Now, in Ancient Egypt, eminent Egyptologist David P. Silverman and a team of leading scholars explore the cultural wealth of this civilization in a series of intriguing and authoritative essays based on the latest theories and discoveries. Illustrated with more than 200 superb color photographs, maps, and charts, this book...

The Book of the Dead is the name now given to a collection of religious and magical texts known to the ancient Egyptians as The Chapters of Coming-forth by Day. Their principal aim was to secure for the deceased a satisfactory afterlife and to give him the power to leave his tomb when necessary. Copies of The Book of the Dead written on papyrus rolls were placed in the tombs of important Egyptians, each roll containing a selection of chapters. Many examples have survived from antiquity, dating mostly from c. 1500 BCE-250 BCE. In this volume, the text...

When Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire in 30 B.C. after the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, its vast and mysterious frontier lands had an important impact on the commerce, politics, and culture of the empire. This engrossing book -- part history and part gazetteer -- focuses on Rome's Egyptian frontier, describing the ancient fortresses, temples, settlements, quarries, and aqueducts scattered throughout the region and conveying a vivid sense of what life was like for its inhabitants.

The great pyramids at Giza are among the largest stone structures in the world, unsurpassed in size and scope since the days of antiquity. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is the only one of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World still standing. And yet, despite over four thousand years of study, some debate still surrounds these structures at the most basic levels. Who built the pyramids? How were such feats accomplished years before the advent of modern engineering? Why were the pyramids built in the first place? This volume explores the circumstances surrounding these mighty...