhostsofpeople werebusy all over Egypt as Ramses was determinedto becomefamousas a builder. One of his obelisks says, with pardonable exaggeration,"He
February1993
makesmonumentsas innumerableasthe starsof heaven. " More of his works survive than those of any other pharaoh,and his name was inscribed on many others which belongedto eiirlier pharaohs;sometimeshe erased their namesand replacedthem with his ownl Amongthe projects of his early years were the impressiveHall of Columns at Kamak begun by Seti I, the forecourt at Luxor with its obelisksand statuesof RamsesII. and the fortress-temple-palace complex in westem Thebesnow called the Ramesseum.Thesemonumentsshow that he closely identified himself with the sun-godRe and used sun s]rynbolismto attract the deeppsychologicalloyalty were of his people. The largestof all his constructions two rock-cut temples in the cliffs at Abu Simbel: the Templeof Amun-Re and Ramseswith its four identical statuesofthe pharaoh,each67 feet high, with shoulders 25 feetbroadandweighing1,200tons;andtheTempleof Hathor (goddessof love) and Nefertari, smallerbut still veryimpressive. In addition, Ramsesalso orderedthe constructionof a whole new capital city for Egypt at Avaris near his birthplacein the easternDElta. It was namedPi-Ramses A-nakhtr.- "Domain of Ramses Great-of-Victories." Today it has almost disappeared,but archeologistshave recoveredglazedtiles with painted mullet fish ftom the charming,airy palace, part of a sceneof gardensand ponds.ThescribePebesa thecity: described Pi-Rmnsesis a city whereit is beautifulto live. It is in a landfull of everygood thing. Its lakesare rtil of fsh, its marshesthrong with birds. hs meadowsare greenwithplants. Its orchardshave pomegrawtes, apples, olives, and fgs; its vineyardsbearsweetwine. Its beesmakethe best honey. Shipssail in and out ofits harbor,so there is alwaysfood to eat. Happinessdvells inside it. Eventhepoor in it ale like therich anywhereelse. Let us celebrateits holy festivals. Live here, be happy, and walk around freely without ever you whoare a God. leavingit, O Ramses, The Bible notesthat amongthe laborerson Ramses'new city wereIsraelites.TheseHebrewswereprobablythen living in the eastemDelta and were hired or drafted to share in brick-making for "Pithom and Ramses (Pi(Exodusl:l l). Ramses' Ramses)" own inscriptions boast of his kindnessto his workmen. but the Bible says the Egyptiansmadethe lives of the children of Israel "bitter with hard service"(l:14). The ArchitectMay, who was in charge of building Pi-Ramses,could have been the overseerwho oppressed the Israelites. Histonansdon't know exactlywhenthe Hebrewsleft Egypt. However,an February1993
inscriptionof Ramses'son, Memeptah,from 1208BCE, mentionsthe name of Israel, indicating that they had arrivedin Canaal by that time. Ramsescould not limit his activities to prolific building and found himself driven to preparefor war as well. He deeply resentedthe fact that the Hittites had taken the Syrian city of Kadesh not long after he had seenSeti captureit, and he warted to take it back. Ramsesled an army north to Phoenicia(now Lebanon) and captured Amumr, a city that controlledthe road to Kadesh. This was enough for one campaign. But word reached Muwatallis, the Hittite king, and he beganto gatler an army to oppose the Egyptian advance. He quickly 2,500chariotsand37,000men. assembled fifth as pharaoh, Thenextyear(1275BCE) wasRamses' and the year of his greatest battle. He divided the Eglptian force in two. He sent a small force up the coast,and he himself went inland with four divisionsof about5,000meneach,namedafter four Egyptiangods: Amun, Re, Ptah,and Seth. As they approachedKadesh, Muwatallis fooledRamsesby sendinghim tribesmenwho falsely reportedthat the Hittite arny was far to the north. Actually, it was hiding behindthe walled city. Ramses broughtthe Amun division west of Kadesh,wherethey camped. The Eg)?tians then captured Hittite spies,who revealedhow closethe enemywas. Ramsessentmessages to the restofhis divisionsto hurry, but it was too late. The Hittite chariots charged in a surpnse attack,scatteringthe division of Re and smashinginto Ramses'camp. ThedivisionofAmun alsobeganto fleern panic. Ramsessawtlat his only hope of victory, or even of suwival, dependedon rallying as manyof his troopsas possible.He did so and managedto hold off the Hittite chariots until the second Egyptian force arrived from the coast and the division of Pta} finally caught up. The Hittites were pushed back across the OrontesRiver, which flowed near the city. The next day, Ramses attacked the Hittites, but they outnumberedthe Eglptians, and the resultrvasa stalemate.A truce was called,and Ramsesand his army retumedto Eglpt without capturingKadesh.
