An Egyptian bestiary: animals in life and religion in the land of the pharaohs

An Egyptian bestiary: animals in life and religion in the land of the pharaohs

"Of all the world's early civilizations, it was that of ancient Egypt that fostered the closest relationship with the animal world. All aspects of life, both secular and sacred, gave prominent place to man's involvement with living creatures of every kind. Peasant and craftsman, ruler and priest treated animals not as mere utilitarian objects, but as symbols of creation equal in the hierarchy of life to man himself and closely tied both to everyday existence and to the realm of the gods" "The photographs in this volume show the incomparable richness of the pharaonic fauna in all forms of artistic expression - painting, sculpture, relief carving, architectural ornamentation, and even in hieroglyphs - ranging from astonishing realism in the depiction of birds and beasts, both wild and domesticated with which the people of the Nile Valley came into daily contact to hieratic stylization in portraying the pantheon of animal headed gods and the sacred and fabulous creatures that inhabited the ancient Egyptians' devotional, funerary and magic world." "The scholarly descriptions and informative captions that accompany this bestiary place each animal depicted in its proper context in relation to man, to the environment and to the gods. From geese to monkeys, crocodiles to scorpions, the list is virtually endless, while the superb artistry and extraordinary range of the subject matter will open the eyes of Egyptologists and naturalists alike to a subject that has never before been so superbly displayed and explained."--Jacket.

Philippe Germond

New York, N.Y. : Thames & Hudson

Photographs by Jacque Livet

The creation and origins of life according to ancient Egyptian sources -- Magico-religious beliefs in ancient Egypt and the perception of the natural world -- The fauna of the pharaonic period: origins and evolution -- The Secular World: Animals in Association with Man -- Animals as a human resource -- Hunting and fishing -- Livestock breeding -- Cattle -- Sheep and Goats -- Donkeys -- Pigs -- Poultry -- Documentary illustrations -- Animals as human companions -- Dogs -- Cats -- Horses -- Monkeys -- Unusual companions -- Documentary illustrations -- Animals in competition with man -- The semi-desert regions -- The marshlands -- The cultivated regions -- Animals in writing -- Documentary illustrations -- The Sacred World: Animals as Representatives and Repositories of the Gods -- The Pantheon -- Ram-headed gods -- Bull-and cow-headed gods -- Lion-and cat-headed gods -- Dog-headed gods -- Bird-headed gods -- Falcon-headed -- Ibis-headed -- Other gods -- Hippopotamus-headed -- Crocodile-headed -- Frog-headed -- Fanciful-headed -- Documentary illustrations -- Sacred animals -- Sheep and goats -- Cattle -- The Apis bull -- Cows -- Felines -- Lions and lionesses -- Cats -- Dogs -- Monkeys -- Birds -- Falcons -- Ibises -- Vultures -- The phoenix -- Other birds -- Water and marshland creatures -- Hippopotomi -- Crocodiles -- Frogs -- Fish -- Snakes -- Scorpions -- Mongooses and shrews -- Insects -- The sacred scarab -- Documentary illustrations -- The funerary, magic and mythical world.

Creation and origins of life according to ancient Egyptian sources 11 -- Magico-religious beliefs in ancient Egypt and the perception of the natural world 13 -- Fauna of the pharaonic period: origins and evolution 18 -- Secular World: Animals in Association with Man 37 -- Animals as a human resource 39 -- Hunting and fishing 39 -- Livestock breeding 48 -- Cattle 55 -- Sheep and Goats 59 -- Donkeys 62 -- Pigs 62 -- Poultry 64 -- Documentary illustrations 68 -- Animals as human companions 71 -- Dogs 71 -- Cats 75 -- Horses 78 -- Monkeys 87 -- Unusual companions 90 -- Documentary illustrations 92 -- Animals in competition with man 95 -- Semi-desert regions 96 -- Marshlands 98 -- Cultivated regions 101 -- Animals in writing 107 -- Documentary illustrations 114 -- Sacred World: Animals as Representatives and Repositories of the Gods 119 -- Pantheon 121 -- Ram-headed gods 124 -- Bull-and cow-headed gods 124 -- Lion-and cat-headed gods 126 -- Dog-headed gods 131 -- Bird-headed gods 132 -- Falcon-headed 132 -- Ibis-headed 135 -- Other gods 136 -- Hippopotamus-headed 136 -- Crocodile-headed 136 -- Frog-headed 137 -- Fanciful-headed 140 -- Documentary illustrations 142 -- Sacred animals 145 -- Sheep and goats 150 -- Cattle 150 -- Apis bull 150 -- Cows 154 -- Felines 154 -- Lions and lionesses 154 -- Cats 157 -- Dogs 159 -- Monkeys 163 -- Birds 166 -- Falcons 166 -- Ibises 166 -- Vultures 166 -- Phoenix 169 -- Other birds 169 -- Water and marshland creatures 172 -- Hippopotomi 172 -- Crocodiles 172 -- Frogs 174 -- Fish 174 -- Snakes 177 -- Scorpions 178 -- Mongooses and shrews 178 -- Insects 180 -- Sacred scarab 180 -- Documentary illustrations 184 -- Funerary, magic and mythical world 191 -- Documentary illustrations 206 -- Animals and humour 210 -- Principal gods and their animal associations 212.

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