Volume 4, Number I - February 1993

THE OSTRACON

EGYPTIANSTUDYS O CIETY

ESS ADVISORY COMMITTEEDr. Donald Ryan Dr. J. Donald Hughes

ESS STAFF LIAISONDr. Roben Pickering

TEE OSTMCON is published quarterly by mombers of the EglptianStudy Sooiety. The ESS, e support group ofthe DENVER MUSEUM OFNATURAI HISToRY, is a non-profit orgonization whos purpose is tostudy ancient Eg)pt. Articles are contributod by members on a voluntarybasis, Membcr participation is encouraged. Nothing may be printed inwhole or in ps.t without writted permission.

@1993 Egyptian Study Society

Publication ofTItE OSTMCON is supported by a grarlt fromTHE PEIW FOANDATION

@ Drl|| Int

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE ARTICLE1 Revisiting Ramses II

by Dr. J. Donald Hughes5 The Oriental Instilute Museum

by Mary Vaught7 The Book ofAm-Duat

by Joan Mner8 Lecture Notes:

Tut: Why llas He So Famous?by Bartara Becker

The First Intermediate Periodby Dorothy Lovely

l0 House of ScrollsTravel Guides

by Richard HarwoodTV Review

by Graeme Davis

Elizabeth ClarkJudy creertfieldSandy KernsDavid Pepper

Fnnk PetteeMary PratchettCheryl PreyrJill Taylor

PI'BIICATIONS COMMITTEE

f

REMEMBERING RAMSESOUR FAVORITE PIIARAOH

by Dr. J. Donald Hughes

About the Author: Dr. Donald Hughes, Professor ofAncient History at the University of Denver, has been apopular lecturer at a number of ESS meetings. He hastaught a number of classes at the DMNH including theRamses II Interpreters' Class for that exhibit. Don hastraveled extensively while conducting research for hismany boolcs and articles including trips to India,Greece, Russia, and Finland in just this last year! Hislatest book, PAN'S TRAVAIL, concerningenvironmental problems of ancient Greece and Rome,will be released this fall. Don has also been very octivein the ESS.

Ramses II is often called "Ramses the Great." It could besaid with good reason that he was the greatest pharaohever to reign in Egypt. When he was bom, few peoplewould have thought he would ever rule the country sincehe was only the son of a general who was not even amember of tlre royal family. When Ramses was eightyears old, the pharaoh, Horemheb, died without heirs,shortly after appointing Ramses' grandfather, Pramesse,as his successor. Pramesse took the name Ramses I andbecame the founder of the lgth Dyrqsty but died after areign of less than two years. Suddenly, young Ramses'father, Seti I, was pharaoh and he was next in line for thethrone. He had an older brother who died as an infant, anolder sister, Tija (but girls rarely inherited power inEgypt), and a younger sister, Hentrnira.

Ramses' father, Seti, and mother, Tuya, lived in a palacenear ths eastern edge of the Delta, a rich agriculturalregion famous for its delicious wines, where their familyoriginated. The favorite local god was Set, one of themost powerful of the many gods of Egypt, and Seti wasnamed after him. This northem province was the closestpart of Eg]?t to Canaan (Palestine) and Syria

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where eadier pharaohs had made great conquests over thepreceding two centuries. These lands were important toEgypt as a source of fine timber and other products thatEgypt lacked. However, there was trouble brewing then,just as in modem times. The inhabitants were impatientwith Egyptian rule, and the powerful Hittite Empire to thenorth was eager to take advantage of this ald makeconquests of its own. The Hittites were not the onlyenemies to threaten Seti's kingdom, however. TheLibyans often made raids on Egypt out of the westmdesert, and the Nubians kept constant pressure on thesouthem border, far up the Nile.1

Seti wanted Ramses to be a great warrior, like himselfand his father, so young Ramses was made an honorarycommander-in-chief and taken into battle against theLibyans when he was only 15. Soon afterwards, Ramseswent with his father to Syria and saw him capture themighty city of Kadesh. Then, at the age of 17, Ramseswas officially declared Crown Prince and received theformal names he would later use as pharaoh. He marriedthe beautiful young woman, Nefertari, who remained hisfavonte wife throughout her lifetime. In her honor, hehad hierogllphs painted that described her as "possessorof charm, sweetness, and love," and declared that "for hersake tle very sun does shine!" Since it was the customfor princes to marry more than one wife, Ramses alsomarried Istnofret. When his father died, Ramses alreadyhad at least five sons and two daughters. He was also areal commander by then, trusted with the defense of theDelta coast against the pirates who roamed theMediterranean Sea. He had led an army into Nubia,taking two of his young sons with him.

Ramses was 25 years old when his father died (1230BCE). He had the sad duty of laying his mummy to restin the finest tomb in the Valley of the Kings andcompleting a memorial temple to Seti in Abydos, a placesacred to the god Osiris, protector ofthe dead. Ramses IIwas now king of Egypt, a living god, and Nefertari wasQueen and First Wife. A stone sculptur shows tJre newpharaoh making an offering to the god Amun, kneelinglow amid leaves of the sacred ished-tree, each onesupposedly inscribed with the pharaoh's name at hiscoronatioh by Seshat, goddess of libraries. Kings ofEglpt had absolute power, but they were supposed tofollow the principles that govemed even gods and treattheir people fairly. As a hieroglyphic text advised: "Dojustice while you endure upon the earth." Tlie new kingand queen made their first public appeamnce in Thebes atthe great Festival of Opet, a three-week celebration heldin September, where they heard a h)'mn chanted by thepriests in honor of Amun-Re, greatest god of Egmt;

Splendidly you gleam, O Amun-Re,All your lolk honor you:AII of Egtpt celebrates,As your oldest Son and Heir brings you to Thebes.Let him rule forever over the Two Lands,May his years always be peaceful.Grunt him life, health, and plosperiA,Grant him to arise gloliously as the Joyful Ruler...

Soon hosts ofpeople were busy all over Egypt as Ramseswas determined to become famous as a builder. One ofhis obelisks says, with pardonable exaggeration, "He

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makes monuments as innumerable as the stars of heaven. "More of his works survive than those of any otherpharaoh, and his name was inscribed on many otherswhich belonged to eiirlier pharaohs; sometimes he erasedtheir names and replaced them with his ownl Among theprojects of his early years were the impressive Hall ofColumns at Kamak begun by Seti I, the forecourt atLuxor with its obelisks and statues of Ramses II. and thefortress-temple-palace complex in westem Thebes nowcalled the Ramesseum. These monuments show that heclosely identified himself with the sun-god Re and usedsun s]rynbolism to attract the deep psychological loyaltyof his people. The largest of all his constructions weretwo rock-cut temples in the cliffs at Abu Simbel: theTemple of Amun-Re and Ramses with its four identicalstatues ofthe pharaoh, each 67 feet high, with shoulders25 feet broad and weighing 1,200 tons; and the Temple ofHathor (goddess of love) and Nefertari, smaller but stillvery impressive.

