Arthur E P B Weigall

The Treasury of Ancient Egypt Arthur E P B Weigall

Originally published in 1911, The Treasury of Ancient Egypt is Arthur Weigall's account of the ancient treasures recovered from the buried tombs of Egypt. It is breathtaking for its detail and depth of study. This edition contains the original twenty-seven illustrations of the artifacts. The author introduces his book with a justification of the practice of archaeology. Weigall explains how the ongoing excavations of old sites is important and moral to undertake, so long as care is taken and findings are properly documented and cataloged. The fact that history and archaeology are inseparable, and the insights of a great discovery can result in modern society being bestowed by a boon of culture, is discussed. Much of this book discusses the behavior and temperament of the Ancient Egyptians, with the various excavated artifacts serving to back up the author's accounts. Contrary to the stereotypical view of Egyptians; that they were obsessed with death and decay, we find instead that they were a flamboyant and joyous people given to celebration and festivals. Other than in hieroglyphs and murals, there is no trace of these vivacious events. For the uninformed observer of Egypt, the mummies, sarcophagi, and tombs distract from the truth. However those who delve deeper will find a colorful and immensely interesting culture, for whom religion and the idea of eternal comfort in the afterlife was important. The Egyptians were keen to preserve their culture; as such, their tomb murals displayed a wide variety of scenes from life. For Weigall the treasury of Egypt is twofold: discoveries of how they as a people lived, and the physical objects buried for so long beneath the sands. We also hear of the author's upset over the increase in thefts from Thebes and other sites. Many stone reliefs and other finds were extracted by robbers, often with little regard for the delicate ancient construction of the sites. Many of these pieces were sold and found in museums later, much to the vexation of professional and conscientious archaeologists.