EGYPTIAN
Tine Bagh, Finds from W. M. F. Petrie’s excavations in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek. Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, 2011 (ISBN 978 8 7745 2323 9). Price: DKK 125. Writing in 1931, Petrie expressed regret that so many of the assemblages that he and his colleagues had excavated had since become fragmented and dispersed around the world. Yet as he outlined in his Aims and Methods in Archaeology (1904), through the diligent recording of contexts and with the careful numbering of individual finds the archaeologist could ensure that in the future ‘a fit curator may succeed in reuniting the long-severed information’. Tine Bagh, of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, is one such curator who, through several years of painstaking research, has successfully reconnected the objects held in the Glyptotek with their original contexts of discovery (see also EA 37, pp.30-32). This sumptuous catalogue represents the results of her labours and it accompanied the exhibition ‘In the Shadows of the Pyramids’, at the Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen from 11 November 2011 to 25 March 2012. This full-colour catalogue brings together more than 250 objects, from large architectural elements and tomb walls, to smaller artefacts from burials and town sites. All were located during the work of Petrie’s British School of Archaeology in Egypt (BSAE), either between 1908 and 1913, or between 1920 and 1922. Represented in this collection, therefore, are the sites of Memphis, Meydum, Hawara, Gerzeh, Shurafa, Tarkhan, Riqqeh, Harageh, Lahun, Sedment and Abydos. Each site is introduced in its own section, alongside original plans and maps, while each object is described and provided with a wealth of contextual detail, drawn from the excavator’s own field records where available, and pictured alongside some of the objects with which they were originally found (primarily those held in British museums). Many similar items in other catalogues are often featured as ‘masterpieces of art’; it is refreshing to see such pieces framed as part of sets. A notable example is provided by the elegant Old Kingdom wooden statuettes of Meryrahashtef from Sedment, one of which is in Copenhagen while most of the remaining assemblage is housed in the British Museum. Also very successful is the depiction of the chapel of Nefert at Meydum, with the various fragments now in different museums clearly highlighted. Three brief sections precede the central catalogue. The first introduces the Glyptotek’s founders – Carl Jacobsen and Valdemar Schmidt – together with the museum’s first assistant, Maria Mogensen, and the nearby National Museum. The second chapter provides a succinct overview both of Petrie’s life and of some of the students whose careers he helped to launch. The final section draws on correspondence held in the Glyptotek’s own archives to provide further biographical detail on the acquisition of artefacts. These offer a lively insight into the competitive
ARCHAEOLOGY
Bookshelf
jostling amongst institutions for the finest pieces which they could display in their own galleries from those objects exhibited at Petrie’s post-season exhibitions in London. The Glyptotek’s early desire for larger monuments rather than ‘trifling antiquities’ is evident from these letters and Jacobsen’s wealth ensured that Copenhagen could secure a striking collection. These opening chapters relate important and intriguing background information, which is presented in a very straightforward manner. However, the narrative is, on occasion, perhaps overly colloquial and the final section ends somewhat abruptly. More satisfying for the reader might have been a closing summary statement. Nevertheless, this does not detract from the marvellous production quality of this volume and Bagh’s meticulous research highlights the great potential that still exists for enriching our understanding of collections procured over a century ago. ALICE STEVENSON John H Taylor, Egyptian Mummies. British Museum Press, London 2010 (ISBN 978 0 7141 5058 1). Price: £9.99. Released to coincide with the British Museum’s acclaimed temporary exhibition about the Book of the Dead, this publication provides a concise but extensive insight into many aspects of ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs and practices. Chapter 1 explains how mummification was regarded as a means of enabling the deceased to attain the afterlife and thus ensure personal immortality, and describes how the study of mummies can provide information about life expectancy, health, disease, nutrition and embalming techniques which are not generally available in inscriptional or pictorial sources. The author shows how the Egyptian belief in an afterlife was closely associated with a complex interpretation of the human personality, and how their distinctive burial customs, defined by the practice of mummification, were an important demonstration of the Egyptian collective identity. In Chapter 2 Dr Taylor looks at the technical
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procedure and historical development of mummification, explaining how the funerary rituals cleansed the deceased of the impurities associated with death, and raised him to a sanctified status. The evidence for mummification - Egyptian and Greek literary accounts and preserved human remains - is discussed, and the preparation of the mummy is explained, along with interesting insights into the embalmers’ working practices, including errors and carelessness which radiography has only recently revealed. Jewellery provided important magical protection for the deceased and Chapter 3 describes the range and symbolism of the various amulets that adorned the body, and explains how funerary jewellery attracted robbers who often destroyed mummies in their quest for treasure. The fourth chapter traces the historical development of coffins, including the diversity of styles for royalty and commoners and how changes in coffin design reflected developments in mummification. Chapter 5 looks at the religious rituals which accompanied mummification and burial, and the role of the tomb, not simply as a place of burial but as an eternal bridge between the worlds of the living and the resurrected dead. The structure of the tomb is explained, and the arrangements for ensuring a perpetual supply of food offerings for the deceased. The various mechanisms employed to gain access to the next world are considered, including the requirement to possess sacred jewellery and funerary spells such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts or Book of the Dead, as well as the importance of a satisfactory assessment by the divine judges at the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony. The chapter concludes with a survey of the various concepts of the Egyptian afterlife. Chapter 6 summarises some important aspects of animal cults and mummification, particularly the association between animals and gods, and the four main types of animal mummification. Radiography has sometimes revealed unexpected contents within animal mummies, and has provided insights into religious practises such as periodic animal culls