Overview

Tyldesley s startlingly original book carefully unmasks for the first time Ancient Egyptian crimes and criminals. She meticulously recreates a series of crimes, from grave-robbing, false embalming, necrophilia and bestiality to a superb recreation of the murder of Tutankhamen (in which she reassesses the evidence for the murder and rejects it). She also introduces us to some of the inhabitants of the town of Dair et Medine, the dwelling place of fifty craftsmen and their families who worked exclusively in the nearby Valley of the Kings. Their crimes and misdemeanours were carefully recorded and give a vivid insight into Ancient Egyptian attitudes towards sex and death, property and punishment. This inventive and elegantly written book is a brilliant evocation of Ancient Egypt, and highly original; no other book on this gripping subject exists.

Full Product Details

9780297646693

Table of Contents

Reviews

Tyldesley explores the nuances of Egyptian law, revealing a great deal not only about the Egyptian legal system but also the society which it served. Recreating apparently common crimes that range from grave robbing to necrophilia Tyledesley uncovers a vast and sophisticated criminal system. She revisits the murder of Tutankamun and describes the Deir el Medina which housed craftsmen who built the tombs in the Valley of the Kings (dismissing the notion that the pyramids were built by subservient slaves). An absorbing and enlightening read. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Joyce Tyldesley earned a doctorate in archaeology from Oxford University. She is Honorary Research Fellow at the School of Archaeology, Classics and Oriental Studies at Liverpool University and the author of many books on Ancient Egypt.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available