The Material World of Ancient Egypt

Examines the objects and artifacts, the representations in art, and the examples of documentation that reveal the day-to-day life of ancient Egyptians.

William H. Peck (Author)

9780521886161, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 August 2013

222 pages, 93 b/w illus.
26.1 x 18.2 x 1.5 cm, 0.65 kg

'… a most useful summary of the topic of daily life and its artistic and archaeological manifestations that will be of considerable value to students and Egyptophiles … [it] also provides a useful starting point for those outside the subject requiring an up-to-date and reliable source, and the book is to be recommended to this full range of potential readers.' Aidan Dodson, Egyptian Archaeology

The Material World of Ancient Egypt examines the objects and artifacts, the representations in art, and the examples of documentation that together reveal the day-to-day physical substance of life in ancient Egypt. This book investigates how people dressed, what they ate, the houses they built, the games they played, and the tools they used, among many other aspects of daily life, paying great attention to the change and development of each area within the conservative Egyptian society. More than any other ancient civilization, the ancient Egyptians have left us with a wealth of evidence about their daily lives in the form of perishable objects, from leather sandals to feather fans, detailed depictions of trades and crafts on the walls of tombs, and a wide range of documentary evidence from temple inventories to personal laundry lists. Drawing on these diverse sources and richly illustrating his account with nearly one hundred images, William H. Peck illuminates the culture of the ancient Egyptians from the standpoint of the basic materials they employed to make life possible and perhaps even enjoyable.

1. Geography and geology: the land
2. Brief outline of Egyptian history
3. Study of the material world of ancient Egypt
4. Dress and personal adornment
5. Housing and furniture
6. Food and drink
7. Hygiene and medicine
8. Containers of clay and stone
9. Tools and weapons
10. Basketry, rope, matting
11. Faience and glass
12. Transportation
13. Sport and games.

Subject Areas: Material culture [JFCD], Society & culture: general [JF], Egyptian archaeology / Egyptology [HDDG], Archaeology by period / region [HDD], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE [ACG]