In addition, Ramses also ordered the construction of awhole new capital city for Egypt at Avaris near hisbirthplace in the eastern DElta. It was named Pi-RamsesA-nakhtr.- "Domain of Ramses Great-of-Victories."Today it has almost disappeared, but archeologists haverecovered glazed tiles with painted mullet fish ftom thecharming, airy palace, part of a scene of gardens andponds. The scribe Pebesa described the city:

Pi-Rmnses is a city where it is beautiful to live. Itis in a land full of every good thing. Its lakes arertil of fsh, its marshes throng with birds. hsmeadows are green with plants. Its orchards havepomegrawtes, apples, olives, and fgs; itsvineyards bear sweet wine. Its bees make the besthoney. Ships sail in and out ofits harbor, so thereis always food to eat. Happiness dvells inside it.Even the poor in it ale like the rich anywhere else.Let us celebrate its holy festivals. Live here, behappy, and walk around freely without everleaving it, O Ramses, you who are a God.

The Bible notes that among the laborers on Ramses' newcity were Israelites. These Hebrews were probably thenliving in the eastem Delta and were hired or drafted toshare in brick-making for "Pithom and Ramses (Pi-Ramses)" (Exodus l:l l). Ramses' own inscriptions boastof his kindness to his workmen. but the Bible says theEgyptians made the lives of the children of Israel "bitterwith hard service" (l:14). The Architect May, who wasin charge of building Pi-Ramses, could have been theoverseer who oppressed the Israelites. Histonans don'tknow exactly when the Hebrews left Egypt. However, an

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inscription of Ramses' son, Memeptah, from 1208 BCE,mentions the name of Israel, indicating that they hadarrived in Canaal by that time.

Ramses could not limit his activities to prolific buildingand found himself driven to prepare for war as well. Hedeeply resented the fact that the Hittites had taken theSyrian city of Kadesh not long after he had seen Seticapture it, and he warted to take it back. Ramses led anarmy north to Phoenicia (now Lebanon) and capturedAmumr, a city that controlled the road to Kadesh. Thiswas enough for one campaign. But word reachedMuwatallis, the Hittite king, and he began to gatler anarmy to oppose the Egyptian advance. He quicklyassembled 2,500 chariots and 37,000 men.

The next year (1275 BCE) was Ramses' fifth as pharaoh,and the year of his greatest battle. He divided theEglptian force in two. He sent a small force up thecoast, and he himself went inland with four divisions ofabout 5,000 men each, named after four Egyptian gods:Amun, Re, Ptah, and Seth. As they approached Kadesh,Muwatallis fooled Ramses by sending him tribesmen whofalsely reported that the Hittite arny was far to the north.Actually, it was hiding behind the walled city. Ramsesbrought the Amun division west ofKadesh, where they camped. TheEg)?tians then captured Hittitespies, who revealed how close theenemy was. Ramses sent messagesto the rest ofhis divisions to hurry,but it was too late. The Hittitechariots charged in a surpnseattack, scattering the division of Reand smashing into Ramses' camp.The division ofAmun also began toflee rn panic. Ramses saw tlat hisonly hope of victory, or even ofsuwival, depended on rallying asmany of his troops as possible. Hedid so and managed to hold off theHittite chariots until the secondEgyptian force arrived from thecoast and the division of Pta}finally caught up. The Hittiteswere pushed back across theOrontes River, which flowed nearthe city. The next day, Ramsesattacked the Hittites, but theyoutnumbered the Eglptians, andthe result rvas a stalemate. A trucewas called, and Ramses and his army retumed to Eglptwithout capturing Kadesh.

I

Several of Ramses' great monuments bear relief carvingsand inscriptions describing the Battle of Kadesh as agrcat victory in which the pharaoh had single-handedlydestroyed his foes. The hieroglyphs depict Ramses assaying, "All foreign lands are my subjects, [the god]placed my border at the limits of heaven." In fact, overthe next few years, the Hittites conquered more of Eglpt'snorthem possessions, while a new power, Assyria, tookadvantage of both the other kingdoms to grab all theterritory east of the Euphrates River. Ramses led morecampaigns in Canaan and Syria which strengthenedEglpt's position there, but the northem frontier remainedin danger.

Ten years after the Kadesh battle, Hattushilis III becamethe king of the Hittites, and Ramses found him open tonegotiations. Ramses was then in his forties andexperience had made him wiser; he was willing to gain bypeaceful means what he had failed to win by war. Boththe Egpptians and the Hittites were afraid of theadvancing Assyrians. ln 1259 BCE, Ramses andFlattushilis signed the first intemational peac treatybetween independent powers that has survived.Archeologists have found both Egptian and Hittitcopies of the treaty; the Hittite copies were written inAkkadian, the intemational language of diplomacy at thetime. The treaty provided for permanent peace betweenthe two great empires and established an alliance in whichthe two kings recognized each other as "brothers" andpromised that they would continue to observe the treatywitlr each other's sons. They each gu,ranteed the other'sterritories in a mutual non-aggression pact and pledged todefend one another against any attack by a third power.Their ships would be welcome in each other's ports, andanyone who fled from one kingdom to the other would beextradited, but promised humane treatment. Finally, thegods of Egypt and the Hittite Empire were invoked aswitnesses. This treaty was never broken during the restof Ramses' very long reign.

In his 24th year as pharaoh (1256 BCE), Ramses traveledup the Nile with Nefertari to dedicate the completedtemples at Abu Simbel. He performed impressiveceremonies in front of the four huge statues of himself,and that moment may be said to be the zenith of his reign.But in the following year, tragedy struck the king

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Queen Nefertari died. The queen mother, Tuya, hadpassed away only thre years before, having survived herhusband by 22 ye,ars, during which time she was apowerful presence at the royal court. Even earlier,Ramses' first-bom son, Amem-hir-khopshf, who servedin the Battle of Kadesh, and at least three other sons haddied. Ramses lived until the age of 92, and it must have3

been a great sorrow for him to see so many of his wivesand children die before him. Memeptah, who wouldsucceed him as pharaoh, was his 13th son. Istnofret diedn 1246 BCE, and Ramses' sister and daughter thenpresided over the royal household as "first ladies."

The 30th year of a pharaoh, if he survived that long, wascelebrated as his firstjubilee: a renewal ofthe reign and arecognition of the king's vigor and continuing life.Ramses' first jubilee was held in 1250 BCE, and thepresiding priest was his son Khaemwaset, who had madea careful study of ancient rituals. Khaemwaset, highpriest of Ptah, was the first archeologist in Egptianhistory. A scholar and philosopher, he possessed, saidK.A. Kitchen, "intellectual quality, avid mastery ofreading and writing, a penchant for religion, theology,magic and the scribal ads." He investigated the pyramidsand caused the names of their builders to be inscribed onthem and originated the burial place of the sacred bulls atSakkara. From Ramses' 5fth to 55th regnal years,Khaemwaset was the heir apparent to the throne and, upto the time of his death, took charge of Ramses' jubilees,which were celebrated every three years after the first.His father survived him; Ramses lived long enough for 13jubilees, the greatest number ever for an Eglptianpharaoh. However, the year after his first one, a terribleomen occurred: an earthquake struck Nubia and the headand upper body of the second of the four great statues atAbu Simbel collapsed. Egyptian technologJ was notequal to the task of raising it back into place, so itremained in its fallen position.

Ramses' attention tumed once again to the north, and hdecided to cement the good relations with the Hittites bymarrylng a daughter of King Hattushilis. The Hittiteprincess left for Egypt with a huge dowry of animals,slaves, gold, and jewels. When she arrived, she wasgiven a splendid marriage and the very Eglptian name,Ma'at-Hor-Neferura. Sadly, she died seven years later,but Ramsss renewed the alliance by marrying heryounger sister. To show the friendship of tlre twoempires, the crown prince of the Hittites came on a statevisit to Egpt in Ramses' 36th year as king (1244 BCE).It was the hope of both rulers that Hattushilis himselfwould come to Eglpt, but he died before that couldhappen, and the crown prince ascended the Hittit tlroneas Tudhaliyas IV.

