Ancient Egypt captures the imagination like few other historical places or periods. Its art and buildings decorated in bold, bright colours are instantly recognisable the world over. The Egyptian civilization lasted for over 3 millennia, and despite periods of foreign rule, its art remained unchanged until after the death of Cleopatra. Ancient Egypt was an almost obsession of the intrepid antiquarians of the 18th and 19th century, and has been used as a theme for many cinematic blockbusters since the arrival of film and television. Few could deny the iconic imagery of the Hollywood star...