Severalof Ramses'great monumentsbear relief carvings and inscriptions describingthe Battle of Kadesh as a grcat victory in which the pharaohhad single-handedly destroyedhis foes. The hieroglyphsdepict Ramsesas saying, "All foreign lands are my subjects, [the god] placedmy border at the limits of heaven." In fact, over the next few years,the Hittites conqueredmoreof Eglpt's northempossessions,while a new power, Assyria, took advantageof both the other kingdoms to grab all the territory east of the EuphratesRiver. Ramsesled more campaigns in Canaan and Syria which strengthened Eglpt's positionthere,but the northem frontier remained in danger. Ten yearsafter the Kadeshbattle, Hattushilis III became the king of the Hittites, and Ramsesfound him open to negotiations. Ramses was then in his forties and had madehim wiser; he was willing to gain by experience peacefulmeanswhat he had failed to win by war. Both the Egpptians and the Hittites were afraid of the advancing Assyrians. ln 1259 BCE, Ramses and Flattushilis signed the first intemational peac€ treaty between independent powers that has survived. Archeologistshave found both Egptian and Hittit€ copies of the treaty; the Hittite copies were written in Akkadian,the intemationallanguageof diplomacyat the time. The treaty providedfor permanentpeacebetween the two greatempiresandestablishedan alliancein which the two kings recognizedeach other as "brothers" and promisedthat they would continueto observethe treaty witlr eachother'ssons. They eachgu,ranteedthe other's pact and pledgedto territoriesin a mutual non-aggression defendone anotheragainstany attack by a third power. Their shipswould be welcomein eachother'sports, and anyonewho fled from one kingdomto the otherwould be extradited,but promisedhumanetreatment. Finally, the gods of Egypt and the Hittite Empire were invoked as witnesses.This treaty was never broken during the rest of Ramses'very long reign. In his 24thyearaspharaoh(1256BCE),Ramses traveled up the Nile with Nefertari to dedicatethe completed temples at Abu Simbel. He performed impressive ceremoniesin front of the four huge statuesof himself, andthat momentmay be saidto be the zenithof his reign. But in the following year, tragedy struck the king QueenNefertari died. The queen mother, Tuya, had passedaway only thr€eyearsbefore,having survivedher husbandby 22 ye,ars,during which time she was a powerful presenceat the royal court. Even earlier, Ramses'first-bom son, Amem-hir-khopsh€f,who served in the Battle of Kadesh,and at leastthreeother sonshad died. Ramseslived until the ageof 92, and it must have 3
beena great sorrow for him to seeso many of his wives and children die before him. Memeptah,who would succeedhim as pharaoh,was his 13th son. Istnofretdied n 1246 BCE, and Ramses'sister and daughterthen presidedoverthe royal householdas "first ladies." The 30th year of a pharaoh,if he survivedthat long, was celebrated ashis firstjubilee:a renewalofthe reignanda recognition of the king's vigor and continuing life. Ramses'first jubilee was held in 1250 BCE, and the presidingpriest was his son Khaemwaset,who had made a careful study of ancient rituals. Khaemwaset,high priest of Ptah, was the first archeologistin Egptian history. A scholarand philosopher,he possessed,said K.A. Kitchen, "intellectual quality, avid mastery of reading and writing, a penchantfor religion, theology, magicandthe scribalads." He investigatedthe pyramids and causedthe namesof their builders to be inscribedon themand originatedthe burial placeof the sacredbulls at Sakkara. From Ramses' 5fth to 55th regnal years, Khaemwasetwas the heir apparentto the throne and, up to the time of his death,took chargeof Ramses'jubilees, which were celebratedevery three years after the first. His fathersurvivedhim; Ramseslived long enoughfor 13 jubilees, the greatest number ever for an Eglptian pharaoh. However,the year after his first one,a terrible omenoccurred:an earthquakestruck Nubia and the head and upperbody of the secondof the four great statuesat Abu Simbel collapsed. Egyptian technologJ was not equal to the task of raising it back into place, so it remained in its fallenposition. Ramses'attentiontumed onceagainto the north, and h€ decidedto cementthe good relationswith the Hittites by marrylng a daughterof King Hattushilis. The Hittite princessleft for Egypt with a huge dowry of animals, slaves,gold, and jewels. When she arrived, she was given a splendidmarriageand the very Eglptian name, Ma'at-Hor-Neferura. Sadly, she died sevenyears later, but Ramsss renewed the alliance by marrying her younger sister. To show the friendship of tlre two empires,the crown prince of the Hittites cameon a state visit to Egpt in Ramses'36thyearas king (1244BCE). It was the hope of both rulers that Hattushilis himself would come to Eglpt, but he died before that could happen,and the crown prince ascendedthe Hittit€ tlrone asTudhaliyasIV. Ramseswas an intemationalistking; he encouragedhis peopleto worshlpforeigngodsandgoddesses suchas the SyrianHauronandKadesh,the goddessofthe city he had tried to conquer. He namedone of his daughtersBintAnath, "daughterof Anath," after a goddessof Canaan February 1993
who was associatedwith Isis of Eg1pt. Besideshis Hittite wife, he also married Syrian and Babylonian princesses. Furthermore, Ramsessent Pariamakhu,a leamedherb doctor,to treat membersof the Hittite court and to collect medicinal herbs in the north that might proveto be of usein Eg,pt. Someof Ramses'neighborswerâ‚Ź not so friendly. He led a campaigr against the aggressiveLiby'ansin the 44th year of his reign (1236 BCE). It was to be his last military expedition;he was 68 years old. His mummy showsthat he sufferedfrom arthritis and had bad teeth; he must haveconsultedhis doctorsoften as he got older. However,he still had 23 moreyearsto rule. During that long period, Egypt remainedat peaceand enjoyedgood cropsand generalprosperity. In the generationsto come, the Egyptianswould rememberRamsesas a king who had broughtthem securityandwealth. The agedking died in the 67th year of his reign (1213 BCE) and his mummy was buried in a tomb with 20 treasure-filled rooms in the Valley of the Kings. Unfortunately,it did not remaintherelong. Robbersstole all his goldentlbasures,unwrappedhis mummy,and set the woodencontentsof the tomb on fire. In 1075BCE, in the reign of RamsesXI, Herihor, the High Priest of Amun, causedthe mummyto be rewrapped,adomedwith floral garlands,placedin a woodencoffin, and reburiedin sointhe 2lst thetombofSeti I. But robberiescontinued, Dynasty (969 BCE), priests again movedit, along with 40 other royal mummies, to the well-hidden tomb of QueenInhapy. The tomb was rediscoveredin AD 1871 by modem thieves, who were caught by the Eglptian with AntiquitiesOrganization in 1881. Ramses'mummy its few remainingtreasuresthen movedto the Egyptian Museumin Cairo. No pharaoh is representedby as many monumentsas RamsesII, but the temples of Abu Simbel, among his greatest, were threatened with destruction when the AswanHigh Dam was built il the 1950's.LakeNasser, behind the dam, would have submergedthe temples. Therefore,the Egyptian govemmâ‚Źnt,with the help of many other nations including the United States,decided them to cut them into 1,042huge blocks and reassemble 212 feethigheron the edgeof the desert. A block with the faceofone.statueweighed19tons. The work, carried on in temperaturesas high as 122 degreesF., beganin 1964and was completed,just in time, in 1967. The interior of the templesanctuaries,which had beencarved into solid rock, was protectedby concretedomes. The larger sanctuaryis 180 feet long from its entranceto the statuesof four godsat the inner end. ln relocatingit. the FebruaryL993
engineerswerecarefulto preservethe angleof orientation so that the rising sun would shineall the way down the corridor twice a year, illuninating the statuesas it had sincetle templewasbuilt. The mostfamouspieceof literaturewritten aboutRamses (User-Ma'at-Re)by the II in modemtimesis OzStmandias BritishpoetPercyByssheShelley,publishedin 1818and containing the lines: king of hngs: My nameis Ozymandias, Lookon my works,ye Mighty, and despair! His works were impressiveindeed- not only the many stone monumentsthat still ornamentthe landscapeof EgWt, but also his achievementsas king. He asserted Egypt'spowerin the ancientworld, first as a warrior and then, much more effectively, as a diplomat and peacemaker. Ramses demonstratedthat intemational cooperationwas a way to security and prosperity. The inscriptionssay he cared for his peopleas parentscare for their children,althoughit is certainthat he caredmore than anythingelsefor his own undyingfame. He was an absoluteruler and there was no democracyin his time. However, he practicedjustice and evon peasantswere confidentof a hearingat Pharaoh'scourt. He provided labor for the peopleand sawthat they werepaid and fed. He was very human,subjectto pride as well as to sorrow at the deathof somanyof his lovedones. His was a long reign,the longestin the EgyptianNew Kingdom, and his namesand imperial style wereimitatedby his successors: he was held as an ideal by RamsesIII, who worshipped him as an ancestorand a god, and his namewas takenby all the following kings of the 20th Df'nasty. He dominatedhis own time, and well deservesthe title, Ramsesthe Great. REFERENCES Breasted, James Henry. A HISTORY OF EGWT. 1909(Bantampaperback,1964). Scribner's, Gardiner, Alan. EGYPT OF THE PIURAOHS. OxfordUniversityPress,1966. A RAMESSES II: Schmidt, John D . HIS CHRONOLOGICAL STRUCTURE FOR ftElGN. JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,1973. Kitchen, K.A. PHARAOH TRIUMPHANT: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF RAMESSES 1L Aris and Phillios-1982.
THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM by Mary E. Vaught About the Author: Mary is currently "boggeddown in Middle Egtptian hieroglyphsand dreading demofic," as her Ph.D. in Egtptologt progresses at the Oriental Institute's Neat Eastern Languages and Civilimtions Department. She visited the in OrientalInstitute's Museumin September the provide to this rePort order to OSTRACON. To us Eg)ptophiles,for whom the Oriental Institute has taken on almost mythicproportions,lhis article may inspirea isit.
beautiful statue of Horus. For those of us who have becomeinterestedin mummiesthrough Dr. Pickering's work, thereis a completemummywhich hasbeenneither unwapped nor studied. The impulse to get it CATscarmedwas almost overwhelming! There is also a beautiful model of what a completefunerary complex, with pgamid and temples,may have looked like when completed.It evenhas a cut-awaysectionofthe pyramid showing tunnels and burial chambers. One can see ancient models of entire villages, beautiftlly painted coffins, and Pre-Dynastic alabastervases so finely carved that they are trarslucent. Remarkably,the artifacts displayed are a mere sampling of what's downstairs in $orage.
The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicagois housedin an older, ordinaryJooking brick building with a small plaque stating its nams- This humble building contains a collection of beautiful and wondrous items from Egypt, Asryria, Mesopotamia, Persia, and a Special Exhibits Room which is These cunently showing ancient Nubia. treasuresare all housedon the first floor of the building while the offices, library, and some classroomsofthe Oriental lnstitute occupythe floor above.
While all of thesetreasuresare housedin a single room,the numberof objectsand rangewhichthey coveris almosta sensoryoverload. Oneobjectin this room - not from Egpt, but Assyria orovides a wondrous lead-in to the Assyrian itoom. It is a stone statue of a human-headed winged-bullweighingapproximately40 tons and measuringover 16 feet. Exquisitely carvedand painstakinglydetailed,this statue is huge - not only in size, but also in impact. The story of its discovery and subsequentmove to the Oriental Instituteis told next to this magnificentstatue.
Two entranceslead into the exhibit area and, as an enthusiastof ancientEglpt, I decidedto begin with the Eglptian Room. This room contains an excellent collection of pottery, jewelry, papyrus, models, statues, and everlthing else that could possibly râ‚Źpresent the world of ancient Egpt. The objects are arrangedaccordingto certain categories:PreDynastic Pottery, Religion, the Amarna Period, I(riting, Daily Life, and Funerary. The artifacts are as beautiful in their simplicity as they are in their complexity. From the simple black and red pottery of the PreDynastic times to the elaborately painted objects from the Amama Period, the beauty and workmanshipis evident. There are also artifacts donatedby Howard Carter and some foundby JamesHenry Breasted,founderofthe OrientalInstitute.
The AssyTian Room contains many other examples of human-headedwinged-bulls in smallerversionsas well as completepanelstaken Each wall section is from temple walls. representedin drawings, showing from which areasof the temple it came and what followed eitherendofthe removedpanel. A recreated,lifesizeAssyriangarden,completewith fountainsand benches, provides a pleasant setting for the displayof the Ass)'rianartifacts.
The statuarycontainedin this room is equally breathtaking. A colossus,believed to be of King Tutankhamun, is oneof the majorpieces, along with statuesof seatedpharaohsand a
The MesopotamianRoom is equally beautiful, with a large, glazed-brick wall mosaic at the entrance. The main attraction of this room, besidesthe beautiful examples of the ancient writing of this region, is the large number of cylinder and button seals. Impressionsof the seals,displayednext to the original seal, range from simple figures to elaborate sceneswhich unfold as the seal is rolled acrossthe clay. The carveddetail on someofthe seals- someof which areno morethan oneinch high - amazedme. While there are no
large statues from Februarv 1993
Mesopotamia,the PersianRoom containedsomewhich rivaled the bulls from Assyria. The headand front legs of a stone bull, weighing approximatelyten tons after restoration.are first visible from the door of this room. Smallerexamplesof similar bull headsare also hung strategicallyaround this room. The casesin this room arefilled with beautifirlpottery and excellentexamplesof metal tools and weapons which demonstrate metalworkingskills of the time. The SpecialExhibits Room, when I visited, containeda section on the lost land of Nubia. called Vanishing Kingdoms of the Nile: The Rediscovery of Ancient Nubia. Pictures and artifacts show Nubia prior to flooding caused by the Aswan Dam construction. Photographs and a description explaining how the templesof Abu Simbelwere movedbeforecompletionof the dam are also included. I considerthis feat to be greaterthan the constructionof the dam itselfl Not only is the recentpast shownin this section,but thereare also artifacts from ancient Nubia, including a few pieces which appear to be ancient Egtptian. This is hardly surprising,consideringancientEg]?t includedthe lands of Nubia. The exhibit, winner of an Illinois Arts Council award, hasbeenextendeduntil September30th. This room also contains an exhibit about the Oriental Institute itsel{ from its beginningswith JamesHenry Breastedup to the recent past. Some of the artifacts containedhere are interestingnot only from a historical standpoint,but also as curiosities. There are telegrams sentin the early 1930'sabout discoveriesmadein Eglpt and which are written in a code known only to the archeologistsand researchers.Photographsof the early finds are fascinating,especiallythose from areaswhich are now modemized or flooded by the dam. Reconstructionof the objects in the museumare also discussedhere. An interestingsection describeshow a seatedEgj,?tian statuewas conserved,including its two reconstructions, its present appearance, why the râ‚Źconstructionswere attempted and re-attempted(then abandonedaltogether),and the problemsthat arosefrom these alterations. This section provides an excellent history of the Institute, including how and why it came about. The final stophere,as in any museum,was the gift shop. It is a wonderfirlly small space,not more than a large closet, with a few glass casesout front. It is literally stuffed with wonderful reproductions,jewelry, posters, books, T-shirts, and everythingelse that makesa good gift shop. In many ways it remindedme of the liule shopsI encounteredat bazaars on the DMNH trip to February1993
Egypt: anything and everlhing you could want, with entirely too mary things to choose from. The hieroglyphicstampkit may be of particularinterest.If I hadhadthemoney,I probablywouldhaveboughtoneof everfihing,and a few thingstwicel (Nota bena:checks arentaccepted, but cashandcreditcardsarewelcomed.) The Oriental lnstitute Museumis somethingthat should not be missedif you are goingto Chicagoand havean interest in ancient Eg)?t, Assyria, Mesopotamia,and Persia.It is a wonderfulway to spenda few hours,if you cantear yourselfawayin that short amountof tlme. This is a simplemuseum,with simpleglassand woodencases which allow the beauty and splendorof its artifacts to speakfor themselves,with little or no window dressingto distractfrom tle experience. Informafion about the Oiental Institute Museum: T-he Museumis locatedat 1155 East 58th Street.on the Universityof Chicagocampus. The hoursare: Tuesday, Thursday,Friday and Saturday10:00- 4:00; Sunday: noonto 4:00;Wednesday 10:00- 8:30;closedMonday. How to get therc: A taxi from Union Stationcostsabout $12.00or takethe #6 Jeftey Expresson StateStreetln the loop (southto 59th Street). Altemately, take the IC (Illinois Commutertrain) to "59th Street/Universityof Chicago." For further information, contactthe Museum you ask a security af (312) 702-9520. Mary recommends guard'spermissionfor a peek at the incrediblearchives at the Oriental lnstitute. There, you can see ancient maps,site reports,and archival materialsin all languages on everythingrelatingto Near EastemStudies.