Ramses was an intemationalist king; he encouraged hispeople to worshlp foreign gods and goddesses such as theSyrian Hauron and Kadesh, the goddess ofthe city he hadtried to conquer. He named one of his daughters Bint-Anath, "daughter of Anath," after a goddess of Canaan

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who was associated with Isis of Eg1pt. Besides hisHittite wife, he also married Syrian and Babylonianprincesses. Furthermore, Ramses sent Pariamakhu, aleamed herb doctor, to treat members of the Hittite courtand to collect medicinal herbs in the north that mightprove to be of use in Eg,pt.

Some of Ramses' neighbors wer not so friendly. He leda campaigr against the aggressive Liby'ans in the 44thyear of his reign (1236 BCE). It was to be his lastmilitary expedition; he was 68 years old. His mummyshows that he suffered from arthritis and had bad teeth;he must have consulted his doctors often as he got older.However, he still had 23 more years to rule. During thatlong period, Egypt remained at peace and enjoyed goodcrops and general prosperity. In the generations to come,the Egyptians would remember Ramses as a king whohad brought them security and wealth.

The aged king died in the 67th year of his reign (1213BCE) and his mummy was buried in a tomb with 20treasure-filled rooms in the Valley of the Kings.Unfortunately, it did not remain there long. Robbers stoleall his golden tlbasures, unwrapped his mummy, and setthe wooden contents of the tomb on fire. In 1075 BCE,in the reign of Ramses XI, Herihor, the High Priest ofAmun, caused the mummy to be rewrapped, adomed withfloral garlands, placed in a wooden coffin, and reburied inthe tomb ofSeti I. But robberies continued, so inthe 2lstDynasty (969 BCE), priests again moved it, along with40 other royal mummies, to the well-hidden tomb ofQueen Inhapy. The tomb was rediscovered in AD 1871by modem thieves, who were caught by the EglptianAntiquities Organization in 1881. Ramses'mummy withits few remaining treasures then moved to the EgyptianMuseum in Cairo.

No pharaoh is represented by as many monuments asRamses II, but the temples of Abu Simbel, among hisgreatest, were threatened with destruction when theAswan High Dam was built il the 1950's. Lake Nasser,behind the dam, would have submerged the temples.Therefore, the Egyptian govemmnt, with the help ofmany other nations including the United States, decidedto cut them into 1,042 huge blocks and reassemble them212 feet higher on the edge of the desert. A block withthe face ofone. statue weighed 19 tons. The work, carriedon in temperatures as high as 122 degrees F., began in1964 and was completed, just in time, in 1967. Theinterior of the temple sanctuaries, which had been carvedinto solid rock, was protected by concrete domes. Thelarger sanctuary is 180 feet long from its entrance to thestatues of four gods at the inner end. ln relocating it. the

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engineers were careful to preserve the angle of orientationso that the rising sun would shine all the way down thecorridor twice a year, illuninating the statues as it hadsince tle temple was built.

The most famous piece of literature written about RamsesII in modem times is OzStmandias (User-Ma'at-Re) by theBritish poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, published in 1818 andcontaining the lines:

My name is Ozymandias, king of hngs:Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

His works were impressive indeed - not only the manystone monuments that still ornament the landscape ofEgWt, but also his achievements as king. He assertedEgypt's power in the ancient world, first as a warrior andthen, much more effectively, as a diplomat andpeacemaker. Ramses demonstrated that intemationalcooperation was a way to security and prosperity. Theinscriptions say he cared for his people as parents carefor their children, although it is certain that he cared morethan anything else for his own undying fame. He was anabsolute ruler and there was no democracy in his time.However, he practiced justice and evon peasants wereconfident of a hearing at Pharaoh's court. He providedlabor for the people and saw that they were paid and fed.He was very human, subject to pride as well as to sorrowat the death of so many of his loved ones. His was a longreign, the longest in the Egyptian New Kingdom, and hisnames and imperial style were imitated by his successors:he was held as an ideal by Ramses III, who worshippedhim as an ancestor and a god, and his name was taken byall the following kings of the 20th Df'nasty. Hedominated his own time, and well deserves the title,Ramses the Great.

REFERENCES

Breasted, James Henry. A HISTORY OF EGWT.Scribner's, 1909 (Bantam paperback, 1964).

Gardiner, Alan. EGYPT OF THE PIURAOHS.Oxford University Press, 1966.

Schmidt, John D . RAMESSES II: ACHRONOLOGICAL STRUCTURE FOR HISftElGN. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973.

Kitchen, K.A. PHARAOH TRIUMPHANT: THELIFE AND TIMES OF RAMESSES 1L Aris andPhillios- 1982.

I

THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE MUSEUM

by Mary E. Vaught

About the Author: Mary is currently "bogged down inMiddle Egtptian hieroglyphs and dreading demofic," asher Ph.D. in Egtptologt progresses at the OrientalInstitute's Neat Eastern Languages andCivilimtions Department. She visited theOriental Institute's Museum in September inorder to provide this rePort to theOSTRACON. To us Eg)ptophiles, for whomthe Oriental Institute has taken on almostmythic proportions, lhis article may inspire aisit.

The Oriental Institute at the University ofChicago is housed in an older, ordinaryJookingbrick building with a small plaque stating itsnams- This humble building contains acollection of beautiful and wondrous itemsfrom Egypt, Asryria, Mesopotamia, Persia,and a Special Exhibits Room which iscunently showing ancient Nubia. Thesetreasures are all housed on the first floor of thebuilding while the offices, library, and someclassrooms ofthe Oriental lnstitute occupy thefloor above.

Two entrances lead into the exhibit area and,as an enthusiast of ancient Eglpt, I decided tobegin with the Eglptian Room. This roomcontains an excellent collection of pottery,jewelry, papyrus, models, statues, andeverlthing else that could possibly rpresentthe world of ancient Egpt. The objects arearranged according to certain categories: Pre-Dynastic Pottery, Religion, the AmarnaPeriod, I(riting, Daily Life, and Funerary.The artifacts are as beautiful in their simplicityas they are in their complexity. From thesimple black and red pottery of the Pre-Dynastic times to the elaborately paintedobjects from the Amama Period, the beautyand workmanship is evident. There are alsoartifacts donated by Howard Carter and somefound by James Henry Breasted, founder oftheOriental Institute.

The statuary contained in this room is equallybreathtaking. A colossus, believed to be ofKing Tutankhamun, is one of the major pieces,along with statues of seated pharaohs and a

beautiful statue of Horus. For those of us who havebecome interested in mummies through Dr. Pickering'swork, there is a complete mummy which has been neitherunwapped nor studied. The impulse to get it CAT-scarmed was almost overwhelming! There is also abeautiful model of what a complete funerary complex,with pgamid and temples, may have looked like when

completed. It even has a cut-away section ofthepyramid showing tunnels and burial chambers.One can see ancient models of entire villages,beautiftlly painted coffins, and Pre-Dynasticalabaster vases so finely carved that they aretrarslucent. Remarkably, the artifacts displayedare a mere sampling of what's downstairs in$orage.

