Joyce Tyldesley

"This splendidly clear, full and often amusing account of ancient Egypt would surely have met with the approval of Herodotus himself."-Sunday Telegraph.

Women of Ancient Egypt

Daughters of Isis

'This readable anthology is a good introduction to a civilization that fascinates like few others . . . in this book there are animals who talk, princesses who are locked up at the top of towers, wicked stepmothers and many other themes . . . An enjoyable book by a skilled author' Financial Times The civilization we know as Ancient Egypt stretched over three thousand years. What was life like for ancient Egyptians? What were their beliefs - and how different were they from ours? The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt uses Egypt's vivid narratives to create a panorama of its history, from the earliest settlers to the time of Cleopatra. Gathered from pyramid texts, archaeological finds and contemporary documents, these stories cover everything from why the Nile flooded annually to Egyptian beliefs about childbirth and what happened after death. They show us what life was really like for rich and poor, man and woman, farmer and pharaoh, bringing a long-dead culture back to life. 'By painstakingly analysing the myths, Tyldesley endeavours to get under the skin of Egyptian life, and meets the unsung characters of Egyptian history' The Times 'As panoramic a survey as one could hope to read' Tom Holland, Observer

The Penguin Book of Myths & Legends of Ancient Egypt

She was the last ruler of the Macedonian dynasty of Ptolemies who had ruled Egypt for three centuries. Highly educated (she was the only one of the Ptolemies to read and speak ancient Egyptian as well as the court Greek) and very clever (her famous liaisons with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony were as much to do with politics as the heart), she steered her kingdom through impossibly taxing internal problems and railed against greedy Roman imperialism. Stripping away preconceptions as old as her Roman enemies, Joyce Tyldesley uses all her skills as an Egyptologist to give us this magnificent biography.

Last Queen of Egypt

Cleopatra

Queen - or, as she would prefer to be remembered King - Hatchepsut was an astonishing woman. Brilliantly defying tradition she became the female embodiment of a male role, dressing in men's clothes and even wearing a false beard. Forgotten until Egptologists deciphered hieroglyphics in the 1820's, she has since been subject to intense speculation about her actions and motivations. Combining archaeological and historical evidence from a wide range of sources, Joyce Tyldesley's dazzling piece of detection strips away the myths and misconceptions and finally restores the female pharaoh to her rightful place.

The Female Pharaoh

Hatchepsut

In the tradition of her intriguing "Hatchepsut, " Tyldesley rescues another female ruler from the shadows of history: Queen Nefertiti (c. 1350 B.C.), one of the most mysterious, powerful, and beautiful women of the ancient world. History Book Club Selection. 16 pp. of photos. 38 figures. Maps.

Egypt's Sun Queen

Nefertiti

From Herodotus to The Mummy, Western civilization has long been fascinated with the exotic myths and legends of Ancient Egypt but they have often been misunderstood. Here acclaimed Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley guides us through 3000 years of changing stories and, in retelling them, shows us what they mean. Gathered from pyramid friezes, archaological finds and contemporary documents, these vivid and strange stories explain everything from why the Nile flooded every year to their beliefs about what exactly happened after death and shed fascinating light on what life was like for both rich and poor. Lavishly illustrated with colour pictures, maps and family trees, helpful glossaries explaining all the major gods and timelines of the Pharoahs and most importantly packed with unforgettable stories, this book offers the perfect introduction to Egyptian history and civilization.

The Penguin Book of Myths and Legends of Ancient Egypt

Ninety years ago, Howard Carter discovered Tutankhamen's mummy lying, surrounded by grave goods, in a virtually intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Egyptology would never be the same again. Tutankhamen's Curse approaches the story of the lost king and his development into a cultural icon with fresh eyes. Stripping away the layers of modern myths that threaten to obscure the king, it uses the evidence from his tomb to reconstruct a family and a history for Tutankhamen. Tutankhamen's Curse is designed to appeal to the widest of readerships, from general readers and history fans to students of Egyptology and archaeology.

