The Mummy in Ancient Egypt: Equipping the Dead for Eternity

The Mummy in Ancient Egypt is the first modern account to survey the entire panoply of Egyptian burial equipment over 3,000 years. It first examines burial rites and tomb development, from the Giza pyramids to the underground chambers in the Valley of the Kings and beyond. Great discoveries are described, from Belzoni's early explorations and the uncovering at Thebes of the royal burial caches to Tutankhamun's magnificent tomb and recent scientific detective-work using X-rays and CAT-scanners. The book then provides the most detailed survey ever of changing burial practices during the pharaonic era. Working from the mummy outwards, Ikram and Dodson reveal the evolution of methods for treating the body, wrapping it, adorning it and sheltering it. In so doing, they give for the first time a comprehensive account of the development of mummy masks, coffins, sarcophagi and canopic equipment. All the latest research is incorporated, some carried out by the authors themselves.