E. A. Wallis Budge

First Published in 2001. Everywhere that excavations of ancient sites, temples and tombs have been carried out, the objects most frequently brought to light are amulets and talismans. The use of these objects is not confined to anyone place, people and period - they are universal, reflecting a belief in magic which is as old as humankind and continues today. Amulets and talismans have always been used for protection against enemies and the evil eye, to attract love and to cast spells of all kinds. This remarkable work – both scholarly and highly readable - contains the original texts with translations and descriptions of key Egyptian, Sumerian, Assyrian, Hebrew, Christian, Gnostic and Muslim amulets and magical devices and figures. Among the subjects dealt with are ring amulets; the protective and therapeutic qualities of gemstones; the importance of colour, shape and form in amulets; the Kabbalistic names and signs, stones of the planets and their influences, mystical numbers, lucky and unlucky days and contracts with the devil. This is a rich resource for all those interested in ancient wisdom and timeless practices.

First published in 2005. This text, the first English translation of the Ethiopic version of a Christianized Buddhist legend, will certainly be of interest to any reader with a penchant for the unusual or an appetite for the abstruse. The book also contains descriptions of numerous other versions of the story, including Syriac, Hebrew and Western European. Budge's clear, literal translation is a delight to read and is supplemented by numerous illustrations.

Bishop Thomas entered the monastery of Beth Abhe Church in the year of 832 and subsequently became an influential and important figure in the early church. This work was written at the request of a young monk, who had urged Bishop Thomas to record for posterity the lives of the most famous monks of Beth Abhe. As a result we get a threaded together series of events, stories and personal histories, which show how monks and early monasticism existed on a day-to-day, and individual-to individual basis. A truly remarkable and indispensable work for those interested in the spiritual life of any religion but particularly early Christianity.

First published in 2008. This encyclopaedic work on ancient Egypt was specially commissioned by Thomas Cook for their Egyptian tours. Today, it is unrivalled as a reliable general source for those interested in any aspect of Egypt, including early excavations, the Nile, Egyptian writing, ancient buildings, cities and kings.

This is a complete English translation of the famous Ethiopian work The Kebra Nagast - The Glory of the Kings of Ethiopia. Complied by a Coptic priest in the 6th century AD from much older material, The Kebra Nagast is a remarkable mixture of legends and traditions, some historical and some of a mythic quality, derived from the Old Testament and the later Rabbinic writings and from Egyptian (both pagan and Christian), Arabian and Ethiopian sources. The principle theme is the descent of the Kings of Ethiopia from the union of Solomon, King of Israel, and the Queen of Sheba. Woven through the story are many important narratives, including prophecies in the Old Testament that concern the Messiah as applied to Jesus Christ, the history of the rebel angels, and legends of Solomon and the Queen of Sheba in the Koran.

First published in 2005. The present work contains the text of the great Syriac "Book of Medicines", edited from a manuscript in my possession, in an English translation of the same, with Introduction, Index. The first section of the Book of Medicines consists of Lectures upon Human Anatomy, Pathology, and Therapeutics, to each of which is added a series of prescriptions of the most detailed character, which the author recommends to be administered in the treatment of the various diseases described in the Lecture preceding. this is here published for the first time.

First published in 2005. Written by eminent Egyptologist, E. A. Wallis Budge, this work addresses Egyptian religion and mythology in all of its manifestations, from times when earth, sea air and shy were filled with hostile spirits and men lived in terror of the Evil Eye, to the moment when Egyptians hailed Amen-Ra as their one god. Topics include the predynastic cults, magic, gods (cosmic, stellar, borrowed and foreign), Memphite theology, judgement of the dead, and the underworld. Important hymns and legends, in English translation are included.