THE BOOK OFAM.DUAT By JoanMiner
About the Author'. JoanMiner hasjust recentlybecome intercstedin dncient Eg,pt and hopes to increaseher Iorcwledgethrough the ESS. Her interests are quite varied as demonstratedby the classes she immerses herself in to fill up her "spare time." She has taken acting and singing classes and is currently tahng a classin writing short stories. Betweenwolking st Gates Rubber Company in the International Division, and being a full-time Mom and active church member,her daysare never.dull!
The Booh of Attt-Duat, the "Book of What is in the Underworld," explains the joumey through the underworld(Dzal) in which the sun god Re travels in his solar boat through the Twelve Hours, or Scenarios. He enters Duat as "Flesh," sails through each Hour, prevailingover various maligrant forcesand emerges,or is reborn, in the form of ths scarabbeetlegod, Khepri. Thetable below denoteseachHour's underworldlocation andthe deitieswho intervenedin Re'sjoumey.
Iife...Neither predominates, they alternate or, most dptly, they produce one another. Universallife is the totality of death and life, in it hostile forces are reconciled and have abandonedtheir individual independence...the sun,whenit goesdown,doesnot die but reaches the hidden fountain of its life. Becoming or arriving is the nature of Khepri...But every rising occurs in and from death. which thus appears to be potential ffi. Darkness is the cradle of light; in it the sunfinds the power to arise...Absolute life has its homein the realmof death. (quoted by N. Rambova in A. Piankoff, Mythological Papyrus: Texts, BOLLINGENN SERIES. X1.3, PantheonBoolcs)957, pp. 29-30.) (tlart,53). There is no "real" story line to be followed during Re's pilgrimagethrough the underworldbecauseso much of his joumey is dependentupon magical powers of known and unknown sources:sacredrituals; hidden meanings, knowing the correct paths to take; and being able to discem the seen from tle unseen. All these factors enabled thegodto achievehis final rebirth.
Where can this "Book of the Underworld" be found? Many timesthe.'4rn-Duat wasfound written on piecesof limestone in burial chambersthat had not yet been positivelyidentified.Furthermore,completeversions are on the burial chamberwalls in the tombs of Tuthmosis III, dating back to 1425 BCE, and AmenhotepII. The tombsof SetiI (1290BCE) andRamsesVI (1143BCE) pictured1l out of the 12 Scenarios.The Secondand Sixth Hours were inscribed in the third shrine of The Dutch scholar, Kristensen,wrote about theseviews Tutalkhamun. AmenhotepII's predecessor,User, also of life and death in this had his burial chamber way: walls painted with the RE'SJOURI{EYTHROUGHTHE HOURSOF THE AM.DUAT Am-Duat which was All that lives and very unusual for his Hour all that grows is I Splitter ofheads GreatCity time. ofRâ‚Ź's enemies the result of an 2 The Wise, Guardian Fieldof Wemes inexplicablle and It is interestingto note ofHer l-ord 3 Slicer of Souls itelo or (nam uoos completely that, by the Third & Waterof Osiris mystenous (heat ofPower IntermediatePeriod, it Cavemofihe Life ofForms 5 Sheon Her Boat CavemofSokar cooperation of was common practrce 6 PrcficientLrader DeepWater heterogeneous in Thebesto have two 7 Repellerofthe Snake CavemofOsiris,City oflhe Mysierious Cave and books placed in the factors...life 8 Mistressoflhe Night Cily ofthe Cods Sarcophagi death appear to burial confinesof each 9 City ofthe Living Manifestalions be irreconcilable t0 BeheaderofRebels City ofDeep Water& SteepBanks person: the Book of lt The Star,Repulserof City of Corpse-Counting opposites: yet the Dead ard,rheBook Rebels together they of Am-Duat. The t2 Beholderofthe Cavemat the EndofDarkness, BeautyofRe City ofthe Appearance ofBirth financial resourcesof form everlasting
The Eglptiam believedthat life and deathco-existedto form the very "essence"of everlastinglife. The concepts of life and death held by the early Egyptiansmay be viewedas "irrational" accordingto modemideas,but by atbmpting some kind of understanding of the psychological"mind set" of the early Egyptian, one sees this labelasunjust.
7
(Table frcm m\TIllAN tvtyms by ceorge Hart, p. 55)
February1993
the deceased's family rather than royal heritage determinedwhetherthesereligiouspapyri wereplacedin one'stomb. Thesetwo bookswerecommonlypairedwell into the 22nd Dynasty. As a point of interest,the ruling elite class of Theban societyhad begunto decoratethe outsidewalls of their coffins with various excerptsof the Am-Duat totvard,the endofthe 2lst Dlnasty. In view of the ArrDuat and its impact on the early Egyptianbelief in life after deatl, it seemsapparentthat the Egyptiansfelt that their very existencewas contingent on this cycle of life and death repeatingitself over and over again. They must havealways lived in the hopeof an afterlife, not so unlike ourselves. Perhapsthere is a basicneedwithin the humanheartand spirit which makes us want to challengetle finality ofthe grave.
