PHARAOHS GEB - Tapa dura

In 1554 B.C. the period in ancient Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom began. It was during this 500-year stretch-- the most powerful era of an already powerful civilization-- that the ancient Egyptian king came to be called "pharaoh." Today, the word and the culture it is associated with conjures up images of sphinxes and pyramids, hieroglyphs and mummies, and, of course, the most famous pharaoh, King Tutankhamen. As the rulers of arguably the greatest civilization in the history of the world, the pharaohs of ancient Egypt continue to fascinate, thousands of years after their fall.

In The Pharaohs, authors Christiane Ziegler and Francesco Tiradritti examine these complex leaders-- including Djoser, Akhenaton, and the ramessid kings-- and the unique political system in their charge. Accompanying the landmark exhibition of the same name at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, this catalogue features essays by preeminent Egyptologists from the most respected museums and research institutions in the world. A remarkably wide range of objects are presented-- from monumental funerary sculpture to intimate pieces of jewelry-- each expertly analyzed and interpreted. These entries are supplemented by longer, in-depth essays on a variety of aspects of pharaonic life and rule, as well as stunning illustrations, many specially commissioned for this volume to document some of the most prestigious Egyptian collections across the globe.

An inherited position, the pharaoh was not only the head of state, but was also considered a deity, the sky god Horus in human form. He was an army general, legal legislator, colonizer, and diplomat in charge of organizing and managing a colossal empire; a spouse and lover to the most beautiful women of his time; an object of history's most grandiose funerary cult; and a sponsor of monumental temples that continue to draw countless visitors each year-- the roles and rituals of the Egyptian pharaoh continue to inspire and intrigue. Travel back in time and experience the mystery and grandeur of this ancient world in The Pharaohs.

Christiane Ziegler is director of the department of Egyptian antiquities at the Louvre.

Francesco Tiradritti holds a Ph.D. in Egyptian studies and is affiliated with the Civiche Raccolte Archeologiche in Milan.