Overview

From a mummy on board the Titanic to the pyramids’ alignment with the stars, from psychoactive mushrooms to the lost realm of Atlantis: alternative Egyptology has always focused on subjects that others shunned. Ever since the birth of mainstream Egyptology with the decipherment of the hieroglyphic script two hundred years ago, alternative interpretations and imaginative theories have flourished alongside it. They intertwined with egalitarian and spiritual tendencies in society during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when ancient Egypt inspired countless mediums, artists, and movements from freemasonry to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. More recently alternative Egyptology has inspired comic-book authors and nationalist Chinese bloggers.It would be a mistake, however, for academics to simply view these alternative theories as fantasies that are best ignored. Their lasting popular impact needs to be assessed and (publicly) addressed by mainstream Egyptology, but they may in fact also open up fresh perspectives for research. The contributors to this volume explore various aspects of alternative Egyptology, assessing its impact on society and scholarship, and finding ways for mainstream Egyptology to relate to its alternative cousin.

Full Product Details

Author:   Ben van den Bercken
Publisher:   Sidestone Press
Imprint:   Sidestone Press
ISBN:  

9789464261622

ISBN 10:   9464261625
Pages:   160
Publication Date:   30 April 2024
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Ben van den Bercken   Lifting the Veil of Isis: Egyptian Reception and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn Caroline Tully   ‘Someone Who Has Power and Who Understands’: Egyptology, Egyptosophy and the ‘Truth’ about Ancient Egypt Jasmine Day   Aleister Crowley’s Egypt: The Stele of Revealing Maiken Mosleth King   Measurement Standards and Double Standards: Reassessing Charles Piazzi Smyth’s Egyptological Reputation Daniel Potter   The Orion Correlation Theory: Past, Present, and Future? Willem van Haarlem   High Times in Ancient Egypt Andrea Sinclair   Batman and the Book of the Dead: Alternative Egyptology or ‘Just for Fun’? Arnaud Quertinmont   Sphinxes of Mars: Science, Fiction, and Nineteenth-Century Ancient Aliens Eleanor Dobson   Dr Paul Schliemann: Reality or Fake News? Jean-Pierre Pätznick   Was Narmer a Chinese emperor? Alternative History of Ancient Egypt in China Tian Tian   The Occult Egyptian Mural Discovered in a Brazilian Freemasons’ Temple Thomas Henrique de Toledo Stella   The Royal Son of the Sun: Christian Egyptosophy and Victorian Egyptology in the Egyptian Romances of H. Rider Haggard Simon Magus   The Pillar of Fire and the Sea of Reeds: Identifying the Locations along the Route of the Exodus Huub Pragt   Epilogue Willem van Haarlem

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Author Information

Ben van den Bercken is an archaeologist and curator for the Collection of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the Allard Pierson – the Heritage Collections of the University of Amsterdam. Formerly, he was assistant-curator Engraved Gems at the National Museum of Antiquities, Leiden. His work on the collection of engraved gems include contributions to the collection’s history, Egyptian scarabs and cylinders seals. As an archaeologist he is working at excavations in Alexandria, Egypt.

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