It is no insult to this volume to describe it as a “coffee table” book. It is a large format volume superbly illustrated, in colour throughout, presenting a window on how animals appear and were used in Egyptian art. Animals were very important to the Egyptians, although whether it is possible to substantiate Germond’s statement that “Of all the civilizations of the ancient world none enjoyed such a close and significant relationship with the animal realm as that of the Ancient Egyptians” is a subject that could be discussed extensively! Nevertheless, it is true that the Egyptians made extensive use of domestic and wild animals, suffered from, for example, plagues of locusts, and made great use of the animal world in their religion and mythology.
The first chapter provides an introduction to the Egyptian worldview and their perception of the natural world as well as discussing the fauna which the ancient Egyptians were familiar with. The book is then divided into two main sections. The first covers portrayal of animals in the secular world – animals as a human resource, animals as companions and animals in competition with people. The second, and longer, section deals with the sacred world, showing how animals were seen as representatives and repositories of the gods. Extracts from Egyptian texts are used, to good effect, to emphasize the significance of the illustrations. Appendices provide a list of principal gods, with their animal associations, an outline chronology, select bibliography and index of sites and collections.
This really is a book which is extremely difficult to review in words as everything about the book is its illustrations – handling it is a pleasure and creates a true sense of awe for the wonders of Egyptian art. It is a book to be enjoyed and experienced and no one picking it up will be able to refrain from flicking though the pages as opposed to sitting down and either reading it or using it for reference.
