本書は10のテーマでエジプト神話の複雑な世界に光をあてることを試みる一冊です。クレオパトラの針やツタンカーメンの黄金像などの発掘物、パピルスに描かれた神の不品行の物語といった情報は、どのような意味を持ち、どのように解釈されていたのでしょうか。それらの文化的・歴史的背景を探っていきます。(cf. Ancient Egypt, #112; Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture, #403)
   

• Written by an expert but with the general reader in mind
• Thematically arranged
• Emphasizes diversity of source material
• Simply and concisely explains and illuminates a fascinating and complex world

  
The complex world of Egyptian myth is clearly illuminated in this fascinating new approach to ancient Egypt. Geraldine Pinch explores the cultural and historical background behind a wide variety of sources and objects, from Cleopatra's Needle and Tutankhamun's golden statue, to a story on papyrus of the gods misbehaving. What did they mean, and how have they been interpreted? The reader is taken on an exciting journey through the distant past, and shown how myths of deities such as Isis and Osiris influenced contemporary culture and have become part of our cultural heritage.