While all of these treasures are housed in a singleroom, the number of objects and range which theycover is almost a sensory overload. One object inthis room - not from Egpt, but Assyria -orovides a wondrous lead-in to the Assyrianitoom. It is a stone statue of a human-headedwinged-bull weighing approximately 40 tons andmeasuring over 16 feet. Exquisitely carved andpainstakingly detailed, this statue is huge - notonly in size, but also in impact. The story of itsdiscovery and subsequent move to the OrientalInstitute is told next to this magnificent statue.

The AssyT ian Room contains many otherexamples of human-headed winged-bulls insmaller versions as well as complete panels takenfrom temple walls. Each wall section isrepresented in drawings, showing from whichareas of the temple it came and what followedeither end ofthe removed panel. A recreated, life-size Assyrian garden, complete with fountains andbenches, provides a pleasant setting for thedisplay of the Ass)'rian artifacts.

The Mesopotamian Room is equally beautiful,with a large, glazed-brick wall mosaic at theentrance. The main attraction of this room,besides the beautiful examples of the ancientwriting of this region, is the large number ofcylinder and button seals. Impressions of theseals, displayed next to the original seal, rangefrom simple figures to elaborate scenes whichunfold as the seal is rolled across the clay. Thecarved detail on some ofthe seals - some of whichare no more than one inch high - amazed me.

While there are no large statues from

Februarv 1993

Mesopotamia, the Persian Room contained some whichrivaled the bulls from Assyria. The head and front legsof a stone bull, weighing approximately ten tons afterrestoration. are first visible from the door of this room.Smaller examples of similar bull heads are also hungstrategically around this room. The cases in this roomare filled with beautifirl pottery and excellent examples ofmetal tools and weapons which demonstratemetalworking skills of the time.

The Special Exhibits Room, when I visited, contained asection on the lost land of Nubia. called VanishingKingdoms of the Nile: The Rediscovery of AncientNubia. Pictures and artifacts show Nubia prior toflooding caused by the Aswan Dam construction.Photographs and a description explaining how thetemples of Abu Simbel were moved before completion ofthe dam are also included. I consider this feat to begreater than the construction of the dam itselfl Not onlyis the recent past shown in this section, but there are alsoartifacts from ancient Nubia, including a few pieceswhich appear to be ancient Egtptian. This is hardlysurprising, considering ancient Eg]?t included the landsof Nubia. The exhibit, winner of an Illinois Arts Councilaward, has been extended until September 30th.

This room also contains an exhibit about the OrientalInstitute itsel{ from its beginnings with James HenryBreasted up to the recent past. Some of the artifactscontained here are interesting not only from a historicalstandpoint, but also as curiosities. There are telegramssent in the early 1930's about discoveries made in Eglptand which are written in a code known only to thearcheologists and researchers. Photographs of the earlyfinds are fascinating, especially those from areas whichare now modemized or flooded by the dam.Reconstruction of the objects in the museum are alsodiscussed here. An interesting section describes how aseated Egj,?tian statue was conserved, including its tworeconstructions, its present appearance, why therconstructions were attempted and re-attempted (thenabandoned altogether), and the problems that arose fromthese alterations. This section provides an excellenthistory of the Institute, including how and why it cameabout.

The final stop here, as in any museum, was the gift shop.It is a wonderfirlly small space, not more than a largecloset, with a few glass cases out front. It is literallystuffed with wonderful reproductions, jewelry, posters,books, T-shirts, and everything else that makes a goodgift shop. In many ways it reminded me of the liuleshops I encountered at bazaars on the DMNH trip toFebruary 1993

Egypt: anything and everlhing you could want, withentirely too mary things to choose from. Thehieroglyphic stamp kit may be of particular interest. If Ihad had the money, I probably would have bought one ofeverfihing, and a few things twicel (Nota bena: checksarent accepted, but cash and credit cards are welcomed.)

The Oriental lnstitute Museum is something that shouldnot be missed if you are going to Chicago and have aninterest in ancient Eg)?t, Assyria, Mesopotamia, andPersia. It is a wonderful way to spend a few hours, if youcan tear yourself away in that short amount of tlme. Thisis a simple museum, with simple glass and wooden caseswhich allow the beauty and splendor of its artifacts tospeak for themselves, with little or no window dressing todistract from tle experience.

Informafion about the Oiental Institute Museum: T-heMuseum is located at 1155 East 58th Street. on theUniversity of Chicago campus. The hours are: Tuesday,Thursday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 - 4:00; Sunday:noon to 4:00; Wednesday 10:00

- 8:30; closed Monday.

How to get therc: A taxi from Union Station costs about$12.00 or take the #6 Jeftey Express on State Street lnthe loop (south to 59th Street). Altemately, take the IC(Illinois Commuter train) to "59th Street/University ofChicago." For further information, contact the Museumaf (312) 702-9520. Mary recommends you ask a securityguard's permission for a peek at the incredible archivesat the Oriental lnstitute. There, you can see ancientmaps, site reports, and archival materials in all languageson everything relating to Near Eastem Studies.

THE BOOK OFAM.DUAT

By Joan Miner

About the Author'. Joan Miner has just recently becomeintercsted in dncient Eg,pt and hopes to increase herIorcwledge through the ESS. Her interests are quitevaried as demonstrated by the classes she immersesherself in to fill up her "spare time." She has takenacting and singing classes and is currently tahng aclass in writing short stories. Between wolking st GatesRubber Company in the International Division, andbeing a full-time Mom and active church member, herdays are never. dull!

The Booh of Attt-Duat, the "Book of What is in theUnderworld," explains the joumey through theunderworld (Dzal) in which the sun god Re travels in hissolar boat through the Twelve Hours, or Scenarios. Heenters Duat as "Flesh," sails through each Hour,prevailing over various maligrant forces and emerges, oris reborn, in the form of ths scarab beetle god, Khepri.The table below denotes each Hour's underworld locationand the deities who intervened in Re's joumey.

The Eglptiam believed that life and death co-existed toform the very "essence" of everlasting life. The conceptsof life and death held by the early Egyptians may beviewed as "irrational" according to modem ideas, but byatbmpting some kind of understanding of thepsychological "mind set" of the early Egyptian, one seesthis label as unjust.

The Dutch scholar, Kristensen, wrote about these viewsof life and death in thisway:

All that lives andall that grows isthe result of aninexplicablle andcompletelymystenouscooperation ofheterogeneousfactors...life anddeath appear tobe irreconcilableopposites: yettogether theyform everlasting

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Iife...Neither predominates, they alternate or,most dptly, they produce one another.Universal life is the totality of death and life, init hostile forces are reconciled and haveabandoned their individual independence...thesun, when it goes down, does not die but reachesthe hidden fountain of its life. Becoming orarriving is the nature of Khepri...But everyrising occurs in and from death. which thusappears to be potential ffi. Darkness is thecradle of light; in it the sun finds the power toarise...Absolute life has its home in the realm ofdeath.

(quoted by N. Rambova in A. Piankoff, MythologicalPapyrus: Texts, BOLLINGENN SERIES. X1.3,Pantheon Boolcs )957, pp. 29-30.) (tlart,53).

