| Book Reviews By MIKE BOWLES, NELEA. |
Doncaster Egyptian Exhibition March 2001 I was asked to comment on the Doncaster exhibition and I can reply that the experience was far better than I expected. For me personally, it brought back memories of 1972 when I queued for what seemed like a lifetime to see the long awaited Tutankhamun exhibition. On reflection I should have reminded myself that Tutankhamum had waited more than a lifetime for me. At the time I was a schoolboy who had traveled to London with the sole purpose of gazing into the death mask of Tutankhamun. This level of excitement obviously had a major impact on me because the images in my mind seem quite clear to this day. The exhibition in Doncaster also had relatively long queues and the school children of today appeared just as frustrated as I had been but had the advantage of mobile phones, personal stereos and game boys to fill the long wait. Once inside memories came flooding back and after I had composed myself I decided to observe those members of the public around me. I struck up a conversation with a retired couple who were astounded at the level of craftsmanship. We sat down together to watch a series of films about Egypt and the audience was transfixed. A young couple in front of me both gasped when they realised that temples such as Abu Simbel had been moved in this century to accommodate the Nile and associated dams. At the end of each short film you could hear recollections of those who had traveled to Egypt, speaking quickly and excitedly while confirming these wonders. After three short films the retired couple announced they would be taking a holiday in Egypt to get the full picture. After the marvels shown on the films the collection seemed to come alive. The exhibits themselves were so like the originals I had seen I could not determine any major differences. I took the time to study each piece and spent some time with a scientist who was knowledgeable in art. While we chatted about each piece I sketched out the background and history while the artist explained perspectives, symmetry, definition and ‘what the artist was trying to telling you’. I suddenly realised there was a whole new dimension that I had been blissfully unaware of in my thirst to identify pieces from a historical perspective. The collection of pieces was not as big as the Cairo Museum but for those who cannot regularly pop across to Egypt, it was still a thought provoking and enjoyable experience. Tutankhamen, The life and death of a boy King, Christine El Mahdy Published by Headline Book Publishing, 341 pages, 26 Colour photographs, black and white photographs, illustrations and maps. Christine El Mahdy has written a riveting book that keeps your attention from start to finish. This book will appeal to Egyptologists and the person in the street because there is enough for the enthusiast but not too much for a casual reader. The author uses her experiences in the Bolton Museum to help recreate what may have happened in 18th dynasty Egypt and in particular Armarna. Christine traces the family history and holds you spellbound with snippets of information about the main players. The enigmatic Akhatenaten is dissected and the reader is treated to glimpses inside the mind, an excursion that includes the Sphinx from Akhatenaten’s perspective. The boy king’s short life is recreated pulling in the major influences, both human and material, that played a part in his development. An image of Tutankhamen you can almost touch rises up in your mind and speaks to you. However, for those who seek an alternative view on who was found in tomb KV55, who was Smenkhkare, and what happened to Tutankhamen’s wife when he died; this book is a must. The attempted erasure from history of Akhatenaten, Smenkhkare and Tutankhamen is analysed complete with the role of Howard Carter and others in piecing it back together again. And on the subject of Howard Carter, did he know more about Tutankhamen’s tomb pre-1922 than is documented in his diary? The Murder of Tutankhamen: A 3000 Year Old Murder Mystery, Bob Brier Phoenix, 26 Black and white photographs, 264 pages Egyptologists have analytical minds by the nature of the subject they study and this book tests your thinking. Bob takes the reader by the hand and describes how his interest in the possible murder of Tutankhamen comes about and then explores the theory. There is plenty of background information to set the scene and the author has the possible murderers act out their parts. The writer discusses the influence and impact of Akhatenaten, the mysterious Smenkhkare and jumble of pieces found in KV55. The reader must make up their own mind based on the scientific evidence available today, the evidence available in 1922 and conjecture of what may have occurred in the 18th dynasty. There is plenty of evidence to examine; a 3000 year old skull of Tutankhamen, a tomb packed with pieces for the afterlife, pieces found in burial pits, a suspect ring indicating Tutankhamen’s widow re-married, private royal correspondence and the attempted erasure from history of traces of Tutankhamen. If you want to be on the jury, be prepared to listen to the expert witness Dr Gerald Irwin, and reexamine all the evidence from a fresh perspective. Plenty of people had the motive and could create the opportunity, but did anybody actually murder the king? The complete Tutankhamun, The king, the tomb, the royal treasure. Nicholas Reeves Thames and Hudson Publishers, 519 illustrations of which 65 are Colour Photographs For an armchair Tutankhamun experience this book is brilliant. Nicholas has crafted a book that takes the reader, photograph-by-photograph, illustration-by-illustration through the family history, the Valley of the Kings and the treasures discovered. For the Tutankhamun reader, this book is the reference work for getting a visual impression of that relation, that funerary pit, that adze, in fact, an Alladin’s cave of information, lavishly illustrated. I have often pulled this companion from the bookshelf to check out items referred to in another book and each time it refreshes your memory. The casual reader can go as far as they wish because the illustrations keep pulling you in deeper and deeper. For the Egyptologist studying Tutankhamun this is a detailed, excellent work that helps you find source material and is so user friendly. If you intend visiting the Valley of the Kings and the Cairo Museum to explore Tutankhamun I have a hot tip. The time spent in the pages of this book is enhanced big time when you come face the face with the actual, and you have the history in your mind and in the pages. |