REFERENCES El Mahdy, Christine. MUMMIES, MYTH, AND MAGIC. London:ThamesandHudson,1989. Hart, George. EGYPTIAN MYTHS. Austin: First UniversityofTexas PressEdition, 1990. Hobson. Christine. THE WORLD OF THE PIURAOHS. New York: Thamesand Hudson.Inc.. 1987. Romer,John. VALLEY OF THE KINGS. New York: HenrvHolt. 1989.
White,JonManchip. EWRYDAY LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT. CapricomBooks:NewYork, 1967.
LECTURENOTES
WHO WAS TUT AND WHY IS HE SO FAMOUS? Presentedby DennisMcDonald ESSNovemberMeeting Reviewedby Barbara Becker
About the Reviewer: Barbara Becker is a registered nurse working with leenagersat the Eastside Health Center in Denver's Five Points area. She graduated with an M.S. degreefrom the University of Colorado. TheRamsesExhibitsoundedlikefun so shevolunteered for it and had a great time! Barbara then started her formal studyofancient Egpt Sherealizedher lifeJong dream in 1992 with her frst trip to Eg)pL Ask her abouther camelridel!
OUTSTANDING! EXTRAORDINARY! Thesewords describethe presentationby Dennis McDonald on King Tut's treasures.Picking up whereT.G.H. Jamesleft off, McDonaldtracedthe history andprocessof openingKing Tut'stomb,KV-62. Having recently explored tombs this spring (albeit not Tut's), I wonderedabout the thoughts and feelings of Carter and his men upon finding this magnificent treasure. What did they have to do to get the dig organized,protectedfrom robbers,and dig on a day-today basis? And how was the tomb opened? How were the treasuresbrought out? Was Carter a hero at that time? McDonaldansweredall thesequestionsandmore. With wonderfulslidesof somephotographs from T.G.H. James'new book- HOWARD CARTER - THE PATH TO TUTANKHAMLO{, McDonald took the audience through the processof discovery and excavation. Old photos showedthe camp outside of KV-62 where the workers and guards stayed, the digging out of tle entrance,andthenthe actual opening- the first wasjust one comer where Carter and his assistantviewed the magnificent treasures stacked like massâ‚Źs of
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8
paraphemaliain an old attic. They then resealedthe comer to be reopenedand fully exploredthe following yearwith Carter'ssponsor. McDonald interspersedthese old photoswith diagramsof the tomb which madethese historicmomentsvery real andunderstandable.
THEENIGMATIC FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD
McDonald also had wonderful slidesof the Tut artifacts in the Cairo Museum and he gave a wonderful explanationof how the threelayersof gilded shrineswere all built aroundTut's coffin in this tiny burial chamber.
Reviewedby Dorothy Lovely
After this informativetalk, many are looking forward to McDonald's next presentation. By then he will have visited Egypt yet again and met with T.G.H. Jamesin London. He's sureto haveevenmorefascinatinstalesto tell.
Presentedby Bruce Rabe ESSJanuaryMeeting
ABOUT THE REWEWER: Dorothy Lovely, a Colorado native, is retired from the Cherry Creek School District. She is now a privste consultant and diagnosticianfor children who need remedial reading instruction. Her other interestsinclude square dancing and go$ Dorothy hasjust returnedfrom her frst trip to Egtpt whereshehod a wonderful time visiting all the siteswith a terifc bunchof companions.Shecan't wait to retum!
Bruce Rabe'sscholarlypresentation,the Enigmatic First IntermediatePeriod, providedhis audiencewith a better understandingof this time of social and religious upheavalin ancientEgypt. Following the reign ofthe 6th Dyrasty king, Pepi II (who ruled from age six to 96, 2246-2152BCE), a period of great instability and chaos beganwhich lasteduntil Eg]?t was re-unifiedmuch later duringthe I lth Dynasty. Rabe explainedthat there exists much confusionin the translationofthe limited sourcesofthe First Intermediate Period. More confision for the archeologist(as well as the novice Eglptophile) is due to the many different namesascribedto eachruler. Generally,tlere werethree rurmes:a Horus name, a tlrone name, and a secular name. Addingto the chaos,the differentkings often had oneor moreof thesenamosin commonwith eachother Historical sourcesfor this period are very limited and therefore,it is difficult to trace eachruler completely. A papynrs from 323-325 BCE, transcribedby the priest Menetho,was commissionedto dsscribethe length of eachEgyptianking's reign. This sourcehasbeenquoted by many,althoughthe papyrusitself hasbeenlost. Other sourcesincludea ta"rdocument,calledthe Turin Papyrus, a list of kings on a portion of Seti I's templeat Abydos, and archeologicalevidence. The dating methodusedby the ancientEgyptianswzrsapparcntlychangedduring the First IntermediatePeriod, making accuratedating from recordedtexts difficult at best. However, astronomical dating from about 1872 BCE can be used fairly accurately by Egyptologists.
February1993
Rabe went on to explain two theoriesfor the demiseof the Old Kingdom: The DeclineTheory and The Disaster Theory. The Decline Theory proposes a slow disintegrationof the society which probably beganwith the transfer of the centerof power away from the capital city. The DisasterTheory attributedthe demiseto some environmentalchangewhich could accountfor increased deatlr rates and the collapse of other Near Eastem civilizationsat that sametime. We leamed that, during the 7th Dynasty, one text reported there were "seventy kings in seventy days," leading the researcherto assumeno one was really in power. With. so much confusion in ancient historical reporting at tJre end of the 6th Dlnasty, it has been suggestedthat perhapsthe ancientEgyptiansdidn't even know who was the king! Egptologists agreethat the 7th and 8th Dynsties probably lastedas few as 25 yearsin total and may have includedsomekings who reignedfor only a year. Templeinscriptionsof the vizier of PepiII seemto indicate that the 8th Dynasty lasted only one generation,and it may havebeenas short as four to eight yearsin duration. It is known that by the 9th Dlnasty Egypt was divided and ruled from the north. During the 9th and 10th D)'nastiesthrce kings namedAkhtoy (Akhtoes)and three kings namedNeferkareruled. Funerarytexts from this time refer to famines and much conflict. To firrther confoundus, the I lth Dynasty, which was centeredat Thebes,appearsto have coexistedwith the 9th and l0th D)'nastiesat Heracleopolis! Montuhotep II, with perhapstluee Horus names,w.ts probably the instigator of the war betweenThebesand Heracleopolis. His Horus name indicateshe ruled both Upper and Lower EgWt. A war also appearsto havâ‚Ź taken place during this time, wherein Nubians, Libyans, and Egyptiansfought together Montuhotepcapturedall of Egypt by his 46th year,and his queenappearsto have beenNubian, which may have assistedin solidifying his relgn. Rabe's diligent research was evident as the audience followed him through this bewilderingmaze of the 7thllth Dynastiesknown as The First Intermediateperiod. The path was made easierby his informative handouts which helpedshowwho was whereand when. Rabedid an excellent job of enlightening us about the circumstancesleading up to the l2th Dynasty and the Middle Kingdom. Now we can look forward to the sequel-- The SecondIntermediate Period!! February1993
HOUSEOF SCROLLS
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BOOKREVIEWS IN SEARCH OF THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE By Richard Harwood ABOUT THE REWEWER: Richard Harwood is a Vice President and Trust Ofrcer with Bank One Colorado Springs. He has been studying Egtpt ever sincehe was a child and has beento Egtpt trrice. Dick is planning still another trip in Novemberwhen he will get to applyhis new-foundshlls in speahngArabic. He hasjust begunhis secondyear of studying the language through Ohio State University.