There is no "real" story line to be followed during Re'spilgrimage through the underworld because so much ofhis joumey is dependent upon magical powers of knownand unknown sources: sacred rituals; hidden meanings,knowing the correct paths to take; and being able todiscem the seen from tle unseen. All these factorsenabled the god to achieve his final rebirth.

Where can this "Book of the Underworld" be found?Many times the .'4 rn-Duat was found written on pieces oflimestone in burial chambers that had not yet beenpositivelyidentified. Furthermore, completeversions areon the burial chamber walls in the tombs of TuthmosisIII, dating back to 1425 BCE, and Amenhotep II. Thetombs of Seti I (1290 BCE) and Ramses VI (1143 BCE)pictured 1l out of the 12 Scenarios. The Second andSixth Hours were inscribed in the third shrine ofTutalkhamun. Amenhotep II's predecessor, User, also

had his burial chamberwalls painted with theAm-Duat which wasvery unusual for histime.

It is interesting to notethat, by the ThirdIntermediate Period, itwas common practrcein Thebes to have twobooks placed in theburial confines of eachperson: the Book ofthe Dead ard,rhe Bookof Am-Duat. Thefinancial resources of

February 1993

RE'S JOURI{EY THROUGH THE HOURS OF THE AM.DUATHour

I

2

3

567

89t0l t

t2

Splitter ofheadsofR's enemies

The Wise, GuardianofHer l-ord

Slicer of Souls

(heat ofPowerShe on Her BoatPrcficient LraderRepeller ofthe Snake

Mistress oflhe Night

Beheader ofRebelsThe Star, Repulser of

RebelsBeholder ofthe

Beauty ofRe

Great City

Field of Wemes

itelo or (nam uoos& Water of Osiris

Cavem ofihe Life ofFormsCavem ofSokar

Deep WaterCavem ofOsiris, City oflhe

Mysierious CaveCily ofthe Cod s SarcophagiCity ofthe Living ManifestalionsCity ofDeep Water & Steep BanksCity of Corpse-Counting

Cavem at the End ofDarkness,City ofthe Appearance ofBirth

(Table frcm m\TIllAN tvtyms by ceorge Hart, p. 55)

I

the deceased's family rather than royal heritagedetermined whether these religious papyri were placed inone's tomb. These two books were commonly paired wellinto the 22nd Dynasty. As a point of interest, the rulingelite class of Theban society had begun to decorate theoutside walls of their coffins with various excerpts of theAm-Duat totvard, the end ofthe 2lst Dlnasty.

In view of the ArrDuat and its impact on the earlyEgyptian belief in life after deatl, it seems apparent thatthe Egyptians felt that their very existence was contingenton this cycle of life and death repeating itself over andover again. They must have always lived in the hope ofan afterlife, not so unlike ourselves. Perhaps there is abasic need within the human heart and spirit which makesus want to challenge tle finality ofthe grave.

REFERENCES

El Mahdy, Christine. MUMMIES, MYTH, ANDMAGIC. London: Thames and Hudson, 1989.

Hart, George. EGYPTIAN MYTHS. Austin: FirstUniversity ofTexas Press Edition, 1990.

Hobson. Christine. THE WORLD OF THEPIURAOHS. New York: Thames and Hudson. Inc..1987.

Romer, John. VALLEY OF THE KINGS. New York:Henrv Holt. 1989.

White, Jon Manchip. EWRYDAYLIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT.Capricom Books: New York, 1967.

LECTURE NOTES

WHO WAS TUTAND WHY IS HE SO FAMOUS?

Presented by Dennis McDonaldESS November Meeting

Reviewed by Barbara Becker

About the Reviewer: Barbara Becker is a registerednurse working with leenagers at the Eastside HealthCenter in Denver's Five Points area. She graduatedwith an M.S. degree from the University of Colorado.The Ramses Exhibit sounded like fun so she volunteeredfor it and had a great time! Barbara then started herformal study ofancient Egpt She realized her lifeJongdream in 1992 with her frst trip to Eg)pL Ask herabout her camel ridel!

OUTSTANDING! EXTRAORDINARY! These wordsdescribe the presentation by Dennis McDonald on KingTut's treasures. Picking up where T.G.H. James left off,McDonald traced the history and process of opening KingTut's tomb, KV-62.

Having recently explored tombs this spring (albeit notTut's), I wondered about the thoughts and feelings ofCarter and his men upon finding this magnificenttreasure. What did they have to do to get the digorganized, protected from robbers, and dig on a day-to-day basis? And how was the tomb opened? How werethe treasures brought out? Was Carter a hero at thattime? McDonald answered all these questions and more.

With wonderful slides of some photographs from T.G.H.James' new book- HOWARD CARTER

- THE PATH

TO TUTANKHAMLO{, McDonald took the audiencethrough the process of discovery and excavation. Oldphotos showed the camp outside of KV-62 where theworkers and guards stayed, the digging out of tleentrance, and then the actual opening

- the first was just

one comer where Carter and his assistant viewed themagnificent treasures stacked like masss of

8February 1993

paraphemalia in an old attic. They then resealed thecomer to be reopened and fully explored the followingyear with Carter's sponsor. McDonald interspersed theseold photos with diagrams of the tomb which made thesehistoric moments very real and understandable.

McDonald also had wonderful slides of the Tut artifactsin the Cairo Museum and he gave a wonderfulexplanation of how the three layers of gilded shrines wereall built around Tut's coffin in this tiny burial chamber.

After this informative talk, many are looking forward toMcDonald's next presentation. By then he will havevisited Egypt yet again and met with T.G.H. James inLondon. He's sure to have even more fascinatins tales totell.

THEENIGMATICFIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

Presented by Bruce RabeESS January Meeting

Reviewed by Dorothy Lovely

ABOUT THE REWEWER: Dorothy Lovely, aColorado native, is retired from the Cherry CreekSchool District. She is now a privste consultant anddiagnostician for children who need remedial readinginstruction. Her other interests include square dancingand go$ Dorothy has just returned from her frst tripto Egtpt where she hod a wonderful time visiting all thesites with a terifc bunch of companions. She can't waitto retum!

Bruce Rabe's scholarly presentation, the Enigmatic FirstIntermediate Period, provided his audience with a betterunderstanding of this time of social and religiousupheaval in ancient Egypt. Following the reign ofthe 6thDyrasty king, Pepi II (who ruled from age six to 96,2246-2152 BCE), a period of great instability and chaosbegan which lasted until Eg]?t was re-unified much laterduring the I lth Dynasty.

Rabe explained that there exists much confusion in thetranslation ofthe limited sources ofthe First IntermediatePeriod. More confision for the archeologist (as well asthe novice Eglptophile) is due to the many differentnames ascribed to each ruler. Generally, tlere were threerurmes: a Horus name, a tlrone name, and a secularname. Adding to the chaos, the different kings often hadone or more of these namos in common with each other

Historical sources for this period are very limited andtherefore, it is difficult to trace each ruler completely. Apapynrs from 323-325 BCE, transcribed by the priestMenetho, was commissioned to dsscribe the length ofeach Egyptian king's reign. This source has been quotedby many, although the papyrus itself has been lost. Othersources include a ta"r document, called the Turin Papyrus,a list of kings on a portion of Seti I's temple at Abydos,and archeological evidence. The dating method used bythe ancient Egyptians wzrs apparcntly changed during theFirst Intermediate Period, making accurate dating fromrecorded texts difficult at best. However, astronomicaldating from about 1872 BCE can be used fairlyaccurately by Egyptologists.

t-February 1993

Rabe went on to explain two theories for the demise ofthe Old Kingdom: The Decline Theory and The DisasterTheory. The Decline Theory proposes a slowdisintegration of the society which probably began withthe transfer of the center of power away from the capitalcity. The Disaster Theory attributed the demise to someenvironmental change which could account for increaseddeatlr rates and the collapse of other Near Eastemcivilizations at that same time.

