Securing eternity : ancient Egyptian tomb protection from prehistory to the pyramids / Reg Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, Reg (Reg J.), author.

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Tombs--Egypt--Design and construction--History.

Tombs.

Vernacular architecture--Security measures--Egypt.

Vernacular architecture.

Pyramids--Security measures--Egypt.

Pyramids.

Tombs--Design and construction.

Security systems.

History.

Egypt.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xx, 356 pages : illustrations, maps, plans ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cairo ; New York : The American University in Cairo Press, 2019.

Summary:

"The ancient Egyptian tomb evolved rapidly over a period of about 2,500 years, from a simple backfilled pit to an enormous stone pyramid with complex security arrangements. Much of this development was arguably driven by the ever-present threat of tomb robbery, which compelled tomb builders to introduce special architectural measures to prevent it. However, until now most scholarly Egyptological discussions of tomb security have tended to be brief and usually included only as part of a larger work, the topic instead being the subject of lurid speculation and fantasy in novels, the popular press, and cinema.In Securing Eternity, Reg Clark traces in detail the development of the Egyptian royal and private tombs from the Predynastic Period to the early Fourth Dynasty. In doing so, he demonstrates that many of the familiar architectural elements of the Egyptian tomb that we take for granted today in fact originated from security features to protect the tomb, rather than from monumental or religious considerations." -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. The Purpose and Context of the Egyptian Tomb and the Need for It to Be Secure

2. Securing the Early Tomb: Prehistory to the End of the Predynastic Period

3. Defending the Pit Tomb: From Egypt's Unification to the Mid-First Dynasty

4. Portals, Passages, and Portcullises: The Second Half of the First Dynasty

5. Subterranean Sepulchers: New Security Developments in the Second Dynasty

6. A Parting of the Ways: Step Pyramids and Mastabas in the Third Dynasty

7. Pyramids and Plug-Stones: Security Innovations in the Early Fourth Dynasty

8. Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-351) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

9789774169021

9774169026

OCLC:

1048939302

Publisher Number:

99989038520