John H. Taylor (1) (1958–)

Horemkenesi was an Egyptian priest and official who lived at Thebes in the eleventh century B.C. The unwrapping and scientific examination of his mummified body (the last such investigation to have been carried out in Britain) provided a rare opportunity to study the remains of a known historical figure using the most sophisticated technology and methods of analysis. By combining the results of this study with information from inscriptions on Horemkenesi's coffin and rock graffiti recording his work in the cemeteries of Thebes, it is possible to build up a fascinating picture of the life, death, and mummification of an ancient Egyptian. The first part of this book considers Horemkenesi's life and work against the backdrop of Upper Egypt in the troubled times of the early Twentieth Dynasty. The second part concentrates on the unwrapping of the mummy: its careful planning, how the delicate operation was carried out, and what discoveries were made. What did Horemkenesi look like? How old was he at death? What was the state of his health? Why did the embalmers not remove his brain, and why were his internal organs missing? These and other questions are answered in this stimulating book.… (més)

This book is an absolutely stunning pictorial romp through the Egyptian Book of the Dead. I am reading the hardcover version of this book and the detail and variety of pictures are fantastic.

My only "wish" left unfulfilled is a bit more explanation and a translation of what we are seeing in hieroglyphs. Yes, there is some description but much of the time it is lacking explanation or detail.

That said, the book is absolutely gorgeous. Would highly recommend to any history, or Egyptian mythology buff. Just be prepared to head to google to try to translate some of what you see in the gorgeous images.

… (més)

Catalog of a recent exhibition I saw at the British Museum, based on non-invasive studies of mummies using modern CT scanning techniques. The eight mummies include a very early (3500 BC) young man naturally preserved by burial in the sand before mummification became the regular practice, a male mummy from 600 BC "transposed" into the coffin of a woman (possibly when the mummy was sold to the Prince of Wales in the 1860s), the canopic jars (without mummy) of a Singer of Amun (temple priestess), a high-ranking priest's daughter (about 900 BC), a male temple doorkeeper from the 25th dynasty (about 700 BC), a seven year old girl temple singer 22nd dynasty (about 800 BC), a male mummy from the Roman buried in a coffin from 1250 BC, a young boy (about 2 years 9 months) from a family group Roman period 40 -60 AD, and a young Christian woman from the Sudan (AD 655 - 755). Besides descriptions of the mummies, the catalog includes background on mummification methods, deductions about diet and diseases, religious articles buried with mummies etc.… (més)