The Developing History of an Egyptian King

Tutankhamen's Curse

Ten Tales of Egypt's Enduring King

Tutankhamun - Pharoah, Icon, Enigma

La civilización del antiguo Egipto duró tres mil años, durante los cuales un pueblo que veneraba alrededor de 1.500 divinidades creó todo un fascinante mundo de mitos y leyendas. Este libro no es, sin embargo, uno de los habituales repertorios de mitología que describen sin explicar y que han contribuido a perpetuar toda una serie de tópicos. Joyce Tyldesley, profesora de Egiptología en la Universidad de Manchester, utiliza las creencias de los egipcios para aproximarnos a la mentalidad de ricos y pobres, hombres y mujeres, campesinos y faraones. Para conseguirlo se ha basado sobre todo en las palabras de los propios egipcios, tomadas de las inscripciones en templos y tumbas, de los textos religiosos y de lo que se ha conservado de los relatos que narraban los contadores de historias, como siguen haciéndolo hoy en el Egipto rural. El resultado es una visión viva y palpitante de sus creencias acerca de los hombres y los dioses, de la vida, la muerte y la supervivencia.

Mitos y leyendas del Antiguo Egipto

Little is known about Nefertiti, the Egyptian queen whose name means “a beautiful woman has come.” She was the wife of Akhenaten, the pharaoh who ushered in the dramatic Amarna Age, and she bore him at least six children. She played a prominent role in political and religious affairs, but after Akhenaten’s death she apparently vanished and was soon forgotten. Yet Nefertiti remains one of the most famous and enigmatic women who ever lived. Her instantly recognizable face adorns a variety of modern artifacts, from expensive jewelry to cheap postcards, t-shirts, and bags, all over the world. She has appeared on page, stage, screen, and opera. In Britain, one woman has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on plastic surgery in hope of resembling the long-dead royal. This enduring obsession is the result of just one object: the lovely and mysterious Nefertiti bust, created by the sculptor Thutmose and housed in Berlin’s Neues Museum since before World War II. In Nefertiti’s Face, Egyptologist Joyce Tyldesley tells the story of the bust, from its origins in a busy workshop of the late Bronze Age to its rediscovery and controversial removal to Europe in 1912 and its present status as one of the world’s most treasured artifacts. This wide-ranging history takes us from the temples and tombs of ancient Egypt to wartime Berlin and engages the latest in Pharaonic scholarship. Tyldesley sheds light on both Nefertiti’s life and her improbable afterlife, in which she became famous simply for being famous.

The Creation of an Icon

Nefertiti’s Face

The developing history of an Egyptian king

Julian Heath

Offers nine tales from ancient Egypt and one non-fiction piece, "The Battle of Kadesh," featuring Ramesses the Great and his fight aginst the Hittite enemies of Egypt.

Stories from Ancient Egypt

For nearly two thousand years after the last pharaoh ruled Egypt the wonders of this ancient culture remained hidden, seemingly lost and forgotten for ever. Then, in the late eighteenth century, Napoleons invasion of the country sparked an explosion of interest in ancient Egypt that burns as strongly today as ever. The obsession with anything and everything Egyptian has inspired many to dedicate their lives to the search for treasure in Egypts sands. All of these explorers, collectors and archaeologists can be loosely classified as Egyptologists and this relatively new science has been blessed with more than its fair share of intriguing characters, some of whom, by virtue of their larger-than-life personalities, curious habits or spectacular finds, have come to dominate the story of the rediscovery of ancient Egypt - the story of this book. In 'Egypt: How A Lost Civilization was Rediscovered', highly respected author and archaeologist Joyce Tyldesley follows these real-life Indiana Joneses in their quest for the splendid monuments, tombs and artefacts that have unlocked many of the secrets of this mesmerizing civilization. From the nail-biting race to crack the hieroglyphic code to Howard Carters dramatic discovery of the golden treasures in Tutankhamen's tomb - surely the most heart-stopping moment in the history of archaeology - we experience the excitement, emotion and intrigue of this gripping adventure story. Praise for Joyce Tyldesley: Tyldesley has added a new, more human dimension her book should be required reading. Sunday Times on Ramses: Egypts Greatest Pharaoh

