This book is a vivid reconstruction of the practical aspects of ancient Egyptian religion. Through an examination of artefacts and inscriptions, the text explores a variety of issues. For example, who was allowed to enter the temples, and what rituals were performed therein? Who served as priests? How were they organized and trained, and what did they do? What was the Egyptians' attitude toward death, and what happened at funerals? How did the living and dead communicate? In what ways could people communicate with the gods? What impact did religion have on the economy and longevity of the society? This book demystifies Egyptian religion, exploring what it meant to the people and society. The text is richly illustrated with images of rituals and religious objects.

The richness of more than 3000 years of Egyptian civilization comes alive in the pages of this book. From the geology of the land, the first cities, social structure, religion, mummification and burial practices, languages, temple and house architecture and art, Egypt and the Egyptians is a comprehensive treatment of ancient Egypt. The illustrations, many appearing here for the first time, and extensive quotes from ancient letters, hymns, funerary texts and law codes, enliven the text. The result is a rare combination of up-to-date Egyptological and anthropological research, giving the reader the most current and expansive examination of Egypt. It is written for students, and for the general reader interested in this ancient land and its people. The extensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and glossary, make this book an excellent resource for exploring any aspect of ancient Egypt.

Chicago on the Nile relates the colorful story of the University of Chicago's Epigraphic Survey expedition to Egypt, from its conception in 1924 by the first American Egyptologist, James Henry Breasted, through its development over the course of a century to become the major scientific and social presence it is today–not just in Egypt but throughout the world. Initially envisioned as a small group of scientists devoted to documenting the ancient historical inscriptions and reliefs on the walls of the temple of Medinet Habu in Luxor, the Epigraphic Survey's work grew to encompass many of the most important sites in Egypt, including Karnak, Luxor Temple, the tomb of Kheruef, Saqqara, Abydos, and the Beit el-Wali temple in Nubia. The story places this work within the larger contexts of Egyptian and international politics, the vicissitudes of the world financial situation, and academic policies. Drawing on hundreds of letters and photos, most of them previously unpublished, the book explores why the Epigraphic Survey chose specific sites for its work, the often grand expectations for its projects and publication program, and the ultimate results. The history of Chicago House, the Survey's headquarters and residence, is described in detail and offers many amusing anecdotes of social life there over the past century. As such, Chicago on the Nile provides a who's who of Egyptologists and archaeologists who worked for and interacted with the Survey to save the endangered texts and reliefs on the ancient monuments of the Nile Valley.

Emily Teter, research associate at the Institute, has selected 62 works from the over 25,000 in the Egyptian collection at the Oriental Institute at the U. of Chicago to provide the general reader and visitor with a sample of the breadth and significance of this little published collection. In addition to the royal portraits and relief sculpture commonly associated with Egyptian art, some more unusual works are included, such as lamps, grooming implements, and games. A history of the collection, especially the role of James Henry Breasted, begins the volume. A glossary, bibliography, map, chronology, and three indexes are included. Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. Annotation ♭2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

Egyptologists will welcome the publication of this catalog (it's oversize, at 9.25x12") of the scarabs and related objects excavated at Medinet Habu by the U. of Chicago's Oriental Institute from 1926-1931. Based on the notes of the excavation's field director and his assistant, the volume presents a catalog of 349 scarabs, scaraboids, seals, and seal impressions. The entry for each piece includes its registration and field number, date, description, provenience if known, decoration, brief commentary, and drawings and b&w plate of the obverse, reverse, and profile views. Teeter, a curator at the Institute, has written an introduction that describes the excavation and its documentation. A chapter on stamp seals and seal impressions from the post-Pharaonic period is included by T.G. Wilfong (Egyptology, U. of Michigan). Distributed in the US by the David Brown Book Company. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).

This work studies the relationship between the king and Maat, the personification of "truth," as documented in reliefs of the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period. It includes a detailed study of the chronology, iconography, and theology of the ritual of offering Maat and the royal name equated with Maat. Central to the volume is an investigation of the construction of, and variations in, the offering formulas and what modifications in those texts reflect about the status of the king and about the relevance of Maat to ethics in the Ramesside period.

Teeter is the author of a wide range of scholarly and popular articles that have been published in journals in the United States and abroad. Among her books are Ancient Egypt: Treasures from the Collection of the Oriental Institute; Ritual and Legitimacy in Ancient Egypt: The Presentation of Maat; Egypt and the Egyptians (with Douglas Brewer), which has appeared in an Arabic edition, and most recently, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt. In her role as Coordinator of Special Exhibits at the Oriental Institute Museum, she has curated the shows The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt and Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization and edited the shows' catalogs.