The Book of the DeadAn Ancient Egyptian Funerary d104E. A. Wallis BudgeFULLY ILLUSTRATEDThe Book of the Dead is an ancient Egyptian funerary text, used from the beginning of the New Kingdom (around 1550 BCE) to around 50 BCE. The original Egyptian name for the text, transliterated rw nw prt m hrw is translated as Book of Coming Forth by Day. Another translation would be Book of emerging forth into the Light. "Book" is the closest term to describe the loose collection of texts consisting of a number of magic spells intended to assist a dead person's journey through the Duat, or underworld, and into the afterlife and written by many priests over a period of about 1000 years. The Book of the Dead was part of a tradition of funerary texts which includes the earlier Pyramid d104s and Coffin d104s, which were painted onto objects, not papyrus. Some of the spells included were drawn from these older works and date to the 3rd millennium BCE. Other spells were composed later in Egyptian history, dating to the Third Intermediate Period (11th to 7th centuries BCE). A number of the spells which made up the Book continued to be inscribed on tomb walls and sarcophagi, as had always been the spells from which they originated. The Book of the Dead was placed in the coffin or burial chamber of the deceased. There was no single or canonical Book of the Dead. The surviving papyri contain a varying selection of religious and magical texts and vary considerably in their illustration. Some people seem to have commissioned their own copies of the Book of the Dead, perhaps choosing the spells they thought most vital in their own progression to the afterlife. The Book of the Dead was most commonly written in hieroglyphic or hieratic script on a papyrus scroll, and often illustrated with vignettes depicting the deceased and their journey into the afterlife. Table of ContentsThe Preservation of the Mummified Body in the Tomb by Thoth. The Book Per-t em hru, or The Chapters of] Coming forth by (or, into) the Day, commonly called the "Book of the Dead." Thoth, the Author of the Book of the Dead. Thoth and Osiris. Osiris as Judge of the Dead and King of the Under World. The Judgment of Osiris. The Kingdom of Osiris. A Short Description of the "Doors" or Chapters of the Book of the Dead. Note.

This is the second volume of Sir E. A. Wallis Budge’s narrative account of Ethiopian history, and continues the chronicle of the Kings of Abyssinia where the first volume ended: the death of Lebna Dengel in 1540. The list of kings ends with the Regent Ras Tafari, who still reigned at the time of first publication in 1928. Thereafter, the author devotes considerable attention to an overview of the cultural, social and political idiosyncrasies of the Ethiopian people: literature, spells and magic, architecture, ethnography, the alphabet, and a wide range of other engrossing topics. This material complements the narrative history, helping to situate the deeds of the kings and the fortunes of their people in a broader context.

This is the second of three volumes, first published in 1906, which explore the Egyptian theology of the afterlife. It contains the complete hieroglyphic text of the short form of the Åm-Tuat and of the Book of Gates, with translations and reproductions of all the illustrations. In the Book of Gates the doctrines of the sophisticated cult of Osiris are prominent: they affirm that the beatified live for ever in the kingdom of Osiris, and feed daily upon his eternal body. The object of all the Books of the Other World was to provide the dead with a ‘guide’ or ‘handbook,’ containing a description of the regions through which their souls would have to pass on their way to the Kingdom of Osiris, and which would supply them with the words of power and magical names necessary for an unimpeded journey from this world to the next.

This is the third of three volumes exploring some of the most remarkable insights into Ancient Egypt to have come to light in modern times. The first two volumes deal with the Rosetta Stone, an outstanding archaeological discovery which has supplied the basis for Egyptian decipherment; the final volume explores the "Stele of Canopus", discovered in 1866. The Decree inscribed on the Stele of Canopus was passed at a general Council of Egyptian priests, setting forth the good deeds of Ptolemy III, and enumerating the benefits that he and his wife Berenice had conferred upon Egypt. Yet, the real significance of the Stele is that, like the Rosetta Stone, the text is inscribed in Hieroglyphic, Greek and Demotic Egyptian. First published in 1904, this reissue provides an accessible general introduction to this fascinating subject, particularly useful for the amateur enthusiast as well as undergraduate students.

This is the first of three volumes exploring some of the most remarkable insights into Ancient Egypt to have come to light in modern times. The first two volumes deal with the Rosetta Stone, an outstanding archaeological discovery that has supplied the basis for Egyptian decipherment; the final volume explores the "Stele of Canopus", discovered in 1866. The significance of the Rosetta Stone lies in the three different languages that are inscribed onto it: Koine Greek, Demotic Egyptian, and, crucially, Hieroglyphic. This has facilitated a vast increase in our understanding of the sacred language of Ancient Egypt, as well as enhancing our understanding of the nature of kingship at a time of immense cultural transformation. First published in 1904, this reissue provides an accessible general introduction to this fascinating subject, useful for the amateur enthusiast as well as undergraduate students.