We leamed that, during the 7th Dynasty, one textreported there were "seventy kings in seventy days,"leading the researcher to assume no one was really inpower. With. so much confusion in ancient historicalreporting at tJre end of the 6th Dlnasty, it has beensuggested that perhaps the ancient Egyptians didn't evenknow who was the king! Egptologists agree that the 7thand 8th Dynsties probably lasted as few as 25 years intotal and may have included some kings who reigned foronly a year. Temple inscriptions of the vizier of Pepi IIseem to indicate that the 8th Dynasty lasted only onegeneration, and it may have been as short as four to eightyears in duration.

It is known that by the 9th Dlnasty Egypt was dividedand ruled from the north. During the 9th and 10thD)'nasties thrce kings named Akhtoy (Akhtoes) and threekings named Neferkare ruled. Funerary texts from thistime refer to famines and much conflict. To firrtherconfound us, the I lth Dynasty, which was centered atThebes, appears to have coexisted with the 9th and l0thD)'nasties at Heracleopolis !Montuhotep II, with perhaps tluee Horus names, w.tsprobably the instigator of the war between Thebes andHeracleopolis. His Horus name indicates he ruled bothUpper and Lower EgWt. A war also appears to havtaken place during this time, wherein Nubians, Libyans,and Egyptians fought together Montuhotep captured allof Egypt by his 46th year, and his queen appears to havebeen Nubian, which may have assisted in solidifying hisrelgn.

Rabe's diligent research was evident as the audiencefollowed him through this bewildering maze of the 7th-llth Dynasties known as The First Intermediate period.The path was made easier by his informative handoutswhich helped show who was where and when. Rabe didan excellent job of enlightening us about thecircumstances leading up to the l2th Dynasty and theMiddle Kingdom. Now we can look forward to thesequel

-- The Second Intermediate Period!!

February 1993

HOUSE OF SCROLLS

M$"$@u-*BOOKREVIEWS

IN SEARCH OFTHE ULTIMATE TRAVEL GUIDE

By Richard Harwood

ABOUT THE REWEWER: Richard Harwood is aVice President and Trust Ofrcer with Bank One

-

Colorado Springs. He has been studying Egtpt eversince he was a child and has been to Egtpt trrice. Dickis planning still another trip in November when he willget to apply his new-found shlls in speahng Arabic. Hehas just begun his second year of studying the languagethrough Ohio State University.

I have to confess that I am not a good tourist: never havebeen, never *rll be. Almost without exception, anorganized tour of an ancient site gives me apoplexy."OK, group, you will now have ten minuts to lookaround Deir el Bahari. and then we'll visit the ever-popular Temple of Coca-Cola." My blood boils, mypalns start to sweat, and my mind races to thoughts ofthe perfect crirne. Even Amelia Peabody would forgivethe impending murder!

But for many visitors to a country like Egypt, anorganized tour can be the best way to see the major sitesand avoid the hassle of private arrangements.Nevertheless, any visitor to Eglpt, tour member orindependent traveler, will want to study and carry a goodtravel guide. A handy source of information on hotels,restaurants, shopping, and historical sites can beinvaluable.

It is impossible to recommend just one good travel guideto take on a trip to Eg)?t. There are lots ofgood ones onthe market. but each has a different style, format, andarea of emphasis. The selection of a single guidebookdepends in large part on the particular interests of thetraveler. The casual tourist will want more completeinformation on such things as hotels, restaurants, andshops, while the Egyptophile will want as muchinformation as he can get on individual archeologicalsites.

10

Since any book takes up precious space and gets heavierby the hour that it's carried, one way to select aguidebook is to consider what information would be mosthelpful to have immediately at hand while traveling. Thefollowing is a partial list of those subjects, with mypersonal choices of guidebooks that seem to be betterthan others on those topics.

This survey is not exhaustive, but does consider severalof the more popular and readily available travel booksfound at libraries and bookstores. A couple of the booksI have cited (John Baines and Jaromir Malek's ATLASOF ANCIENT EGYPT and Barbie Engstrom'sENGSTROM'S GTNDE TO EGYPT AND A NILECRUISE) are not suitable as carry-along travel guidesdue to their size and weight but make excellentbackground reading before you leave home. Others, likeAhmed Fakhry's THE PYRAMIDS, are not generaltravel guides but are outstanding guides to very specificsegments of Eglptology. I have tried to note such booksin the discussion below.

I. HISTONCAL BACKGROWD INFORMATION:Regardless ofthe amount of reading you do prior to yourtrip, it's helpful to have a brief summary of Eg]?t's longhistory at your fingertips. Such a summary shouldinclude a short discussion of the various periods, fromPre-D)'nastic to modem. Here, a succinct chronology isimportant: When was the country unified under Menes?Where does the l8th Dynasty fit into the scheme ofthings? Did Hatshepsut rule before or after Ramses II?When were Christianity and Islam introduced to Egypt?Faced with the overwhelrning number of tombs, temples,and artifacts the traveler will see in rapid succession, aquick reference can help keep the brain on track.Background information should also include a discussionof modem Egypt as a whole: geographically, politically,religiously, ethnologically.

One of the best books for historical backgroundinformation is the ATLqIS OF ANCIENT EGYPT.although its size and limited scope would not make it agood travel guide. It covers the sweep of Egyptianhistory from Pre-Dynastic to the Roman Emperors of thefourth century AD and includes an excellent time-linecomparing the development of Egypt's civilization withthose of other Middle Eastem countries. As a book to becarried with you, either Kathy Hansen's EGYPIHANDBOOK or the BLW GUIDE: EGYPT byVeronica Seton-Williams and Peter Stocks is perhaps thebest choice. The treatment in both books of pharaonic,Coptic, and Islamic history is concise and accurate, as isthe discussion of Eglpt's geology, climate, flora, and

11

fauna. The explanation of Islam in the BLW GIIIDE:EGYPT is particularly good, and the EGYPTHANDBOOK's eight-page chronology of Eg)?t's history,from Pre-Dpastic to Hosni Mubarak, makes an excellentreference. Four other books to consider for goodbackground information are William Mumane's IIIEGUIDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT, John Anthony West'sTHE TRAWLER'S KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPT,ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILECRUISE, md BAEDEKER'S EGYPT.

II. PREPAMTIONS: A good, all-around travel guidewill give useful information on passports and visas (andhow to apply for them), health precautions, andsuggestions on what temperatures to expect in the majorcities and areas. If you plan to take a lot of photographs(and who doesn't in Eglpt?), some hints on film speedand protecting your camera from sand dust will avoid alot of disappointment when you get home. A detailed listofpacking suggestions is also very helpful. Keep in mindthat once you're on your trip, it's too late to apply for avisa or tlrow in some extra clothes, so this section of thebook should be as concise as possible.

ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILECRIUSE is somewhat out-of-date for visa and healthregulations, but is still excellent for packing suggestronsand recommendations on possible itineraries for your trip.T'he EGYPT HANDBOOK contains more currentinformation and has very practical tips on healthprecautions, cunency regulations, and photography.