I haveto confessthat I am not a good tourist: neverhave been, never *rll be. Almost without exception, an organizedtour of an ancient site gives me apoplexy. "OK, group, you will now have ten minutâ‚Źs to look around Deir el Bahari. and then we'll visit the everpopular Templeof Coca-Cola." My blood boils, my palns start to sweat,and my mind racesto thoughtsof the perfect crirne. Even Amelia Peabodywould forgive the impendingmurder! But for many visitors to a country like Egypt, an organizedtour can be the best way to seethe major sites and avoid the hassle of private arrangements. Nevertheless,any visitor to Eglpt, tour member or independent traveler,will want to study and carry a good travel guide. A handy sourceof information on hotels, restaurants, shopping, and historical sites can be invaluable. just one good travel guide It is impossibleto recommend to take on a trip to Eg)?t. Thereare lots ofgood oneson the market. but each has a different style, format, and areaof emphasis.The selectionof a singleguidebook dependsin large part on the particular interestsof the traveler. The casual tourist will want more complete information on such things as hotels, restaurants,and shops, while the Egyptophile will want as much information as he can get on individual archeological sites. 10
Sinceany book takes up preciousspaceand gets heavier by the hour that it's carried, one way to select a guidebookis to considerwhat informationwould be most helpful to haveimmediatelyat handwhile traveling. The following is a partial list of those subjects, with my personalchoices of guidebooksthat seemto be better than otherson thosetopics. This survey is not exhaustive,but doesconsiderseveral of the more popular and readily available travel books found at libraries and bookstores. A coupleof the books I have cited (John Bainesand Jaromir Malek's ATLAS OF ANCIENT EGYPT and Barbie Engstrom's ENGSTROM'S GTNDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRUISE) are not suitable as carry-alongtravel guides due to their size and weight but make excellent backgroundreadingbeforeyou leavehome. Others,like Ahmed Fakhry's THE PYRAMIDS, are not general travel guidesbut are outstandingguidesto very specific segmentsof Eglptology. I havetried to note suchbooks in thediscussion below. HISTONCAL BACKGROWD INFORMATION: I. Regardlessofthe amountof readingyou do prior to your trip, it's helpful to havea brief summaryof Eg]?t's long history at your fingertips. Such a summary should include a short discussionof the various periods, from Pre-D)'nasticto modem. Here, a succinctchronologyis important: When was the country unified underMenes? Where does the l8th Dynasty fit into the schemeof things? Did Hatshepsutrule before or after RamsesII? When were Christianity and Islam introducedto Egypt? Facedwith the overwhelrningnumberof tombs,temples, and artifacts the traveler will seein rapid succession,a quick reference can help keep the brain on track. Backgroundinformationshouldalso includea discussion of modemEgypt as a whole: geographically,politically, religiously,ethnologically. One of the best books for historical background information is the ATLqIS OF ANCIENT EGYPT. althoughits size and limited scopewould not make it a good travel guide. It covers the sweep of Egyptian history from Pre-Dynasticto the RomanEmperorsof the fourth century AD and includes an excellent time-line comparingthe developmentof Egypt's civilization with thoseof other Middle Eastemcountries. As a book to be carried with you, either Kathy Hansen's EGYPI HANDBOOK or the BLW GUIDE: EGYPT by VeronicaSeton-Williamsand PeterStocksis perhapsthe best choice. The treatmentin both books of pharaonic, Coptic, and Islamic history is conciseand accurate,as is the discussionof Eglpt's geology, climate, flora, and 11
fauna. The explanationof Islam in the BLW GIIIDE: EGYPT is particularly good, and the EGYPT HANDBOOK's eight-pagechronologyof Eg)?t's history, from Pre-Dpastic to Hosni Mubarak,makesan excellent reference. Four other books to consider for good backgroundinformation are William Mumane's IIIE GUIDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT, John Anthony West's THE TRAWLER'S KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPT, ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRUISE, md BAEDEKER'S EGYPT. II. PREPAMTIONS: A good, all-aroundtravel guide will give useful informationon passportsand visas (and how to apply for them), health precautions, and suggestionson what temperaturesto expectin the major cities and areas. If you plan to take a lot of photographs (and who doesn'tin Eglpt?), somehints on film speed and protectingyour camerafrom sanddust will avoid a lot of disappointmentwhenyou get home. A detailedlist is also very helpful. Keepin mind ofpacking suggestions your trip, it's too late to apply for a that onceyou're on visa or tlrow in someextra clothes,so this sectionof the bookshouldbe asconciseaspossible. ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRIUSE is somewhatout-of-date for visa and health regulations,but is still excellentfor packing suggestrons on possibleitinerariesfor your trip. and recommendations T'he EGYPT HANDBOOK contains more current information and has very practical tips on health precautions,cunencyregulations,andphotography. III. TMNSPORTAIIOII Forgetthe pagesof air, train, andbus schedules;the trmesprobablychangedbeforethe book was off the press. But hints on what proceduresto expect at the Cairo airport or on the cruise ship will relievesomeanxietywhenyou get there. It's also nice to know up front that the day train fiom Luxor to Cairo is definitelynot the OrientExpress. And a simplestatement like "Don't even think about driving a private car or taking a public bus in Cairo" shouldcoverthat subject. FROMMER'S EGYPT has very good hints on what to expect when you arrive in Egypt as well as what to expecton a Nile cruise. Its mileagechart betweencities and towns is more completethan in other travel guides, and its lists of schedulesand fares are good for comparison,if nothing else. FODOR'S EGYPT arld ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRWSE also contain useful information on traveling within Egypt. IV. CUSTOMSAND CONDUCT: Most travelersknow February1993
