NOT JUST A KING TUT RERUN Yes, this book has the jewels from Tutankhamun's tomb in large full color photos but It also has the less -often-seen golden, jeweled treasures from the Queens of Western Thebes and from Dahshur, from Lisht, from Giza, from Lahun and others.
Despite inadvertently reading the abridged version, I found this short version filled with gorgeous color plates of jewelry, and plenty of information about how jewelry was made and worn in ancient Egypt. I wish I had purchased the full version instead, and will continue to look for an affordable version of the full text.
This is such a great book. It elaborates on the fine craftsmanship of jewelry making in Ancient Egypt with a series of colorful vivid photos to reference and adore.
A general popular survey, mainly just the basics of how pieces were worn, materials, and some of the symbolism and chronology -- scholars won't have much need for this one, but it's a pretty good introductory survey. Early '70s publication photography, so the color balance and sharpness of the plates is not as good as it could be, but the author was a noted Egyptologist so the information can generally be relied upon.
This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Ancient Egyptian jewellery. Cyril Aldred discusses how this jewellery was made and who by, the materials used, the various forms the jewellery took and for what uses it was made and worn for. The book is equipped with over 140 beautiful photographs, showing some of the less known (or less pictured) items of jewellery from Ancient Egypt. Aldred also provides a detailed commentary on each photograph.
I ADORE jewelry and ancient Egyptian jewelry, although not even remotely affordable to me, is at the top of my list. This book has LOTS of color photos of very lovely jewelry spanning well over 1,000 years of Egyptian history. There is about 45 pages of text and black and white photos and drawings, plus over 100 color plates with a description of each item in those plates. A feast for the eyes!
This profusely illustrated book, which is as comfortable on a coffee table as it is on a shelf with other sourcebooks, did not disappoint me. It has photographs of pieces of jewelry that fit in with the text, and has, as well, illustrations from tombs and other sources showing how the goldsmiths worked to make the pieces.
It is incredible what ancient civilizations were about to craft without the tools we have today. What especially blows my mind is the miniscule details on some of these pieces. This applies to more than just Egyptian jewelry but that is what this book is about. The photographs are amazing.