Bookshelf
Bob Brier, Cleopatra’s Needles: The Lost Obelisks of Egypt Bloomsbury, 2016 ISBN 978 1 474 24293 6 Price: £19.99
Salima Ikram, Divine Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt AUC Press, 2015 ISBN 978 977 416 696 9 Price: £16.95
It has been nearly forty years since the last book on Cleopatra’s Needles, so we were well overdue for a new one. Despite its title, however, Bob Brier’s book does not confine itself to the two obelisks usually known by this name, those now in London and New York, but sets itself the ambitious task of covering all of the obelisks outside Egypt, what Erik Iversen called the ‘obelisks in exile’, as well as how they were originally quarried and moved, in only 238 pages. Published as one of the Bloomsbury Egyptology series, it is well produced, on good quality paper and with plenty of well-chosen illustrations. The sections covering the original quarrying of obelisks and their transportation and erection in Egypt are strong on the practical aspects of these processes, as are those on transporting the obelisks now in Paris and New York, and moving the Vatican obelisk within Rome. However, coverage of the obelisks outside Egypt is not comprehensive, and there are curious omissions. The Istanbul obelisk is briefly mentioned, but it is surprising that there is no mention of the obelisk from Philae now at Kingston Lacy in Dorset, the first moved out of Egypt since ancient times, which also played an impor t ant par t in the decipherment of hieroglyphic script. The chapter on Rome’s obelisks omits those now in Urbino and Florence, and fails to mention the Lateran obelisk, the largest surviving Egyptian obelisk.
Bearing in mind how many obelisks ther e ar e in Rome , i t is per haps understandable that coverage of some of them is short. Still, it is disappointing that the section on the London obelisk is very brief compared to those in New York and Paris. It focuses on the final and successful campaign to bring it to England, although the first attempt in 1802 is covered very briefly in the chapter on the Luxor obelisk taken to Paris. Brier commendably recognises the major financial commitment made to the transpor t of Cleopatra’s Needle by John Dixon, and the role of Benjamin Baker in the design of the obelisk barge in which it was transported, as well as the so-called ‘Battle of the Sites’ over where it should be placed, but again there are some surprising omissions. There is no mention of the role of General Sir James Alexander, who campaigned for eight years to bring the fallen obelisk at Alexandria to London, even though one of the illustrations (Figure 5.1) actually shows Alexander inspecting the Needle in Alexandria. There is also no mention of the Metropolitan Board of Works, which played a crucial role in the siting of the Needle. Overall, despite its somewhat misleading title and lack of detail in a number of areas, this is an attractive and very accessible title which should particularly appeal to a non-specialist readership. CHRIS ELLIOTT
This paperback edition, released ten years after the original publication, focuses on the four types of animal mummies from ancient Egypt: pets, food (victual) mummies, sacred animals and votive mummies – classifications now accepted by scholars the world over. Ikram describes, in detail, her research experiments to produce animal mummies, ref lecting techniques mentioned by Herodotus for the preparation of human cadavers and using information gleaned from her interpretation of the animal mummies themselves. The scope of the publication is strengthened by the addition of six chapters by specialist contributors based upon specific archaeological sites and animal species found in the mummy record. These chapters are well-written and informative, providing valuable insights into the complexities of animal mummification and of fer ing sound, thought-provok ing archaeological, theological and scientific analysis. Ikram’s closing chapter summarises her pioneering research on the animal mummy collections of the Cairo Museum which ultimately led to their re-interpretation and re-display. Greatly limited by the facilities available to study the artefacts in Egypt at the time, her interpretations rely solely on X-rays which, while useful, yield limited
information. The application of more advanced imaging technology would build upon these initial findings, bringing research on the Cairo collection in line with that conducted by Ikram and others elsewhere. Ikram begins the brief postscript by stating that the study of animal mummies has ‘moved more into the mainstream of Egyptology’ since the original publication. This is certainly true, due to an increased awareness of the material itself and the heightened interest in the subject. It is perhaps slightly disappointing that the postscript is as brief as it is, as there are many projects currently underway (and indeed completed and published) that merit m e n t i o n . U n d e r s t a n d a b l y, I k r a m concentrates on those of which she has first-hand knowledge. Although a reprint rather than a new edition, selected new information has been added either in the text or as footnotes throughout. A more thorough review of the recent publications would have proved useful and would have helped to update the publication in the light of recent research. Still, the volume remains the ‘goto’ book on the subject. It conveys the many reasons behind and techniques used for animal mummification and provides a starting point for further reading. LIDIJA McKNIGHT
EGYPTIAN ARCHAEOLOGY ISSUE NO 49 AUTUMN 2016
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