III. TMNSPORTAIIOII Forget the pages of air, train,and bus schedules; the trmes probably changed before thebook was off the press. But hints on what procedures toexpect at the Cairo airport or on the cruise ship willrelieve some anxiety when you get there. It's also nice toknow up front that the day train fiom Luxor to Cairo isdefinitely not the Orient Express. And a simple statementlike "Don't even think about driving a private car ortaking a public bus in Cairo" should cover that subject.

FROMMER'S EGYPT has very good hints on what toexpect when you arrive in Egypt as well as what toexpect on a Nile cruise. Its mileage chart between citiesand towns is more complete than in other travel guides,and its lists of schedules and fares are good forcomparison, if nothing else. FODOR'S EGYPT arldENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILECRWSE also contain useful information on travelingwithin Egypt.

IV. CUSTOMS AND CONDUCT: Most travelers know

t

February 1993

the basics of proper behavior in a foreign country,whether or not they choose to follow them. But a goodtravel guide can save a lot of embanassment with a shortdiscussion of particular customs: How much should I tipa taxi driver or waiter? Should a woman carry a scarftlcover her head in certain places? Should I ever givebaksheesh to those cute but pesky street children? Will Ibe stoned to dath ifl eat with mv left hand or show thesole ofmy shoe in public?

Both BAEDEKER'S EGWT and ENGSTROM'SGUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRTJISE havehelpful hints on customs and manners in an Arabiccountry, and FIELDING'S EGYPT AND THEARCILAEOLOGICAI JIIES has equatly goodinformation on visiting mosques and when to givebaksheesh. But if you are going to do business in Egyptor visit an Egyptian home, read the chapter on Egypt inElizabeth Devine's and Nancy L. Bragantr's THETRAWLER'S GUIDE TO MIDDLE EASTERN ANDNORTH AFRICAN CUSTOMS AND MANNERS.

V. HOTELS. RESTAUMNTS,AND SHOPPING: For mosrtourists. these will be verymportant sections ix any travelguide. Regardless of our primaryreasons for going to Eglpt, we allhave to eat and sleep while we'rethere, and an honest description ofa hotel or restaurant, itscleanliness, and price can makethe difference between a greatexpenence and a disaster. Butkeep in mind that you will alreadyhave selected and madereservations at hotels before youever leave home, so it's a waste ofspace and weight to carry arounda book with thirty pages about

For hotels, try either FROMMER,S EGWT orFODOR'S EGYPT. Make sure you have the most recentedition, since many hotels are undergoing majorconstruction and refurbishing projects. FROMMER,SEGYPT, particularly, has good descriptions of tlrepnmary tourist hotels listed by quality, price range, andgeographic area ofthe city.

For restaurants, FROMMER'S EGYPT is best for itscoverage of selected restaurants by price range,geographic locations, good directions, ambiance, andsuggested entrees. Both FROMMER'S EGYPT ndFODOR'S EGYPT have good general sections onEgyptian food and drink.

For shopping, FROMMERTS, FODOR'5, md theEGYPT HANDBOOK all have very good sections onwhat to buy. FODOR'S has a more complete list ofwhere tobuy. Both FROMMER'^f and FODORT.I seemfairly biased in their recommendations, so use your

discretion

W. MAPS AND DIRECTIONS:Cairo is a fascinating place tostroll around; but its streets are amaze, :uld you can get tumedaround the minute the Nile is outof sight. Try to find theArabesque Restaurant, and it'salmost guaranteed you'll take thewrong spoke from Midan elTahrir. Accurate maps,combined with written directions,are invaluable for finding yourway around the major centers ofEgvpt

BAEDEKER'S EGYPT comeswith a large, fold-out map ofEgypt. Cairo, and Luxor attached

to the inside back cover; the map is accurate and easy toread, albeit a liule unwieldy when walkrng down a street.The maps n the EGYPT HANDBOOK are good toscale, but tend to be too basic to use as a walking guide.The sectional maps in the BLW GUIDE: EGYPT areexcellent, but the directions are overwhelmhgly detailedand the place names, written as they would bepronounced in Arabic, make the entire guidebookconfusing. The best city maps are in ENGSTROM,SGUIDE TO EGYPT AND A NILE CRUISE. Althoughthey are not precisely to scale, they are accurate, easy tofollow, have major buildings clearly marked, and thereare separate maps for such tourist areas as Coptic and

t2

places you won't be staying. Do your research, makeyour selectioni, and then retum that book to the librarv.Restaurants are another matter: you probably won'tdecide where to have dirurer until at least the day before,so a thorough discussion of good restaurants (with priceranges and clear directions) is a must. Eg,pt may not bea shopper's paradise, but we atl end up bringing homesomething. An unbiased description of the major shopsand hints on appropriate souvenirs can save time, monev.and a lot of frustration. Bargairung is a way of life inEgJ,?t, but it can be uncomfortable for manv Americans:a few honest hints on the bargaining process can make theexpenence a memorable and less painful one.February 1993

Islamic Cairo. Unfortunately, the book is too big andhealy to carry as a travel guide, so you would need tophotocopy and take with you just those maps you want.The same drawback is true of THE ATL4.S OFANCIENT EGyPT, which has the best area maps of thecountry.

WI. TOUNST ATTRACTIONS. MONUMENTS, ANDARCHEOLOGICAL S1IES. Even if you're on a fully-guided tour, you'll want a guidebook with gooddescriptions of the museums, monumonts, and sites. Foran Eglptophile, its importance is second only to apassport. But be realistic about just how much time ateach site you'll have to read it. The quantity and qualityof these descriptions vary tremendously arnongguidebooks.

The most detailed guide to pharaonic sites is IIIETMWLER,S KEY TO ANCIENT EGWT. It halexcellent maps and the step-by-step treatnent of thevarious temples, tombs, and monuments is complete andinteresting; its chapter on the Cairo Museum is one ofthebest. Unfortunately, the author also uses the book toespouse his often unorthodox theories of ancient Egyptiansymbolism and metaphysical harmony, witl seeminglyendless mathematical "proofs" of those theories. Thebook may be overly tedious for the casual traveler, as thedescriptions of the sites are long and detailed; in onesection, for example, there is a 25-page explanation of theFunerary Texts. The BLUE GUIDE: EGI{PT is alsovery detailed but with less interesting backgroundinformation on each site.

A betier choice for the less detail-oriented traveler wouldbe either THE GUIDE TO ANCIENT EGYPT or tlneEGWT HANDBOOK, The site descriptions in theEGYPT HANDBOOI( tend to be brief on the minor sitesbut very good and readable on the major ones. THEGADE TO ANCIENT EGYPT, on the other hand, isoften more detailed on the sites it covers, but many lessersites are not covered at all. It has excellent site maps andplans, with notes on wall drawings and reliefs, but thewritten descriptions (where there are any) are often hardto find. The site maps in THE ATLAS OF ANCIENTEGYPT are also excellent, but the written descriptionsare very general.

For those travelers with a particular interest in pyramids(and the time to pursue that interest), Ahmed Fakhry'sTHE PYRAMIDS is outstanding. It discusses virtuallyall the pyramids fiom Giza to Msroe in depth, tracingtheir history, development, construction, and explorationand has an excellent index.