the basics of proper behavior in a foreign country, whetheror not they chooseto follow them. But a good travel guide can savea lot of embanassment with a short discussion of particularcustoms:How muchshouldI tip a taxi driveror waiter? Shoulda womancarrya scarftl cover her head in certainplaces? ShouldI ever give baksheeshto thosecute but peskystreetchildren? Will I be stonedto dâ‚Źathifl eat with mv left hand or showthe soleofmy shoein public? Both BAEDEKER'S EGWT and ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRTJISE have helpful hints on customs and manners in an Arabic country, and FIELDING'S EGYPT AND THE ARCILAEOLOGICAI JIIES has equatly good information on visiting mosques and when to give baksheesh.But if you aregoingto do business in Egypt or visit an Egyptianhome,read the chapteron Egypt in Elizabeth Devine's and Nancy L. Bragantr's THE TRAWLER'S GUIDE TO MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN CUSTOMSAND MANNERS. V. HOTELS. RESTAUMNTS, AND SHOPPING: For mosr tourists. these will be very mportant sectionsix any travel guide. Regardless of our primary reasonsfor going to Eglpt, we all haveto eat and sleepwhile we're there,andan honestdescriptionof a hotel or restaurant, its cleanliness,and price can make the difference between a great expenenceand a disaster. But keepin mindthat you will already have selected and made reservations at hotelsbeforeyou everleavehome,so it's a wasteof spaceand weight to carry around a book with thirty pagesabout placesyou won't be staying. Do your research,make your selectioni,and then retum that book to the librarv. Restaurantsare another matter: you probably won't decidewhereto havedirureruntil at leastthe day before, so a thoroughdiscussionof good restaurants(with price rangesandcleardirections)is a must. Eg,pt maynot be a shopper'sparadise,but we atl end up bringing home something.An unbiaseddescriptionof the major shops andhintson appropriatesouvenirscansavetime,monev. and a lot of frustration. Bargairungis a way of life in EgJ,?t,but it can be uncomfortablefor manv Americans: a few honesthintson thebargainingprocesscanmakethe expenencea memorableand lesspainful one. February 1993
For hotels, try either FROMMER,S EGWT or FODOR'S EGYPT. Make sureyou havethe mostrecent edition, since many hotels are undergoing major constructionand refurbishing projects. FROMMER,S EGYPT, particularly, has good descriptions of tlre pnmarytouristhotelslistedby quality,price range,and geographic areaofthe city. For restaurants,FROMMER'S EGYPT is best for its coverage of selected restaurants by price range, geographic locations, good directions, ambiance, and suggestedentrees. Both FROMMER'S EGYPT nd FODOR'S EGYPT have good general sections on Egyptianfood anddrink. For shopping, FROMMERTS, FODOR'5, md the EGYPT HANDBOOK all have very good sectionson what to buy. FODOR'S has a more completelist of wheretobuy. Both FROMMER'^f and FODORT.Iseem fairly biased in their recommendations,so use your discretion W. MAPS AND DIRECTIONS: Cairo is a fascinating place to stroll around;but its streetsare a maze, :uld you can get tumed aroundthe minutethe Nile is out of sight. Try to find the Arabesque Restaurant, and it's almost guaranteedyou'll take the wrong spoke from Midan el Tahrir. Accurate maps, combinedwith written directions, are invaluablefor finding your way aroundthe major centersof Egvpt BAEDEKER'S EGYPT comes with a large, fold-out map of Egypt.Cairo,and Luxor attached to the insideback cover;the map is accurateand easyto read,albeit a liule unwieldywhenwalkrng down a street. The maps n the EGYPT HANDBOOK are good to scale,but tendto be too basicto useas a walkingguide. The sectionalmaps in the BLW GUIDE: EGYPT are excellent,but the directionsare overwhelmhgly detailed and the place names, written as they would be pronounced in Arabic, make the entire guidebook confusing. The best city maps are in ENGSTROM,S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRUISE. Although theyarenot preciselyto scale,they areaccurate,easyto follow, have major buildings clearly marked, and there are separatemaps for such tourist areasas Coptic and
t2
Islamic Cairo. Unfortunately,the book is too big and healy to carry as a travel guide, so you would needto photocopyand take with you just thosemapsyou want. The same drawback is true of THE ATL4.S OF ANCIENT EGyPT, which hasthe bestareamapsof the country. WI. TOUNST ATTRACTIONS.MONUMENTS, AND ARCHEOLOGICALS1IES. Even if you're on a fullyguided tour, you'll want a guidebook with good descriptionsof the museums,monumonts,and sites. For an Eglptophile, its importance is second only to a passport. But be realistic aboutjust how much time at eachsite you'll haveto read it. The quantity and quality of these descriptions vary tremendously arnong guidebooks. The most detailed guide to pharaonic sites is IIIE TMWLER,S KEY TO ANCIENT EGWT. It hal excellentmaps and the step-by-steptreatnent of the varioustemples,tombs, and monumentsis completeand interesting;its chapteron the Cairo Museumis oneofthe best. Unfortunately,the author also uses the book to his oftenunorthodoxtheoriesof ancientEgyptian espouse symbolismand metaphysicalharmony, witl seemingly endlessmathematical"proofs" of thosetheories. The bookmay be overly tediousfor the casualtraveler,as the descriptionsof the sites are long and detailed; in one section,for example,thereis a 25-pageexplanationof the FuneraryTexts. The BLUE GUIDE: EGI{PT is also very detailed but with less interesting background informationon eachsite. A betierchoicefor the lessdetail-orientedtravelerwould be either THE GUIDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT or tlne EGWT HANDBOOK, The site descriptions in the EGYPT HANDBOOI( tendto be brief on the minor sites but very good and readableon the major ones. THE GADE TO ANCIENT EGYPT, on the other hand, is oftenmoredetailedon the sitesit covers,but many lesser sitesare not coveredat all. It hasexcellentsite mapsand plans, with notes on wall drawings and reliefs, but the written descriptions(wherethere are any) are often hard to find. The site maps in THE ATLAS OF ANCIENT EGYPT are also excellent,but the written descriptions arevery general. For thosetravelerswith a particular interestin pyramids (and the time to pursue that interest), Ahmed Fakhry's THE PYRAMIDS is outstanding. It discussesvirtually all the pyramids fiom Giza to Msroe in depth, tracing construction,and exploration their history,development, andhasan excellentindex. 13
