Egyptian Dreams

[ImageOfAten]

The topic name says it all. I thought it would be interesting if people would come here to post the title and author of whatever book they are currently reading.

I am not reading anything at the moment. I plan to start something tonight though, so once I decide which book to read next I will come back to post.
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"You made heaven far away just to rise in it, to see all you make, Being unique and risen in your aspects of being as 'living Aten' manifest, shining, far yet near".

[Smenkare]

I am not currently reading anything. As soon as I have some time though I will continue "How to Read Egyptian Heiroglphs." When I go to the Tutankhamun exhibit next spring I want to have some knowledge of heiroglyphics. As well I plan to finish Aldred's Akhenaten:King of Egypt.

Ahhh I need more time!!!

[anneke]

Well, I was reading "Rammeside Inscriptions - the royal inscriptions" this afternoon

LOL After a while I would turn the page and what would come to my mind was: "Me, me, me, me, ....". (With Ramesses' voice yelling that.)

But the texts about the wives, sons and daughters are interesting.

I was also reading a mystery set in Ancient Egypt, and this morning I was reading in the Hawass book about Tutankhamen.

Did I mention I have very weird reading habits? I usually have about 5 or 6 books going at the same time. Alternating from one to the other.

Short attention span? MOI?

[ImageOfAten]

Lol, do not feel bad about your reading habits. I do the same thing. Usually I pick up a book, leaf through it reading the things that catch my eye. After that I start from the beginning and read through it properly.
Anyway I have decided on Tutankhamen: Life and Death of a Pharaoh by Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt.
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"You made heaven far away just to rise in it, to see all you make, Being unique and risen in your aspects of being as 'living Aten' manifest, shining, far yet near".

[kmt_sesh]

Now that the exhibit is in Chicago I'm rereading the companion book Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. Speaking of which, for all of you who plan on seeing the exhibit (anneke and Smenkare and whoever else) I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend the souvenir version of the companion book. It's nearly pocket-sized and so is much easier to carry with you as you tour the exhibit. A lot of us docents have bought it so we can have it on hand as we interact with visitors who are going into the exhibition. I'm nearly done with the companion book so I'll probably reread Aldred's book on Akhenaten, or perhaps Donald Redford's Akhenaten: The Heretic King, which I bought quite awhile ago and still haven't read.

And lastly, due to my love of languages I'm also currently reading Guy Deutscher's The Unfolding of Language. It's very interesting stuff and even touches briefly on the cracking of the Hittite language by Bedrich Hrozny in the early 1900s.

I always try to read something in addition to topics related to ancient Egypt, so after Deutscher's book I'll probably need to concentrate on a certain thing I've forgotten all about.

Kidding.
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[anneke]

Speaking of hieroglyphics, have any of you read

Think Like an Egyptian: 100 Hieroglyphs (A fascinating guide to Ancient Egypt through its written language) by Barry Kemp.

Reading Egyptian Art: A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian PAinting and Sculpture by Richard H. Wilkinson.

Kemp presents 100 hand-drawn hieroglyphics with a short explanation of thear meaning and history.

Wilkinson shows 100 hieroglyphs (in order using Gardiner's list) and explains their meaning and shows how they were used in texts.


Both books are inetresting, but I really recommend Wilkinson. The explanations are a bit more detailed and there are many illustrations showing how the signs were used and where they came from.

To give an example:
A 8 henu (Praise) - a man sitting with one knee pulled up and his left arm raised behind him and his right hand pressed against his chest.
He shows using a scene from an old kingdom tomb that this gesture is part of a ritual where men would start with their hands stretched out before them, and then would take on the pose described. This was part of a ritual when giving praise. He then shows an example of Ramesses I in this pose (behind Anubis or Wepwapet) and he even shows examples of a rekhyt bird and a personified was scepter taking on this pose. There is a page long description.

There are all kinds of fascinating things about the symbols used that I never knew.

[queencleopatra]

I am currently reading...the latest issue of people magazine.
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Cleopatra's Picture

Cleopatra's Note

[Sesen]

Anneke wrote:

[Shepenmut]

Art and Architecture Egypt this book is available through barnes and noble only.

[kmt_sesh]

I also have both those books, anneke, and I would echo your recommendation. Did you purchase the Think Like an Egyptian: 100 Hieroglyphs book when you were at the Field the last time? I bought it myself in our gift shop. Another one along that vein that I would recommend is Illustrated Hieroglyphs Handbook, by Ruth Schumann-Antelme and Stéphane Rossini.

Sesen, if you're enjoying The Priests of Ancient Egypt then you might also like Temples of Ancient Egypt, edited by Byron E. Shafer. I found this one to be a very worthwhile read.
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[Sesen]

[Daughter_Of_SETI]

I am currently reading, ANCIENT LIVES: The story of the Pharaoh's Tombmakers by John Romer. It is quickly becomming one of my favourite books, and I'm not even half way through it yet.
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In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this - Terry Pratchett.

[kmt_sesh]

[Ajaya]

What am I reading, Egyptology wise:

Egyptian Reading Book - Exercises and Middle Egyptian Texts by A. De Buck

Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs by James P. Allen

Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian (Egyptology: Griffith Institute)
by R.O. Faulkner

Ancient Egyptian Queens: A hieroglyphic Dictionary by Wolfram Grajetzki

Egypt: 4000 Years of Art by Jaromir Malek



Jay
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[kmt_sesh]