Valley of the Golden Mummies

This book, as the exquisite cover suggests, is gorgeous and informative. Very clearly and logically laid out, it covers the amazing archeological discovery in the Bahariya Oasis made in 1995 by the author, Zahi Hawass, an extroadinary and admirable man,of which a short biography is featured. The book explains the developement of the site, the history of the Oasis, Ancient Egyptian art and religion, and Greco-Roman Egyptian History. Wonderful, and a marvelous edition to any library.

Zahi Hawass was director general of Giza, Saqqara, Imbaba, and Bahariya Oasis who was concentrating his excavations at the Giza Pyramids, particularly the Tombs of the Pyramid Builders, when the Golden Mummies were discovered in the Bahariya Oasis in 1996. Then on, his efforts shifted to this new discovery. So far, over 100 complete Greco-Roman period mummies have been uncovered at Bahariya ranging in status from wealthy gold-encased merchants to the carelessly prepared poor. Hawass believes up to ten thousand mummies will eventually be discovered in a fifty year excavation (pg. 16). Many questions may be answered from these discoveries concerning the influence of Greek and Roman rule on Egyptian life (pg. 18). Hawass gives the reader some insight on what it is like to be part of the excavation. Digging up black sand, for example, is an indication that one is getting close to a mummy (pg. 33). He describes the overpowering smells one experiences when uncovering a mummy that has been under the sand for thousands of years and what it is like to be brushing away and then to suddenly be greeted by the stare of an obsidian eye (pg. 53). He describes a mummy being prepared for transport and his own experience with the curse of the mummies forcing him to send the father of two child mummies to the museum to reunite the family (chapter 6).Besides the golden mummies, other amazing discoveries in Bahariya are detailed in this book including an ancient wine factory (the first of its kind to be discovered), temples to the God of Bes and Hercules, and the only temple honoring Alexander the Great known to exist. Hawass describes the history of Bahariya as well as daily life as it exists today. Then, of course, there are the hundreds of breathtaking color photographs of the unique mummies, temples, and artifacts found at the sites. Because the sites described in this book are still under excavation, the defnitive book on the Valley of the Golden Mummies is yet to come and, if the author is correct, will take fifty years to complete. Still, the book offers interesting info on the sites up to this point in time although some of the copious details of mummies and artifacts gets tedious, especially in the last chapters. The book is 223 pages and includes an index, bibliography, and chronology of Egyptian rulers.

You can not totally appreciate the book and photos unless you have been there. I was there in April/2001 and it was beyond words. The book is an outstanding document of the oasis area.

This book features lots of great information on the amazing discovery of a golden mummy necropolis near the village of Bahariya known as the Valley of The Golden Mummies. The book is written by one of the best Egyptian Egyptologists, Dr. Zahi Hawass, and is written using a very friendly tone, unlike so many other Egyptology books. The text is quite easy to read, and is interesting to both beginners and advanced learners. The discovery itself is very fascinating. The necropolis was found completely by chance. A donkey, walking along in the desert sand stumbled over a rock and uncovered a golden mummy mask. After this, Hawass has led the excavation at Bahariya with great success. The world media has also had many front page stories on the discovery. Inside the book, you can read about Hawass' life, how the Valley of The Golden Mummies was discovered, a day at the dig, the mummies themselves, the artifacts, and some of the surrounding sites. Overall, the book is the best one on the market, and is well worth buying if you wish to learn more about this century's most important discovery within Egyptology.

The discovery of the Valley of the Golden Mummies is one of the most exciting archaeological finds in recent memory (especially for all of us who dreamed of being Howard Carter when we were young), and this book makes you feel like you're there. The reproductions are glorious! My only criticism (and it's slight) is that I would have liked the text to be more extensive and thorough. But I suppose that there will be other reading books on the site since it seems that new chambers filled with mummies are being uncovered every day. Other recent and wonderful books on ancient Egyptians prior to mumification are _Chronicle of a Pharaoh_ by Joann Fletcher (lots of juicy details about the private life of the fascinating Amenhotep III) and _Conversations with Mummies_ by Rosalie David. I highly recommend both.