13

WII. THE INDW: T1rcre is nothing more frustratingthan to paw tkough a guidebook looking for somethingyou're sure is there but can't find in the index. The index,more tlan any other part of the book, must be "user-fiiendly." Of particular help are indices that list placesnot only by their names but also under geographic andsubject headings. (For examplg lbn Tulun Mosquemight be listed under "I" for Ibn Tulun and also under"Cairo - Mosques.")

The most "user-friendly" and complete indices are foundinthe EGYPT HANDBOOK, THE TRAVELER'S KEYTO ANCIENT EGYPT, FROMMER'S EGYPT, arldENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGIPT AND A NILECRT]ISE.

IX. GEOGRAPHIC CONTENT: Know where you'regoing before you buy a guidebook to tell you about it.There is no reason to lug around a book with awonderful, 50-page description of the Sinai Peninsula ifyou're only going to Cairo and Luxor.

Many guidebooks cover only the major cities in Eg1pt,which is fine if these are the only places you're going tovisit. Such guides inchde FODOR'S EGYPT ,FIELDING'S EGWT AND THEARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, FROMMER'S EGYPT,ail NELLES GIIIDES: EGYPT. For travelers needingwider coverage, the EGYPT HANDBOOK, the BLWGTIIDE: EGYPT, THE GUIDE TO ANCIENTEGYPT. THE ATLAS OF ANCIENT EGWT, aid'ENGSTROM'S GUIDE TO EGYTI AND A NILECRUISE will be much more helpful. More specializedbooks such as THE PYRAMIDS and THETRAWLER'S KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPT are verycomplete on the areas they cover.

X. EXIRANEOUS INFORMATION: Many travel bookscontain page after page of good information that you willnever, ever use. Save your strength and leave the book athome. For example, most American tourists don't speakArabic and have no intention of leaming it while they'rein Egypt; nor are they likely to be anlplace wheresomeone who speaks English can't be found. Why, then,haul around a guidebook with an Arabic dictionary in it?Leam the few essential words (yes, no, please, thank-you,go away, where's the bathroom), write them down forreference, and stick the slip ofpaper in your wallet. Thesame is true for those guidebooks with numerous pages ofhieroglyphs; unless you plan to spend hours examiningwall drawings, you'll probably never refer to them. Onthe other hand, being able to identi!'the cartouches ofmajor pharaohs can enhance any visit to the Cairo

February 1993

Museum or the temples at Luxor.

Good chronological lists ofthe historic periods, dynasties,and pharaohs can be found in THE TRAWLERTS KEyTO ANCIENT EGYPT. THE ATLAS.OF ANCIENTEGYPT, the EGYPT HANDBOOK, and THE GWDETO ANCIENT EGYPT. T\e last has an especially goodsumnary of the events during each period, while II1ETRAWLERTS KEY TO ANCIENT EGYPI includesgood drawings of the major pharaohs' cartouches in itschronology. T\e EGYPT HANDBOOK has anexcellent, brief description of the major gods andgoddesses of ancient Eg]?t as well as drawings of theirusual forms and a good general glossary of terms thatmight be unfamiliar to the traveler.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDEBOOK: As we have seen. eachguidebook has its pros and cons, and these will differdepending on the individual traveler's interests andreasons for going to Egypt. So, where does the touristtum? The best answer may be to compile your ownbook. That doesn't mean you need to spend months at ycomputer and then try to find a private publisher.Instead, check out as many travel guides as you can findat your local library. Decide what subject areas are ofmost interest to you personally, and read those sections ineach book. Then simply photocopy those sections youthink will be the most helpful. (As long as you don't sellyour notes, yciu shouldn't run into copyright problems.)If you have time, you may want to consolidate severalsimilar sections by cutting ard pasting or rewriting theminto your own notes. When you're through, arrange thesections from general to specific and in the order ofplaces you plan to visit. Place it all into a tabbed, three-ring notebook with a hard cover, and include extra pagesfor notes at the end of each section. Notebooks withpockets in the front and back covers are particularlyhandy for holding the inevitable maps, brochures, andother papers you will accumulate as you go. Aphotocopy of the finished product is helpful to take alongin case tlle first one gets lost or you have a travelingcompanion who wants his or her oun copy. Furthermore,the next time you go, when your itinerary deletesAlexandria and adds Abydos, your personal guidebookwill be a snap to edit.

REFERENCES

BAEDEKER'S EGYPZ New York: Simon & Schuster,Inc., 1990.

Baines, John and Jaromir Malek. THE ATLAS OFANCIENT EGYPT. New York: Facts on File, 1980.

Devine, Elizabeth and Nancy L. Braganti. THETRAWLER'S GUIDE TO MIDDLE EASTERN ANDNORTH AFRICAN CUSTOMS AND MANNERS.New York: St. Martin's Press, Inc., 1992.

Engstrom, Barbie. EiTG.SIROM'S GUIDE TO EGYPTAND A NILE CRUISE. Bryn Mawr: Kurios Press,I984.

Fakhry, Ahmed. THE PyRAMIDS. Chicago: Univ. ofChicago Press, 1969.

Hansen, Kathy. EGYPT HANDBOOT(. Chico: MoonPublications, 1990.

Hobbs, A. Hoyt and Joy Adzigian. FIELDING'SEGYPT AND THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES.New York: William Monow & Company, Inc., 1984.

McGrath, Nancy. FROMMER'S EGYPT. New York:Simon & Schuster. Inc.. 1990.

Mumane, William J. THE GUIDE TO ANCIENTEGZPL New York: Facts on File. Inc.- 1983.

NELLES GUIDES: EGYPT.McCatu, 1991.

London: Robertson

Seton-Williams, Veronica and Peter Stocks. BLWGUIDE: EGYPT, New York: W.W. Norton &Company, Inc., 1983.

Showker, Kay. FODOR'S EGZPZ New York: Fodor'sTravel Publications. Inc.. 1992.

West. John AntJronv. THE TRAWLER'S KEY TO

Februarv 1993

ANCIENT EGWT. New York: Alfred Knopf. 1985.

t4

TVREVIEW

the Face Of TutanhhamunBy Graerne Davis, UK Correspondent

The Face OfTutankhamun, a short TV series celebratingthe 70th anniversary of Carter's great discovery, wasrecently aired in Britain. A BBC/A&E co-productionpresented by British academic, Christopher Frayling, theseries looks at the impact of the tomb's discovery uponEgypt, the Euro-American media" and Westem art anddesign as well as the archeological world. A professor ofcultural history, Frayling's broad arts base sometimesleaves him short in the Egyptological department. Thelocation work in Egypt clearly makes him uncomfortableand his tomb visits show that he is cerl.ainly no IndianaJones. That said, though, Frayling's coverage of thegrowth of the Tut legend, its commercial exploitation,

THE DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURAL EISTORY2001 Colorado Blvd.Denver, CO 80205

EGYPTIANSTUDY

and its effect on the art-deco movement sheds light on afascinating aspect of the discovery which is seldomtouched upon by more conventional accounts. With anaccompanying, lavishly-illustrated book, it all makes upinto a vsry slick package, although ESS members mayfind the archeological coverage somewhat superficial.One final word of waming

-- the series contains scenes of

artifact removal and treatment that are not suitable forE$,ptophiles of a nervous disposition!

' r ' ; i l l i

SOCIETY

rn' ''|'

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t5 February 1993