Even Briefer
The British Museum Book of Ancient Egypt
Ed. Stephen Quirke and Jeffrey Spencer
(New York: Thames and Hudson, 1992) 240 pp., $19.95.
The Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities and his staff have compiled this introductory examination of the geography, history, religion, funerary customs, language, art, technology and foreign relations of ancient Egypt. Suggestions for further reading are listed by chapter. A list of rulers covering all the dynasties from 3100 B.C. to 30 B.C. includes the Ptolemies. A chart of hieroglyphics for principal kings includes four Roman emperors. The volume has 170 illustrations (80 in color) of objects from the museum’s extensive collections, as well as maps and site photographs.
Sepphoris
Eric M. Meyers, Ehud Netzer, and Carol L. Meyers
(Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1992) 63 pp., $14.95.
This beautifully produced booklet presents the interim results of the Joint Sepphoris Project, the binational project sponsored by Duke University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Lavishly illustrated with plans, drawings and well-reproduced color photos, it includes a brief history of the city, a discussion of the excavations—which include a theater and a Roman villa—a brief glossary and a bibliography. Among the color photos are close-up views of the villa’s mosaic floor, which has scenes from the life of Dionysos and a female face called the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee,” featured as the “prize find” of 1987 in BAR (see “Prize Find: Mosaic Masterpiece Dazzles Sepphoris Volunteers,” BAR 14:01).