The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now

Animals were everywhere in ancient Egyptian life: hunted and herded, kept as companions, represented in art, mummified, and associated with gods and sacred traditions. In The Animals of Ancient Egypt: Then and Now, naturalist Richard Hoath and Egyptologist Salima Ikram bring the ancient and modern worlds together through more than sixty species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates.

Contemporary wildlife photographs are paired with ancient representations from tombs, temples, mummies and other sources. Each species is considered both as a living animal—its characteristics, habitat and present range in Egypt—and through its practical, symbolic or religious significance to ancient Egyptians. The result is an unusual combination of natural history and Egyptology that shows how closely observation of the animal world was woven into Egyptian art, daily life and belief.