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Pharaoh's Flowers: The Botanical Treasures of Tutankhamen
The golden face of Tutankhamun was garlanded with fresh flowers, exquisitely preserved in his innermost coffin after 3,000 years. In the tomb were 116 baskets, most containing offerings of seeds and food, left there for use in the afterlife. Wine jars and beautiful alabaster perfume vases contained products fit for a king; thrones and stools were made of ebony and cedar of Lebanon, while model ships were equipped with linen sails. A delightful model of a franary was found full to the brim with seeds—emmer wheat, fenugreek and chick-pea—and brooms of reed and grass used to tidy up after the burial remained intact. All these were ignored by thieves in their rush for the pharaoh's gold, yet these botanical treasures can help us to unravel the civilisation of Ancient Egypt.
In this fully illustrated book, F Nigel Hepper brings back to life the plants and flowers of past millenia, and sheds light on both the extravagant and the mundane aspects if the pharaohs' lives. He desfribes the items found in Tutankhamun's tomb—such as willow, papyrus, mandrake, waterlilies, oils and resins, and many more—as well as their use in botanical designs. Each chapter carries detailed descriptions of the plant species found or represented in the tomb, including aspects of their history and their cultivation. Plant and history enthusiasts alike will delight in this botanical exploration of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
In this fully illustrated book, F Nigel Hepper brings back to life the plants and flowers of past millenia, and sheds light on both the extravagant and the mundane aspects if the pharaohs' lives. He desfribes the items found in Tutankhamun's tomb—such as willow, papyrus, mandrake, waterlilies, oils and resins, and many more—as well as their use in botanical designs. Each chapter carries detailed descriptions of the plant species found or represented in the tomb, including aspects of their history and their cultivation. Plant and history enthusiasts alike will delight in this botanical exploration of the tomb of Tutankhamun.
80 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 9, 2025
Pharaoh's Flowers covers the copious use of various botanical plants, flowers, and trees which are associated with the treasures found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.
Pharaoh's Flowers provides a description of every plant, flower, or wood material believed to have been found among the treasures of Tutankhamen, detailing its etymology, use, and possible religious or cultural significance. At other times, Hepper will discuss specific objects, such as the chariot wheels found in the tomb and the various botanical aspects of their design.
Although Hepper has some interesting things to write, many of the botanical objects covered have a tenuous link to the treasures of Tutankhamen. Sometimes, objects are included despite the fact that no remains of that object have been found in Tutankhamen's tomb. These objects are often only included because of its existence in Ancient Egypt or by its possible use in other aspects of Egyptian culture. In addition, the descriptions often have minimal discussion on the object's specific association to Tutankhamen or Ancient Egyptian burial practices, a product of the short-form descriptions that Hepper has chosen for this book.
On the other hand, Hepper does have a great deal of firsthand knowledge on many of the objects he discusses, having conducted extensive research in Egypt on the various flora. This adds to the book as a whole as he uses these experiences to supplement his work with photos and personal stories of his experiences with a particular plant or flowers.
Overall, Pharaoh's Flowers strikes a poorly executed balance between history and natural writing, being unable to fulfil on either of the two subjects in the process.
Pharaoh's Flowers provides a description of every plant, flower, or wood material believed to have been found among the treasures of Tutankhamen, detailing its etymology, use, and possible religious or cultural significance. At other times, Hepper will discuss specific objects, such as the chariot wheels found in the tomb and the various botanical aspects of their design.
Although Hepper has some interesting things to write, many of the botanical objects covered have a tenuous link to the treasures of Tutankhamen. Sometimes, objects are included despite the fact that no remains of that object have been found in Tutankhamen's tomb. These objects are often only included because of its existence in Ancient Egypt or by its possible use in other aspects of Egyptian culture. In addition, the descriptions often have minimal discussion on the object's specific association to Tutankhamen or Ancient Egyptian burial practices, a product of the short-form descriptions that Hepper has chosen for this book.
On the other hand, Hepper does have a great deal of firsthand knowledge on many of the objects he discusses, having conducted extensive research in Egypt on the various flora. This adds to the book as a whole as he uses these experiences to supplement his work with photos and personal stories of his experiences with a particular plant or flowers.
Overall, Pharaoh's Flowers strikes a poorly executed balance between history and natural writing, being unable to fulfil on either of the two subjects in the process.
March 27, 2010
Pharaoh's Flowers the Botanical Treasures of Tutankhamun by F. Nigel Hepper was published when I was at the peak of my fascination with Tutankhamen and more broadly the Eighteenth Dynasty but somehow I completely missed this book during my frenzy of reading and book collecting.
Now as a kid I had certainly heard of "King Tut" (who hasn't?) and even knew an old novelty song that dates to the time when his tomb was first discovered by Howard Carter. Beyond that I didn't know much until I took AP Art History as a Junior. When the teacher first put the slide up of Tutankhamen's mummy I recoiled. He's such an important figure in history that I would be spending the next couple of weeks seeing that photograph.
I had to get over my visceral reaction. To do that I checked out every single book my then local library had on him. Somewhere along the way I went from squeamish to fan-girl. No longer satisfied by what was on offer at the local library I convinced my grandmother to take me down to Hillcrest where the best used book stores in San Diego are. I started collecting by getting Dover imprints of classic volumes of Egyptology and then a later edition Howard Carter's account of the work at the site. In the end I amassed about two dozen books which I read cover to cover two or three times each. Beyond that I also read another dozen or so books first from my local library, my school library and later my college library. And yet with all that reading I missed F. Nigel Hepper's book.
Hepper's taken an approach to cataloguing Tutankhamen's treasures in a way I haven't seen before. He talks exclusively of what can be learned about the flora of Egypt from the plant materials entombed with him and the plants and flowers depicted in the artworks. Not being a botanist I found some of the more technical aspects of the book over my head but it was still a fascinating and novel approach to a subject I've read so much about.
Included with Hepper's analysis of the flora are many excellent photographs and illustrations. Of course many of the photographs are ones that show up in most of the Tutankhamen books but his captions are completely different than the typical descriptions that go with the photographs.
Now as a kid I had certainly heard of "King Tut" (who hasn't?) and even knew an old novelty song that dates to the time when his tomb was first discovered by Howard Carter. Beyond that I didn't know much until I took AP Art History as a Junior. When the teacher first put the slide up of Tutankhamen's mummy I recoiled. He's such an important figure in history that I would be spending the next couple of weeks seeing that photograph.
I had to get over my visceral reaction. To do that I checked out every single book my then local library had on him. Somewhere along the way I went from squeamish to fan-girl. No longer satisfied by what was on offer at the local library I convinced my grandmother to take me down to Hillcrest where the best used book stores in San Diego are. I started collecting by getting Dover imprints of classic volumes of Egyptology and then a later edition Howard Carter's account of the work at the site. In the end I amassed about two dozen books which I read cover to cover two or three times each. Beyond that I also read another dozen or so books first from my local library, my school library and later my college library. And yet with all that reading I missed F. Nigel Hepper's book.
Hepper's taken an approach to cataloguing Tutankhamen's treasures in a way I haven't seen before. He talks exclusively of what can be learned about the flora of Egypt from the plant materials entombed with him and the plants and flowers depicted in the artworks. Not being a botanist I found some of the more technical aspects of the book over my head but it was still a fascinating and novel approach to a subject I've read so much about.
Included with Hepper's analysis of the flora are many excellent photographs and illustrations. Of course many of the photographs are ones that show up in most of the Tutankhamen books but his captions are completely different than the typical descriptions that go with the photographs.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews