Valley of the Golden Mummies [Hardcover]

In the winter of 1996, a guard at the temple of Alexander the Great near Bahariya, Egypt, reported an astounding discovery: during a routine patrol, he had been startled when the donkey he had been riding fell into a hole. Helping the donkey out of its predicament, the guard saw that the hole was in fact an opening into a tomb--and one from which a mummy's golden face peered.

Zahi Hawass, the director general of the Giza Pyramid complex and a leading Egyptian archaeologist, hurried to the site, which turned up more and more of those golden-masked corpses--105 in the first year of excavation alone, the largest number of mummies yet discovered at a single Egyptian site. Hawass's book describes the site and its contents, which offer material evidence of daily life at the Bahariya Oasis during the 25th and 26th dynasties, a time about which little is now known. Gaps in the historical record are quickly being filled, however, thanks to Hawass's ongoing findings, only a fraction of which are reported in his book. He guesses that the Valley of the Golden Mummies may eventually yield more than 10,000 perfectly preserved corpses and a wealth of information about their time.

The richly illustrated text also provides a detailed account of the work of modern Egyptologists, who accord their subjects a respect not often shown by earlier generations of field workers; as Hawass remarks, "We always treat a mummy as if it were still a person, just as we would hope to be treated ourselves in similar circumstances." It's an altogether fascinating excursion into long-ago times. --Gregory McNamee

During the summer of 1999, one of the more spectacular discoveries in recent archeological history was announced in Egypt. At the Bahariya Oasis, 230 miles southwest of Cairo, a large group of intact ancient Egyptian tombs were unearthed that contained more than 60 mummies in excellent condition. This was truly a stunning find and made headlines the world over. In this elegant and marvelous book, the flamboyant and well-regarded Egyptian archaeologist Hawass, who was in charge of the excavations, describes this unusual discovery. Hawass explains that these mummies, probably remains of people of a merchant class, date from the second and third century C.E. The text is geared to the general reader and Hawass is a great storyteller with a knack for providing the spicy detail (sometimes his persona intrudes a bit too muchDa small criticism). Fabulous color photographs of the remote and serene excavation site and detailed pictures of the various finds grace Hawass's informative text. The author estimates that it the Bahariya site may, once fully excavated, yield over 10,000 mummies. This book, therefore, will probably not be the last we hear from Bahariya, but it is a great start and easily whets the appetite for more. For anyone even remotely interested in ancient Egypt or archeology, this title is worth its weight in golden mummies. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The recent discovery of hundreds of mummies--many bearing masks of gold--at the Bahariya Oasis in Egypt made headlines around the world, as well it should, since it proved to be a fantastic treasure trove, the richest unearthing of ancient Egyptian artifacts since King Tut's tomb was located in the 1920s. The site of the discovery at Bahariya Oasis remains closed to the public, so this beautifully illustrated introduction is, at least for the time being, the only way to "visit" the place and appreciate "first-hand" the importance of what was found there. The author, a noted Egyptologist and the director of the Giza Pyramids as well as field director of the Bahariya Oasis excavation site, narrates the ongoing discovery and excavation of the site in very expressive prose ("a face, a golden face beautifully molded with large obsidian eyes staring out from beneath the sand . . ."), which, paired with the bounty of illustrations included here, makes for a stunning presentation. Hawass describes various individual mummies, giving the reader an impression of them as the individuals they used to be. In addition to his behind-the-scenes look at the work of archaeologists, the author also draws a helpful background sketch of life in ancient Egypt, resulting in a book to be savored by readers of all ages and interests. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

History continues to give up its secrets, and few ancient civilisations harbour secrets older or more extraordinary than that of ancient Egypt. Three years ago a donkey put its foot through a hole in the scorching sand near Bahariya Oasis, some 250 miles south-west of Cairo. What it revealed to the startled rider was a gilded arm. The archaeologists were quickly on the scene, and the find led to the discovery thus far of tombs containing over 100 mummies, many lavishly gilded, and dating from 1800 BC, when the Egyptian empire was at its most powerful, to the Greco-Roman periods. Generously illustrated, with an authoritative text by Dr Zahi Hawass - it should be since he has been in charge of the excavations - Valley of the Golden Mummies provides a comprehensive guide to one of the most significant finds of recent times. Who were the occupants of these tombs? How did they live? Some clearly were rich; others, wrapped untidily in linen, could never have afforded the shining armoury of wealth, the fine necklaces and amulets, all aimed at reaching the eternal afterlife. Cat scans and DNA tests will help prise open the secrets of Bahariya, but there may always be mysteries that elude science. Why, for example, did Dr Hawass suffer from nightmares in which he was haunted by children? He believes it was because he ordered mummies of two young children to be removed to a museum while leaving their father behind in the tomb. "They were telling me they did not want to be separated," he writes. Fanciful rubbish? Dr Hawass, for one, doesn't think so..

"The tombs of ancient Egypt have by no means exhausted their power to astonish. Years may go by without an eye-popping discovery, but then archaeologists stumble on . . . one of the most spectacular Egyptian discoveries in decades."-New York Times

It is being hailed as the most sensational find since King Tut's tomb: hundreds of 2,000-year-old mummies, in near-pristine condition and many with masks of gold, uncovered in the Egyptian desert. Never before have so many mummies been discovered in a single site. Ever since front-page headlines announced the electrifying find, the world has awaited the full story. Now, in the only book on the golden mummies, the director of the excavation, noted Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass, takes readers to the site to see what cannot be seen anywhere else-and shares the wealth of new information the tombs are yielding about Egyptian life during the Roman occupation.

The site will remain closed as the dig goes on, making this book-with more than 250 exceptional full-color photographs-the only place to see what lies inside these mysterious graves.

280 photographs, 260 in full color, 5 line drawings, 93/4 x 113/4"

Zahi Hawass is Director-General of the Giza Pyramids and Saqqara and field director of the Bahariya excavation --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.