Egyptology: The Missing Millennium by Okasha El Daly

Egyptology: The Missing Millennium by Okasha El Daly

Egyptology: The Missing Millennium brings together for the first time the disciplines of Egyptology and Islamic Studies, seeking to overturn the conventional opinion of Western scholars that Moslims/Arabs had no interest in pre-Islamic cultures. This book examines a neglected period of a thousand years in the history of Egyptology, from the Moslem annexation of Egypt in the seventh century CE until the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century. Concentrating on Moslem writers, as it is usually Islam which incurs blame for cutting Egyptians off from their ancient heritage, the author shows not only the existence of a large body of Arabic sources on Ancient Egypt, but also their usefulness to Egyptology today. Using sources as diverse as the accounts of travelers and treasure hunters to books on alchemy, the author shows that the interest in ancient Egyptian scripts continued beyond classical writers, and describes attempts by medieval Arab scholars, mainly alchemists, to decipher the hieroglyph script. He further explores medieval Arab interest in Ancient Egypt, discussing the interpretations of the intact temples, as well as the Arab concept of Egyptian kingship and state administration—including a case study of Queen Cleopatra that shows how the Arabic romance of this queen differs significantly from Western views. This book will be of great interest to academics and students of archaeology, Islamic studies and Egyptology, as well as anyone with a general interest in Egyptian history.

'This is an impressive piece of workIt deals with a grossly neglected and misunderstood subject - the interest and knowledge of Ancient Egypt on the part of Arabic / Moslem writers in the Medieval period - and it covers this subject from many aspects.' Professor Charles Burnett, The Warburg Institute 'The main strength of the book lies in its making available a wealth of medieval Arabic extracts from manuscripts, many of which have never been published before. Hopefully this book will act as an incentive for the publication of more medieval Arabic source material! The inclusion of this material, otherwise difficult or impossible to access, makes reading this book an experience that many readers will definitely enjoy.' Aayko Eyma, Egyptologist's Electronic Forum

Okasha El-Daly is based in University College London's Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology. Formerly at Birkbeck College, he has excavated at Giza and served as a visiting lecturer and guide for many institutions.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781598742800
ISBN 10	1598742809
Title	Egyptology: The Missing Millennium
Author	Okasha El Daly
Series	Ucl Institute Of Archaeology Publications
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Left Coast Press Inc
Year published	2008-02-15
Number of pages	258
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.