Jaromir Malek

The discovery of ancient Egypt and the development of Egyptology are momentous events in intellectual and cultural history. The history of Egyptology is the story of the people, famous and obscure, who constructed the picture of ancient Egypt that we have today, recovered the Egyptian past while inventing it anew, and made a lost civilization comprehensible to generations of enchanted readers and viewers thousands of years later. This, the first of a three-volume survey of the history of Egyptology, follows the fascination with ancient Egypt from antiquity until 1881, tracing the recovery of ancient Egypt and its impact on the human imagination in a saga filled with intriguing mysteries, great discoveries, and scholarly creativity. Wonderful Things affirms that the history of ancient Egypt has proved continually fascinating, but it also demonstrates that the history of Egyptology is no less so. Only by understanding how Egyptology has developed can we truly understand the Egyptian past.

A definitive and richly illustrated account of cats in Egyptian life, religion, and art True aristocrat of domestic animals, the cat has a distinguished ancestry. Most modern cats are thought to be descended from the cats of ancient Egypt, so these beautiful and engaging creatures represent a living link between ancient Egyptian civilization and our own times. Wild cats were probably domesticated at least as early as 2000 BC, but they were regularly represented in Egyptian tomb paintings only some 500 years later, in the New Kingdom. The cat became one of the most important and highly esteemed animals in Egypt, revered as a manifestation of the goddess Bastet. Representations of cats are found in painting, sculpture, papyri, jewellry, ostraca and coffins throughout Egypt, and large numbers of mummified cats were buried during the Late Period. Drawing on this vast range of sources, Jaromir Malek examines the significance of cats in Egyptian life, religion, and art. With 90 color and 21 black and white illustrations.

Cats can be seen in ancient Egyptian homes, temples and adorning the heads of their gods. Cats in Egypt were probably domesticated by around 4,000 BC from wild ancestors. Over the following centuries, they became popular household pets. In this book, Dr Malek draws on a vast range of artistic and written sources to show how cats became one of the most widely esteemed and revered animals in Egypt.

English summary: The wild cat was domesticated as early as 2000 BC, but became an essential, respected, and venerated subject of Egyptian culture only 500 years later. Drawing on a large number of sources -- written, archaeological, and material -- Jaromir Malek examines the importance of the cat in Egyptian life, religion, and art. French description: Aristocrate inconteste des animaux domestiques, le chat peut etre fier de ses glorieux ancetres. La plupart des chats que nous connaissons aujourd'hui sont consideres comme les descendants des felins egyptiens, constituant ainsi un lien vivant entre l'Egypte des Pharaons et le monde contemporain. Le chat sauvage fut domestique des 2000 av. J.-C. mais ne devint un sujet essentiel des fresques funeraires egyptiennes que cinq cents ans plus tard, sous le Nouvel Empire. Venere comme manifestation de la deesse Bastet, cette noble et engageante creature fut l'un des animaux les plus importants et les plus estimes d'Egypte. On en trouve des representations dans la peinture, la sculpture, les papyrus, les bijoux, les ostraca et les sarcophages dans toute l'Egypte, et nombre de chats momifies furent enterres pendant la Basse Epoque. S'appuyant sur cette grande diversite de sources, Jaromir Malek examine l'importance du chat dans la vie, la religion et l'art egyptien. "Le livre incontournable sur le chat dans l'Egypte ancienne." - Cats"Une etude qui ouvrira de nouveaux horizons aux amoureux des chats." - Financial Times

Ancient Egypt has been a source of fascination for many civilizations. For centuries, grave robbers and archaeologists have attempted to plunder the hidden treasures of the tombs of the Pharaohs; then, on 26 November 1922, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon discovered the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The stories that have since grown up around the discovery of the tomb and of the boy king who lay undisturbed for over 3,000 years have become legendary and continue to fire imaginations around the world. "The Treasures of Tutankhamum" puts Tutankhamun's short life into context by describing and explaining the complexities of life in Ancient Egypt and details the actual discovery and original expedition, drawing on the personal archives of Howard Carter himself.

During the five centuries of Egyptian history known as Old Kingdom, the ancient Egyptians first realized their aspirations and developed the most advanced civilization of their time. The Old Kingdom was an era of prosperity, stability, and confidence. For many people, the pyramids and tombs, stelae and statues of the Old Kingdom epitomize Egyptian civilization, and most books on Egypt are based on description of these monuments. Jaromir Malek and Werner Forman's approach is fundamentally different, however. In this book they present a complete picture of ancient Egyptian society, placing the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom in the context of climate and geography, art and industry, politics and economy - examining all the factors that shaped daily life. Malek shows, in fascinating detail, that every aspect of Egyptian life was bound up with religion and that the Egyptians lived, both literally and metaphorically, ""in the shadow of the pyramids.""Werner Forman's 120 stunning color photographs of the monuments, works of art, and landscapes of the Old Kingdom bring to life the world of ancient Egypt. Incorporating the latest scholarship, an original approach to the subject, and Forman's exceptional illustrations, In the Shadow of the Pyramids is a major addition to the literature on ancient Egypt.