How A Lost Civilisation Was Rediscovered

Egypt

'Concerning Egypt itself, I shall extend my remarks to a great length, because there is no country that possesses so many wonders.' The Greek writer Herodotus wrote these words as long ago as the 5th century BC, and the ancient civilization of Egypt has continued to cast its spell on historians, archaeologists and visitors ever since. Thanks to its geographical isolation, Egypt developed a unique and self-contained culture whose religion, customs, art, architecture and social structures changed little over 3000 years. And its dry climate led to the preservation of a wealth of monuments including ancient cities, pyramids, temples and other sumptuous artefacts. The Pharaohs is an illustrated history of the kings who ruled over this extraordinary land, narrating the story of 30 dynasties starting around 3100 BC when the first pharaoh, Menes, unified Upper and Lower Egypt, and ending with the conquest of Egypt in 332 BC by Alexander the Great. It profiles powerful, and sometimes enigmatic, rulers such as Mentuhotep II, Thutmose III, Amenophis II, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramesses II. The story of these kings includes such seminal events in ancient Egyptian history as the development of the science of writing and the building of the first pyramid at Saqqara during the Archaic Period; the building of the pyramids at Giza by the centralized administration of the Old Kingdom; the expansion of trade with the Levant and Nubia during the Middle Kingdom (the 'classical' phase of pharaonic civilization); the rule of the foreign Hyksos kings and their introduction of technical innovations such as the horse-drawn chariot; the undertaking of grandiose building projects in the Valley of the Kings by the pharaohs of New Kingdom; expansion into Palestine and Syria which led to conflict with the Hittites; the long decline of Egypt during the Late Period, culminating in its invasion and annexation by Persia and its eventual conquest by Alexander the Great.

The Pharaohs

En noviembre de 1922, más de un siglo después de la localización de la primera tumba en el Valle de los Reyes y tras años de estudio, planificación y escrutinio del lugar, Howard Carter protagonizó el que a día de hoy sigue siendo el hallazgo arqueológico más importante de todos los tiempos, el de la tumba de Tutankamón. La relevancia de su descubrimiento estriba en el hecho de que, de las más de sesenta tumbas encontradas, ésta era la única que permanecía intacta. Repleta de tesoros, ropas, vasijas, momias y símbolos religiosos, permitía reconstruir la vida en el Egipto antiguo y daba luz a las investigaciones que los egiptólogos llevaban décadas realizando. Un hito que sería el germen de la fascinación que aún hoy despiertan en occidente las momias y sus supuestas maldiciones. Con extraordinaria habilidad narrativa no exenta de ironía, Tyldesley aprovecha el descubrimiento y la vida de Tutankamón para examinar cómo nos aproximamos a nuestro pasado antiguo, sumergiéndonos en la vida del joven monarca y su reinado y en la historia del descubrimiento de su tumba.

La historia de un rey egipcio

La maldición de Tutankamón

More than three thousand years ago a sculptor working in the royal city of Amarna carved a limestone bust of an Egyptian queen. The queen was Nefertiti, consort of the 'heretic pharaoh' Akhenaten. Plastered and painted, Nefertiti's bust depicted an extraordinarily beautiful woman. However, Akhenaten's reign was drawing to an end, and the royal family was soon to be written out of Egypt's official history. Not long after its creation the stone Nefertiti was locked in a storeroom and forgotten. In 1912 the bust was re-discovered and transported to Germany. Initially hidden from the public view, the beautiful queen was eventually displayed in Berlin Museum. Instantly, she became an ancient world celebrity. Egypt has yielded more than its fair share of artistic masterpieces, but no other sculpture has so successfully bridged the gap between the ancient and modern worlds. The timeless beauty of the Nefertiti bust both attracts us and sparks our imagination, but in so doing it obscures our view of the past, shifting attention not only from the other members of the Amarna court, but also from other, equally valid, representations of Nefertiti herself. In this book Joyce Tyldesley explores the creation of a cultural icon, from its ancient origins to its modern context: its discovery, its display, and its dual role as a political pawn and artistic inspiration.

Nefertiti's Face

Everyone has heard of Ramesses the Great - but what is the truth behind the legend? Joyce Tyldesley's lively book explores the life and times of Egypt's greatest king. Ramesses II was the archetypal Egyptian pharoah: a mighty warrior, an extravagant builder and the father of scores of children. His momuments and image were to be found in every corner of the Egyptian empire. This is his amazing story.

Joyce Tyldesley

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