The recital of The Book of Opening the Mouth and the Liturgy of Funerary Offerings were in use among the Predynastic Egyptians of the later part of the Neolithic Period, before the art of writing had evolved, and continued to exercise a considerable influence on Egyptian religious literature until the time of Roman Empire. The ceremonies were believed to enable the spiritual elements of the deceased to continue their existence. The object of the formulae was the reconstitution of the body and the restoration to it of the heart-soul (‘Ba’). This is the first volume of The Book of Opening the Mouth, first published in 1909, which is edited from three copies written in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-sixth Dynasties respectively. It is believed they describe faithfully the forms of the rites which originated among the indigenous inhabitants of the Nile Valley.

Containing a comprehensive dictionary of hieroglyphs to all the texts of the Theban Recension of the Book of the Dead, and also to most of the supplementary Chapters of the Saïte and Graeco-Roman period that are usually appended to it, this volume will prove to be a staple part of a rounded appreciation of Ancient Egyptian literature. First published in 1911, the index includes all English equivalents to the Egyptian words. Phonetic values for each symbol are provided, the arrangement of the words and their various forms is arranged alphabetically throughout, and each hieroglyph is printed clearly: a user-friendly and concise tool for all enthusiasts, students and researchers.

This is the second of three volumes exploring some of the most remarkable insights into Ancient Egypt to have come to light in modern times. The first two volumes deal with the Rosetta Stone, an outstanding archaeological discovery which has supplied the basis for Egyptian decipherment; the final volume explores the "Stele of Canopus", discovered in 1866. The significance of the Rosetta Stone lies in the three different languages inscribed on it: Koine Greek, Demotic Egyptian, and, crucially, Hieroglyphic. This has facilitated a vast increase in our understanding of the sacred language of Ancient Egypt, as well as enhancing our understanding of the nature of kingship at a time of immense cultural transformation. First published in 1904, this title provides an accessible general introduction to this fascinating subject, useful for the amateur enthusiast as well as undergraduate students.

This is the third of three volumes, first published in 1906, which treat the Egyptian theology of the afterlife. The first volume contains the complete hieroglyphic text of the Book Åm-?uat, with translations and reproductions of all the illustrations; the second, the hieroglyphic text of the short form of the Åm-Tuat and the Book of Gates. This volume explores the origin of the Books of the Other World, highlighting and comparing the most remarkable features, with prefatory remarks and a full index to the whole work. The object of all the Books of the Other World was to provide the dead with a ‘guide’ or ‘handbook,’ containing a description of the regions through which their souls would have to pass on their way to the Kingdom of Osiris, and which would supply them with the words of power and magical names necessary for an unimpeded journey from this world to the next.

This is the first of three volumes, first published in 1906, which explore the Egyptian theology of the afterlife. It contains the complete hieroglyphic text of the Book Åm-Tuat, with translations and reproductions of all the illustrations. This text, at least in the form that we have it, was produced by the priests of Åmen-Ra at Thebes, with the intention of demonstrating that their god was the overlord of all the gods, and the supreme power in the universe. The object of all the Books of the Other World was to provide the dead with a ‘guide’ or ‘handbook,’ containing a description of the regions through which their souls would have to pass on their way to the Kingdom of Osiris, and which would supply them with the words of power and magical names necessary for an unimpeded journey from this world to the next.

This, the first volume of Sir E. A. Wallis Budge’s The History of Ethiopia: Abyssinia and Nubia, first published in 1928, presents an account of Ethiopian history from the earliest legendary and mythic records up until the death of King Lebna Dengel in 1540. Using a vast range of sources – Greek and Roman reports, Biblical passages, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Ethiopian chronicles – an enthralling narrative history is presented with clarity. This reissue will be of particular interest to students of Ancient Egyptian culture, religion and history.