Conversations with Mummies: New Light on the Lives of Ancient Egyptians by Rosalie David and Rick Archbold - Additional Historical Consultation by Peter Brand.
DESCRIPTION: Hardback with Dust Jacket: 191 pages. Publisher: William Morrow, An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers; (2000). [Published at $40.00]. Size: 10 x 9 x 1 inch; 2½ pounds. As the delicately painted mummy case moves slowly through the CAT scanner, remarkable images appear. Artificial eyes have been placed in the sockets. Between the bandages lie pieces of jewelry, a gold vulture with outstretched wings, and a stone beetle, a symbol of life after death. Thousands of years ago, their bodies were carefully prepared for the journey to the afterlife. Today, state-of-the-art technology allows researchers to examine more closely than ever before these people who have remained so miraculously preserved through time. Their findings portray the most intimate picture yet available of the everyday lives of ancient Egyptians.
In this lavishly illustrated book, internationally acclaimed paleopathologist Rosalie David and writer Rick Archbold guide us through the fascinating world of Egyptian mummies and the international teams who study them. In an absorbing text, we meet ancient people from every walk of life; from pharaohs to peasants, and learn how they lived and why they died. High-tech autopsies using X-rays, CAT scans, and endoscopes uncover the agonizing afflictions that spared no one, from Pharaoh Ramesses II to a temple musician named Djedmaatesankh. And with electron microscopes and DNA testing, scientists can look deeper still, to reveal the secrets hidden inside three-thousand-year-old cells; secrets that may one day help provide cures for modern illnesses.
"Conversations with Mummies" also conveys a wealth of information about daily life in the time of the pharaohs; from diets and dentistry to magic and medicine. Features and sidebars on recent mummy studies provide new insights into everything from the family trees of the pharaohs to the hypnotic appeal of the blue lotus flower. A special illustrated feature documents the work of daring modem researchers who are performing the ultimate experiment: re-enacting the age-old ritual of mummification. And amazing images demonstrate how the latest forensic techniques allow artists to reconstruct the faces of mummies, so that these ancient people almost seem able to speak to us from across the centuries.
CONDITION: NEW. New hardcover w/dustjacket. William Morrow (2000) 191 pages. Unblemished, unmarked, pristine in every respect. Pages are pristine; clean, crisp, unmarked, unmutilated, tightly bound, unambiguously unread. Satisfaction unconditionally guaranteed. In stock, ready to ship. No disappointments, no excuses. PROMPT SHIPPING! HEAVILY PADDED, DAMAGE-FREE PACKAGING! #1701.
PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK.
PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW.
REVIEW: Today ancient Egyptians speak to us from an afterlife they could never have imagined. Thanks to modern medical technology, scientists can actually peer beneath three-thousand year old linen wrappings to learn about the individuals preserved inside. Paleopathologist Rosalie David introduces us to ancient people from every walk of life; from pharaohs to laborers, and allows them to tell us their stories.
Rosalie David is a pioneer in the field of Egyptian paleopathology and has been head of the Machester Mummy Research Project since its inception in 1973. She headed Britain's first modern mummy autopsy team and currently oversees the International Mummy Database. She is also the author of twenty-three books on Egyptian history and religion, including "A Handbook to Life in Ancient Egypt", "The Mummy's Tale", and "Religious Ritual at Abydos". Dr. David lectures widely on Egyptian subjects around the world, organizes international symposia, and consults on major museum exhibitions.
REVIEW: The secrets of life in ancient Egypt are revealed as never before in this lavishly illustrated new work that explores the advances in historical research made possible by modern technology and science. Dr. Rosalie David, the world's leading expert in the field, clearly explains how modern techniques such as X-rays, CAT scans, and DNA testing have enabled scientists and researchers to gather invaluable new information not only on the mysterious art of mummification, but on daily life during the time of the pharaohs.
"Conversations with Mummies" brings to life a variety of ancient Egyptians; from royal mummies of the New Kingdom to ordinary artisans and laborers, and explores how they lived and how they died. With gripping recreations from the past made vividly real through full-color illustrations, this groundbreaking volume offers a wealth of new knowledge about everything from diets and dentistry to magic and medicine in the ancient world.
REVIEW: The grisly but imperial mummified head of Rameses the Great stares from the page, communicating with another time. As science reveals more and more about ancient Egyptians, it also, by comparison, tells us more about our own bodies, especially our diseases. Detailed study of ancient remains is the basis for "Conversations with Mummies". Written by a nonspecialist, Rick Archbold, with Rosalie David, Keeper of Egyptology at the Manchester Museum, this approachable book takes as its underlying theme the story of the work of the Manchester Mummy Project, a world leader in the medical analysis of mummies. In addition, it introduces the history of Egyptology and provides background information about ancient Egypt.
Descriptions of mummy autopsies and a modern mummification reconstruction grab the imagination, as do several daily life stories of individual Egyptians gleaned from their mummies. Attractive and absorbing, the book can also be thought-provoking. Rosalie David feels an almost personal relationship with the mummies she studies, and the book emphasizes how mummies are now valued as records of individual lives. As Archibald writes, "Egyptian paleopathology, mummy science, is about life: life in ancient times and life today."
REVIEW: Rosalie David is most interested in what can be learned about ancient Egyptian's health, habits and living conditions from their physical remains. With science writer Rick Archbold, she details how researchers use the tools of modern science, from CAT scans to DNA analysis, to extract answers from their silent subjects. The process is so intimate, says David, that after a while one begins to feel as though one knows each of them personally.
REVIEW: An excellent book that fuses together the history of ancient Egypt with pathology, science and real-life stories from both present day and the past. The book attempts to put a real face on the lives of Ancient Egyptian people--not just the Pharaohs, but the real people. Don't read it at dinner, but a wonderful read and beautifully photographed!
REVIEW: Having seen the royal mummies at the Cairo Museum during one of the periods when they were again on display (the political winds in Egypt tend to make the opportunity to do so episodic) and also the natural Inca mummies at the museum in Lima, I admit to a particular fascination with the subject. Under the circumstances, this book naturally suggested itself to me. Mr. Archbold does present some fine photo journalism. The facial reconstructions of Mummy 1770 and of Djedmaatesankh are particularly poignant. The photos of Dr. Dunand and her assistant walking through the Western Desert each carrying a desiccated and rigid corpse is fascinating and certainly gives a sense of the reality of mummies, as do the quintessential mummies of Ramses II and his daddy Seti I, who are ubiquitous to every volume on the subject.
REVIEW: This was one of the few nonfiction books I've read that caused me to sacrifice sleep for reading. It contains almost entirely new information (to me) but includes comprehensive background information to put everything into perspective. It is well written and entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in ancient Egypt and mummification.
REVIEW: This was really a great book. It included many interesting facts about how the actual mummy was embalmed. Rosalie David can thoroughly describe in detail the act and progression of mummy embalming through time! Great Book!
I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site and free insurance coverage). A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher.
Most international orders cost an additional $9.99 to $37.99 for an insured shipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Rates and available services vary a bit from country to country. You can email or message me for a shipping cost quote, but I assure you they are as reasonable as USPS rates allow, and if it turns out the rate is too high for your pocketbook, we will cancel the sale at your request. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers.
All of our shipments are sent via insured mail so as to comply with PayPal requirements. We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. That’s why all of our domestic shipments (and most international) shipments include a USPS delivery confirmation tag; or are trackable or traceable, and all shipments (international and domestic) are insured. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price (less our original shipping costs).
Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world - but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology.
I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE."