WII. THE INDW: T1rcreis nothing more frustrating than to paw tkough a guidebooklooking for something you'resureis therebut can't find in the index. The index, more tlan any other part of the book, must be "userfiiendly." Of particular help are indicesthat list places not only by their namesbut also under geographicand subjectheadings. (For examplg lbn Tulun Mosque might be listed under "I" for Ibn Tulun and also under "Cairo- Mosques.") The most "user-friendly"and completeindicesare found inthe EGYPT HANDBOOK, THE TRAVELER'S KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPT, FROMMER'S EGYPT, arld ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGIPT AND A NILE CRT]ISE. IX. GEOGRAPHICCONTENT: Know where you're going before you buy a guidebookto tell you about it. There is no reason to lug around a book with a wonderful, 50-pagedescriptionof the Sinai Peninsulaif you'reonlygoingto CairoandLuxor. Many guidebookscover only the major cities in Eg1pt, which is fine if theseare the only placesyou're going to visit. Such guides inchde FODOR'S EGYPT , THE AND EGWT FIELDING'S ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, FROMMER'S EGYPT, ail NELLES GIIIDES: EGYPT. For travelersneeding wider coverage,the EGYPT HANDBOOK, the BLW GTIIDE: EGYPT, THE GUIDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT. THE ATLAS OF ANCIENT EGWT, aid' ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYTI AND A NILE CRUISE will be much more helpful. More specialized books such as THE PYRAMIDS and THE TRAWLER'S KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPT are very completeon the areasthey cover. X. EXIRANEOUSINFORMATION: Many travel books containpageafter pageof good informationthat you will never,everuse. Saveyour strengthand leavethe book at home. For example,most Americantourists don't speak Arabic and have no intentionof leaming it while they're in Egypt; nor are they likely to be anlplace where someonewho speaksEnglishcan't be found. Why, then, haul arounda guidebookwith an Arabic dictionaryin it? Leam the few essentialwords (yes,no, please,thank-you, go away, where'sthe bathroom),write them down for reference, andstickthe slip ofpaper in your wallet. The sameis true for thoseguidebookswith numerouspagesof hieroglyphs;unlessyou plan to spendhours examining wall drawings,you'll probablyneverreferto them. On of the otherhand,beingable to identi!'the cartouches major pharaohs can enhanceany visit to the Cairo
February1993
Museumor thetemplesat Luxor. Goodchronological listsofthe historicperiods,dynasties, and pharaohscan be found in THE TRAWLERTS KEy TO ANCIENT EGYPT. THE ATLAS.OF ANCIENT EGYPT, the EGYPT HANDBOOK, and THE GWDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT. T\e last has an especiallygood sumnary of the eventsduring each period, while II1E TRAWLERTS KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPI includes good drawingsof the major pharaohs'cartouches in its chronology. T\e EGYPT HANDBOOK has an excellent, brief descriptionof the major gods and goddessesof ancientEg]?t as well as drawingsof their usual forms and a good generalglossaryof termsthat might be unfamiliarto the traveler. THE ULTIMATE GUIDEBOOK: As we haveseen.each guidebookhas its pros and cons, and these will differ depending on the individual traveler's interests and reasonsfor going to Egypt. So, where doesthe tourist tum? The best answer may be to compile your own book. That doesn'tmeanyou needto spendmonthsat y computer and then try to find a private publisher. Instead,checkout as many travel guidesas you can find at your local library. Decidewhat subject areasare of mostinterestto you personally,and readthosesectionsin eachbook. Then simply photocopythose sectionsyou think will be the mosthelpful. (As long as you don't sell your notes,yciu shouldn'trun into copyrightproblems.) If you have time, you may want to consolidateseveral similar sectionsby cutting ard pastingor rewriting them into your own notes. When you're through, arrangethe sectionsfrom general to specific and in the order of placesyou plan to visit. Placeit all into a tabbed,threering notebookwith a hard cover, and includeextra pages for notes at the end of each section. Notebookswith pockets in the front and back covers are particularly handy for holding the inevitable maps, brochures,and other papers you will accumulate as you go. A photocopyof the finishedproductis helpfulto takealong in case tlle first one gets lost or you have a traveling companionwho wantshis or her oun copy. Furthermore, the next time you go, when your itinerary deletes Alexandriaand adds Abydos,your personalguidebook will be a snapto edit.
REFERENCES BAEDEKER'S EGYPZ New York: Simon& Schuster, Inc.,1990. Baines,John and Jaromir Malek. THE ATLAS OF ANCIENT EGYPT. New York: Factson File, 1980. Devine, Elizabeth and Nancy L. Braganti. THE TRAWLER'S GUIDE TO MIDDLE EASTERN AND NORTH AFRICAN CUSTOMS AND MANNERS. NewYork: St. Martin'sPress,Inc., 1992. Engstrom,Barbie. EiTG.SIROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRUISE. Bryn Mawr: Kurios Press, I984. Fakhry, Ahmed. THE PyRAMIDS. Chicago:Univ. of ChicagoPress,1969. Hansen,Kathy. EGYPT HANDBOOT(. Chico: Moon Publications, 1990. Hobbs, A. Hoyt and Joy Adzigian. FIELDING'S EGYPT AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES. NewYork: William Monow & Company,Inc., 1984. McGrath, Nancy. FROMMER'S EGYPT. New York: Simon& Schuster. Inc.. 1990. Mumane, William J. THE GUIDE TO ANCIENT EGZPL NewYork: Factson File.Inc.- 1983. NELLES GUIDES: EGYPT. McCatu, 1991.
London: Robertson
Seton-Williams,Veronica and Peter Stocks. BLW GUIDE: EGYPT, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.,1983. Showker,Kay. FODOR'SEGZPZ New York: Fodor's TravelPublications. Inc.. 1992. West. John AntJronv. THE TRAWLER'S KEY TO
ANCIENT EGWT. New York: Alfred Knopf. 1985. Februarv1993
t4
TVREVIEW the Face Of Tutanhhamun By GraerneDavis,UK Correspondent TheFace OfTutankhamun,a short TV seriescelebrating the 70th anniversary of Carter's great discovery, was recently aired in Britain. A BBC/A&E co-production presentedby British academic,ChristopherFrayling, the serieslooks at the impact of the tomb's discoveryupon Egypt, the Euro-Americanmedia" and Westem art and designas well as the archeologicalworld. A professorof cultural history, Frayling's broad arts base sometimes leaveshim short in the Egyptologicaldepartment. The locationwork in Egypt clearly makeshim uncomfortable and his tomb visits show that he is cerl.ainlyno Indiana Jones. That said, though, Frayling's coverageof the growth of the Tut legend, its commercialexploitation,
THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURAL EISTORY 2001ColoradoBlvd. Denver,CO 80205
and its effect on the art-decomovementshedslight on a fascinating aspect of the discovery which is seldom touchedupon by more conventionalaccounts. With an accompanying,lavishly-illustratedbook, it all makesup into a vsry slick package,although ESS membersmay find the archeologicalcoverage somewhatsuperficial. Onefinal word of waming -- the seriescontainsscenesof artifact removal and treatmentthat are not suitablefor E$,ptophilesof a nervousdisposition!
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February1993