Dictionary of Ancient Egypt

From Aha, king of the 1st Dynasty at Memphis (2,290 BC), to the vast complex of pleasure palaces at Zerukha, this A-Z dictionary places more than 1,500 entries on the rich world of ancient Egypt right at the reader's fingertips. The first single-volume of its kind, The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt vividly combines the historical, religious, creative, artistic, military, and personal details of this venerable civilization on the Nile. This easy to use dictionary covers a wealth of information from the Predynastic period around 3,000 BC to the fall of the New Kingdom in 1,070 BC. Here are the many pharaohs who served as the guiding forces of Egypt, such as Djoser, the second king of the 3rd Dynasty, who, after dreaming the god Khnum had appeared to him complaining about the sorry state of his shrine, erected a new temple at Elephantine bringing a miraculous end to a famine that plagued Egypt of seven years. And, of course, there is King Tutankhamun, the most well-known pharaoh in modern times because of the discovery of his tomb. We are introduced to the many Egyptian queens, who, whether in command of the country or serving as a consort to the kings, remain intriguing figures in Egyptian history. There is Nefru-Sobek, the eighth ruler of the 12th Dynasty, and Tiy, a queen of the 18th Dynasty and the first queen of Egypt to have her name on official acts, even on the announcement of the king's marriage to a foreign princess. The mortuary rituals, maintained throughout ancient Egypt's history and evolving over the centuries, are covered, from simple burials on the fringes of the settlement region and the use of tombs as a place of transfiguration, to the elaborate processes of embalming and mummification. Here also is the art, architecture, and artistic themes that so vividly represent ancient Egyptian cultural expression - the great Step Pyramid, the earliest stone building of its size in the world; the Great Sphynx, seventy-five feet from base to crown and one-hundred and fifty feet long; scarabs, the beetle shaped amulets associated with the life-giving sun; and Satirical Papyrus, a unique collection of artistic works satirizing the state of the nation during the reigns of the last Ramessid kings. Abundantly illustrated with over 170 maps, charts, and drawings based on reliefs, paintings, and statues, The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt is an extraordinary compendium illuminating the vitality, daring, and energy of the dynasties of ancient Egypt as they established new horizons of art, architecture, and spiritual insights on the human journey through time.

Margaret Bunson, a writer and illustrator, has had a life-long interest in Ancient Egypt and has taught college courses on the subject.