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| Tomb Security in Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic to the Pyramid Age | |||||||||||
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Author: Reg Clark. 566 pages; illustrated throughout in black & white. 227 2016 Archaeopress Egyptology 13. Available both in printed and e-versions. Printed ISBN 9781784912994. Epublication ISBN 9781784913007.  Egyptians went to great lengths to protect their dead from the omnipresent threat of robbery by incorporating specially developed architectural features in their tombs. However, the architecture of tomb security has rarely been studied as a subject in its own right and is usually treated as a secondary topic in publications of a scholarly nature, which tend to regard its role as incidental to the design of the tomb rather than perhaps being the driving force behind it. This issue had been raised in the early Twentieth Century by Reisner (1908: 11), who suggested that the rapid evolution of Egyptian tomb substructures was as a result of the desire for tomb security and more ostentatious tombs, rather than a development spurred by religious or funerary practices. Taking this premise much further, this book presents an in-depth analysis of the architecture of tomb security in Egypt from the Predynastic Period (c. 5000–4000 BC) until the early Fourth Dynasty (c. 2500 BC) by extrapolating data on the security features of published tombs from the whole of Egypt and gathering it together for the first time in one accessible database. Using the information assembled it adds new information to the current body of knowledge concerning the architecture of tomb security and explains many of the underlying reasons behind their adoption. By thematically analysing these features in order to draw conclusions it also demonstrates that many aspects of the architecture of the Egyptian tomb over this period, in both royal and private contexts–whilst subject to changing tastes, needs and ideologies–had indeed originated as the result of the need to protect the tomb or improve its security. About the author: Following a two year foundation course, Reg Clark trained in graphic design at the West Surrey College of Art & Design during the mid 1970s and since then has been involved variously in graphic design, public relations, furniture design, manufacture, sales and product training. Always interested in Egyptology, he studied for a Certificate in Archaeology at Bristol University in the late 1990s and then in 2005 went on to read Egyptian Archaeology at Swansea University, where he was awarded a First Class Honours Degree in 2008. He subsequently undertook a research degree at the same university and was finally awarded a PhD in Egyptology in 2014 for his thesis Tomb Security in Ancient Egypt from the Predynastic to the Pyramid Age, published by Archaeopress of Oxford in 2016. Reviews 'All considered, Tomb Security is as nearly perfect a publication as one could hope to find. The scholarship is impeccable, the writing lucid and concise, the organization clear and easy to access, both on first reading and for reference later. The physical product, too, is beyond reproach. The binding is solid, the illustrations bright with good contrast, the print (even the small-font footnotes) easy to see… This is a volume sure to be a standard for years to come.' (Kmt A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt) 'Packed with plans, diagrams, black-and- white photographs, an extensive bibliography, reference charts and a comprehensive illustrated tomb catalogue, this is a go-to text for anyone studying the development of the Egyptian tomb.' - Sarah Griffiths (Ancient Egypt Magazine, Issue 96, 2016) Read the full review online here: http://www.ancientegyptmagazine.co.uk/reviews96.htm
The epublication is available in PDF format.
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